[fic][Utena][Missing Link]
By: Caleb
By all means, let me know if you think I'm on to something or totally
off base or if you're wondering what the hell is going on or any other
feedback at: caleb_david@angelfire.com
Revolutionary Girl Utena is the creation and property of Ikuhara-sama
and various other entities, none of whom happen to be me. I'm just
borrowing them without permission. Considerable spoilers and
considerable weirdness abound in this fic. Consider yourself warned.
Missing Link
Akio couldn't help but flinch as the world was smashed to
pieces before his very eyes. When he reopened them and looked through
the elevator door everything was back to normal. Regaining his
composure, the Prince strode back into his domain. The last rays of
the setting sun revealed that the sparse furniture had been overturned
during the struggle which had recently transpired.
"Anthy?" called Akio with a tinge of apprehension. No
response. Now with agitation, "Anthy!" Still no response. Damn.
Where was she? This had better not be some game. Still, he had seen
her fall... Though he didn't want to think it Akio found himself
looking down from one of the shutter openings. Though the images had
been illusions, projections of myth, Akio was old enough to not
discount myths to readily, there was often some truth underlying them.
Even if Anthy hadn't really fallen Akio was unnerved by what he'd
witnessed.
Damn her. Most likely she was just off in some corner
sulking over this latest failure. She could at least let him know she
was alright; she knew he'd be worried sick about her. But she probably
was getting back at him for what'd happened to her precious Utena-sama.
Some nerve, considering who'd back stabbed her. Damn that passive
aggressive bitch.
As Akio turned back toward the elevator, determined to find
Anthy, he heard a pained moan come from the other side of the
projector. Changing his course, he passed by the bleeding and
convulsing hero, teeth gritted against unimaginable pain. "Anthy, I'm
sorry..." Akio stopped and turned around, surprised.
"Even in the end you won't hate her, will you? No... the one
your hating is yourself." There was a lot of blood. Akio turned Utena
over and examined the wound. "*tsk* Idiot, you made this a lot worse
with your pointless heroics. If you would have just laid low I could
have patched this up, but there's internal bleeding now." Utena didn't
have long to live. Akio pulled out his cell phone and began to dial,
but then stopped as he realized there wasn't enough time for an
ambulance.
Shrugging his shoulders, Akio got up to leave, but at that
moment Utena lost her battle to hold in the screams being ripped out of
her by hundreds of slashing and stabbing swords. If only they were
real, for then surely she would have died and the torture would be
over. Then surely they would have severed her nerves, cutting off the
pain. But each impalation brought to the body the shock of a fresh
injury and left the mind with the dread anticipation of further pain
and the soul with no hope for respite. "Oh God...Make it stop! Please
make it stop! Dios? My prince? Where are you... why... why have you
forsaken me?!"
Akio remembered those words well. In the end they all said
that. It was a sorry sight indeed, but Utena had brought it upon her
self. This was the price all who pretended to princehood paid. The
price for getting everyone's hopes up and failing to then deliver the
impossible. He owed her nothing. And yet he found himself picking
Utena up and putting her in the passenger seat of his car. It was
because of Anthy he told himself. If she came back here while he was
searching for her and found Utena like this it would be a bad thing.
Yes, that was it. First thing to do was put away the pieces.
Grabbing the passenger seat and windshield Akio flipped over
Utena and into the drivers seat. As the engine roared to life Akio
noticed a girl with a bow in her hair standing to the side of the car
and holding a street sign that read Stage Lane. Up ahead was another
girl with twin pigtails holding up twin signs that read: "Hospital:
Exit Stage Left Museum: Exit Stage Right." "Idiots. I don't
need stage cues," growled Akio as he spun the wheel to the left and
sped off like a bat out of hell.
A moment later a black car emerged from the shadow underneath
the projector. It looked exactly like the Akio car, excepting the
color and the license plate that read kagecar. Sitting in the drivers
seat was a girl wearing a headband who had arm draped familiarly around
an object concealed by a Shroud. "Don't worry Utena-sama, we're almost
there," declared the driver as she turned the radio to the Shadow girl
theme and turned the car to the right, right into the side of the
Chairman's tower. *CRASH*
"Oops, the cursed clutch and misplaced steering wheel threw
me off! You okay Utena-sama? On the bright side at least we didn't go
between those arches. That's one long drop. Ooh, I knew this was a
stupid idea. I told them I didn't have my license yet, but they
insisted and told me the first part needed two sets of signs, so I was
stuck with this. *sigh* Being the odd man out sucks, I get stuck with
all the crazy roles. Anyway, we're here Utena-sama. Let me help you
out."
*
* *
"Wow! I didn't know the chairmen had such an amazing
museum!" squealed B-ko as she ran back and forth, trying to take in
all the historical works. "Oh, look at this, it's a signed first
edition of "The Origin Of The Species" and it's got my picture on the
back!"
"That's your reflection idiot. See, someone put a mirror on
the back cover," explained A-ko.
"Oh. Hey, this is a cool painting. This guys on the right
is Plato, right? Even with that heavy beard of old age weighing him
down he gestures up to the heavens."
"Actually, that's really Leonardo. Plato rejected the Gods,
but in his old age became a bitter man recommending a state propped up
with a fabricated religion because people were to dumb to be moral on
their own."
"Oh, but I thought Plato was a rather spiritual guy, he
certainly looks like it in this picture. And wouldn't the people
eventually figure out that the religion was just a fake?"
"For the last time, that pictures not really Plato, that beard
and gesture are Leonardo's! It was Porphyry's interpretations that
created the Neo-Platonic idealization of Plato. And the people
wouldn't ever question the religion because Plato proposed a death
sentence for any doubters."
"He'd kill people for doubting a religion that he made up?!
Boy, talk about a bitter old man. Well, let's check out this "Theology
of Aristotle" then. Ooh, it's one of the original Arabic translations.
This must be worth a fortune. Check this out, Aristotle's got some
pretty cool ideas in here."
"Aristotle didn't write that. Some Neoplatonist concocted it
in the fifth century and the Muslims mistook it for a genuine work of
the Stagirite. The real Aristotle was a down to earth scientists who'd
have nothing to do with theology."
"Oh... Hey! Isn't that the Shroud of Tur-"
"Forgery made by a church in need of a holy relic. A
scientific study showed the pattern was just pigment painted on the
shroud several hundred years ago."
"A-ko! Stop being such a kill joy and contradicting
everything I say. Aren't you in the least bit impressed by any of
this? This is our cultural heritage that's reached down through the
ages to shape our present world and even the very patterns of our
minds!"
"Um... B-ko? We're Japanese. These are all Western works."
"See! Your doing it again!"
"Ah! Young Mademolises, you are just in time for ze unveiling
of our newest addition," announced C-ko as A-ko cringed at her bad
accent. She was dressed up in a black and white striped shirt with a
red beret and an even sillier looking fake mustache (for it goes
without saying that berets look silly). "Zis is my masterpiece upon I
have labored long and hard. Viola!" C-ko pulled on a drawstring,
lifting up the Shroud which concealed her statue.
"Hmmm," murmured A-ko as she narrowed her eyes and critically
appraised the work.
"Ooh, it's real nice C-ko. You're so creative. The wings are
a lovely touch."
"Creative?! It's a rip off of promotional artwork done in the
style of the Greek Nikes, which is totally inappropriate considering
Utena was hardly victorious! Weren't you paying any attention C-ko?
Not only did Utena fail to beat the final bad guy and save the
princess, but she was mortally wounded to boot!"
"A-ko, don't make a scene," pleaded B-ko. Then she turned to
C-ko, "I'm sorry, don't take her personally. She's so touchy cause she
really believed in Utena to the very end. That'd she'd become a real
Prince and Revolutionize the World. It really is a very nice statue."
"Nice?! It's a wildly inaccurate forgery. What the hell is up
with the wings! Utena never had wings! Think of all the people who
will see this and get the wrong idea."
"How do you know Utena wasn't an angel?" countered C-ko.
"The pic I used for the model came off the net, so it must be true.
They say her body was never found, in fact, I've heard that at the last
moment Dios saved her. They must have ascended to heaven by now and
are living happily ever after."
"Bull crap! The reason her body is never going to be found
is Akio made off with it and is probably dumping it in an incinerator
as we speak. I can't believe how gullible you two saps are, believing
every pretty little made up story you hear," said A-ko as she threw up
her hands in disgust.
"A-ko," said B-ko gently, "you're getting so hung up on the
details that I think your missing what's truly important."
"Oh yeah?! Well at least I've got reality. You guys are
completely missing the truth."
"A-ko, how'd your audition go?" asked C-ko.
"Huh? Oh it was great. I think I've got a good shot at
getting the part, but what's that got to do with anything?"
"How'd you end up working up the nerve to try out? Did
something... or _someone_ inspire you?" prodded B-ko.
"Uh, well... maybe a little, but I still don't see what this
has to do with..."
"And what about what happened after you took B-ko out to
"celebrate" that night? The A-ko I knew at the start of the quarter
never would have had the guts to do that. I wonder if perhaps someone
inspired you there? I wonder, I wonder, do you know what I wonder?"
"Y-You were watching?!" exclaimed a blushing A-ko.
"A-ko, I don't think it so much matters whether Utena was
victorious or lost, whether she's dead or alive," explained an also
blushing B-ko. "What's really important was her life; how everyone who
met her was inspired and had their life profoundly changed by her. And
that even those who never met her will be inspired by her story
throughout the ages. With art and myths, I think what's important is
not that they're completely accurate, but that they make us proud to be
human and inspire us to live up to our potential..."
"Uh, B-ko, I hate to interrupt your great speech, but it's
time for us to do the voice overs for the last scene," interrupted C-
ko.
"Ah, I love the song that plays then," sighed B-ko. As if on
cue the radio station the kagecar was tuned to started playing Baiser.
"Ahh, this has got to be the prettiest song of all."
"Silly. You said that about the opening to the Overture
also," teased A-ko. "Hey, you know what this songs other name is B-
ko?"
"Nope. I just always called it that-really-pretty-song-that-
plays-right-near-the-end."
"Is it Aphrodite Ascension?" guessed C-ko.
"Nope. The other name is... *CHU*"
"Real smooth, A-ko, but you guys can practice that anytime
you want, we've got to get going... ACK! Look out B-ko!" warned C-ko,
too late. A blissful B-ko was leaning back against a statue of a nude
goddess which was starting to tip over. B-ko suddenly found herself
without support and fell over backward with A-ko landing on top of her.
The statue crashed into another nearby statue, smashing to pieces and
setting off a chain reaction of destruction before C-ko's horrified
eyes.
"Look what you've done you two! You killed Venus!"
admonished C-ko as she dodged a chunk of falling ceiling and helped the
two girls lying admits the ruins of the fallen goddess to their feet.
"Quick, we've got to get out of here before this turns into
another skit where we get killed at the end! To the kagecar girls!"
shouted A-ko as she struck a dramatic pose.
"Uh guys, about the car..."
"ACHOO!" Akio gave his car a queer look, wondering why the
hell there would be sneezing on the radio. Shrugging, Akio decided not
to waste anymore time with this weird station and flipped the dial.
"The orbit of Pluto, Plato, a circumscribed circle. The orbit of Sol,
Plato, an inscribed circle." "Nonexistent circle," corrected Akio as
he finally reached his favorite station, 66.6, all Akio car theme all
the time.
"I never showed you the Ends of the World, did I Tenjou?"
said Akio to his unhearing passenger. "Well, now it's your turn." The
engine roared like a beast unleashed as the car began to accelerate
unnaturally fast, 40...80...160...320...640... Utena's pained moans
increased in intensity, as if the depths of the sword thrusts were
linked to the gas pedal Akio was mercilessly grinding into the floor.
With a final burst the Akio car reached a speed at which the street
lights along the deserted highway and the pain throughout Utena's body
climaxed into one blur.
"Does it hurt Utena?" snarled Akio as he focused all his
attention on tackling the corners at such an insane speed. "It's not
me who's causing your pain though, it's the world. The world can't
abide Princes. It always ends up destroying them. Princes are only
allowed in my world. Any who try to leave it will soon find themselves
at the End of the World. But don't worry, they'll return you to my
world after they're through with you. They always regret it after they
finish off a Prince, so they always return him to my safe, secure
world. Akio let loose a bitter laugh, "They're already making images
of you as an angel you know."
"Anthy..." moaned Utena as a silent silver tear began to
slowly make it's way down her face.
Akio glared at her and then continued, "I wish for once
they'd tell the last chapter of the Prince's story right. Once the
Prince gets bit by the snake he's dead and that's it, he doesn't get to
go see his damned precious rose. You understand Utena?" Utena just
continued to cry.
Off to the right a tempest started brewing as a grave came
into view. Akio's face softened as he continued, "I suppose there are
less harsh alternatives for the final chapter. We're near the village
that was once known as Herai, Utena. Do you know who's grave that's
said to be? I like that as an ending to his story much better. That
he gave up all that craziness and escaped to Japan, raised a family,
and lived a good long life. Hell, I find that a lot more credible than
the "official" account. Like the judge, I was always suspicious about
how quickly he gave up the ghost. And his death was only confirmed by
one officer, wonder how much it took to pay him off? Doubt is was
much, the officials didn't really care about doing him in. Just
appeasing local sentiment."
Akio looked down at Utena's swollen and bruised hands. Still
affixed to her ring finger was the rose signet. He gently took her
left hand in his and kissed the tears from her eyes. Inside of her he
could feel her mind breaking down. "I'll become a prince... Foolish
human, there never was such a thing as a prince... Do you love
Himemiyia?... Himemiyia, you and I... But I can't... not anymore...
I'll save her from you... Wrong! This is the only way she can be
happy... I'm sorry for being a make believe prince... Your my
sister's, no, my good friend... A LIE! ALL OF IT WAS LIES! MY LIFE
WAS A JOKE BASED ON A LIE! THEY ALL USED ME, but... but I let them,
because I wanted to live in that make believe world..."
"Poor thing. You, Anthy, I, we can't be happy in the
outside world. It's only in that inner world that we can have what we
want. I will give you a parting gift," Akio leaned over and kissed
Utena's rose signet. "As long as you wear this ring you may use my
power... Oh shit!"
Akio looked up just in time to see that they'd reached a dead
end. He desperately spun the wheel to the right, but the car was
doomed. However, the passengers side door flew open and Utena was
thrown clear into a hedge before the Akio car slammed into the Tokyo
General hospital with a sickening crunch.
"What the hell did you think you were doing! Damned
motorists these days think they're God. You're lucky to be alive!"
yelled a doctor at a groaning Akio who was clutching his bleeding
forehead. The doctor spared Akio one last withering glance before he
reached Utena. "Holy shit! This girl needs to get to the ER ASAP!
Damn, and I was just about to go home."
Wasting no time, the doctor whipped out his cell phone. "I
need a table with an IV and a coagulant out here on the double! And
I've got a blood sample that needs to be rushed down to the lab so we
can get a proper transfusion ready...what? Screw the universal
precautions! There's a life fading here while you waste my time!"
"She's B positive," said Akio as he unsteadily rose from the
now flaming wreckage of his car.
"Wha...How the hell can you still... No, I'm not talking to
you idiot! Just send an IV of B positive after that table! As for you
for mister hot shot driver, as long as you can talk I've got some
questions for you!"
Akio was too tough to be taken out by an over 600 kph crash,
but he'd just about reached his limit. His precious car was ruined,
the doctor's attitude was starting to grate on his nerves (Akio really
really disliked self-righteous people), and he had blood dripping into
his left eye (Akio also disliked blood, he'd made a point of banning it
from campus his first day as acting chairman). This all was a good
reminder of why he avoided venturing into the world outside Ohtori.
The sooner he got out of here and back home the better.
"Taxi!" called Akio as he casually, despite his injuries,
managed to both wave down a nearby green taxi and leap clear of his
conflagration of a car. Before the taxi had even came to a stop Akio
used a half cartwheel half flip to get over the hood and onto the
passenger side. "I hate to leave her here like this," thought Akio as
he jumped into the cab, "but it's not like I don't have a couple spare
cars at home. Damn this is humiliating, I could never stand using a
taxi regularly."
"Wait!" cried the doctor as he stood up with Utena in his
arms. "You forgot your..." KABOOM! The doctor was knocked back down
as the explosion of the Akio car drowned out his last word, "key."
"Oh well," thought the doctor as he got back up and rushed
Utena to the IV table, "such an irresponsible guy who runs away
deserves to misplace those. I've got a life to save."
*
* *
The first thing Utena became aware of, besides the dull pain
in her heart, was the sound of an organ being played by a tall pale man
with a dark blue robe and eyes obscured in a deep fathomless darkness.
It was a sad haunting piece, foreshadowing the death of a Greek youth
after he barely failed to rescue his beloved from hell. The image of
Anthy's hand slipping from hers flashed through Utena's mind.
"Anthy!" Utena forced her eyes open, the dried up blood that
had glued her eyelids shut making it a considerable task. A gasp
escaped from Utena as she realized where she was. This was the place
where it had all started, where her destiny had been set in motion.
The church.
Utena gulped as she noticed she was suspended in mid air.
She tried to move, but found swords were pinning her against a cross on
the wall. It wasn't that bad though, the swords were no longer
actively harassing her and she'd gotten used to the aching pain. The
only sword that really hurt was the Sword of Diablo piercing her
abdomen. At least it wasn't Anthy impaled this time, that was some
consolation.
Utena's eyes were drawn across the chasm to the stained
glass. To her surprise she saw that her story was captured in those
windows. Thirty nine panes cast their soft light like a spotlight onto
the three coffins in the center of the church. There was one final
circular window, bigger than all the rest. Above the crucifix in the
center of the church, it's black surface waited hungrily to be filled
in. "I'm afraid there's nothing left to be said," apologized Utena to
the blank window. Except...
Utena closed her eyes as she remembered her first meeting
with Dios. Opening them she saw her younger self looking up at Dios.
"I will! I'll become a prince and save her!"
"So impressed was the little princess by the prince that she
vowed to become a prince herself one day. But was that really such a
good idea?" mocked the shadows.
"No, it wasn't," replied Utena. "A girl couldn't become a
prince. And besides..."
"There never was such a thing as a prince," mocked Dios as he
morphed into Akio.
Anger flared up in Utena at Akio's mocking know it all grin.
This was not the pure anger she had let out when confronted with
injustice. This was a dark venomous hatred, slowly twisting her
insides as it futilely tried to find some outlet. A LIE! MY LIFE WAS
ALL BASED ON HIS ILLUSION! Utena felt her heart, which had once loved
this man, began to harden. At least it wasn't aching as much like
this. "I wish that I'd never met you that night!"
"Oh, but who would have saved you then?" asked Akio as he
looked down on Utena. Looked down? She was off the cross! Turning
back she saw her limp unmoving body still crucified. Examining
herself, Utena blushed at her lack of attire, well not complete lack,
she still was wearing her ring. With a warning snarl at a leering
Akio, she hastily bandaged her chest. "You still seem intent on being
a prince instead of a princess," smirked Akio. "If you'd never met me
you'd never had the opportunity to be a prince, and... you'd never
have met Anthy. Would you give up being a prince... and your memories
of Anthy?"
"Anthy... I'm sorry, but I can't be your prince anymore...
it's to painful for me to bear... if only... if only we could have met
for real and not as pretend prince and princess, but it's to late...
I'm sorry I'm not stronger... but I have to let this all go... it's
tearing me apart... I'm sorry I couldn't save you..." with tears in her
eyes Utena cut her hair and let it fall atop the coffin on the far
right. "Farewell."
"You mustn't open your heart to the Ends of the World or the
Rose Bride."
"I should have listened to you," thought Utena. "And your
sister. You both tried to warn me." With a deep breath Utena closed
her heart. It hurt her more than all the tortures she'd endured from
the swords. When she looked up Akio's eyes narrowed in surprise.
"My, my, you're no longer a child, are you? Who'd have ever
thought the open and care free Utena would ever put on such jaded
armor. You're outward personality has practically flipped, though I
guess it's no surprise after how you were betrayed. Welcome to
adolescence Utena, you're well on your way to becoming a cynical adult
like myself."
"How dare you! I'll never let myself end up like you. I'm
through with you!"
"How fortunate for you then, you no longer need be caught up
in his unfathomable game. Forget about him and his duels for the power
to revolutionize the world. You wished to save the Rose Bride, but in
the end she betrayed you. You wished to be a prince, but in the end
you couldn't live up to it. Well, this is an excellent chance for you
to go back to being a normal girl, isn't it?" Utena let out a yelp of
fright as Touga emerged from the center coffin, bearing two bouquets of
Roses, one white and one black.
"T-Touga?! What's with the black uniform?"
"Why, isn't it traditional to wear black at a funeral?"
smirked Touga as he leapt the chasm and laid the white roses at the
feet of the crucified prince. After mumbling some prayers of last
respects Touga leapt back over to the coffins and presented the black
roses to Utena. "And these are for you my lady. Even with your
femininity concealed your beauty calls to me more loudly than the
chorus of all the girls of the academy combined."
"W-why are you here Touga," said Utena blushing, as she
accepted the fragrant roses. Their scent was remarkably similar to
that of the poppy.
"Because I can't ignore a damsel in distress, of course,"
declared Touga as he closed in on Utena. She gasped as he pulled her
in close and whispered, "It's the nature of being a prince."
A prince. Yes, she had mistaken him for her prince at first
because he'd been there that night too. And he'd sincerely wanted to
be her prince at the end. If only I'd let him be my prince... if only
you would have saved me that time, then I never would have met him and
gotten those notions about being a prince that hurt me and her so
badly. Then I could have lived the safe life of a normal girl with a
normal romance. Just that one slight change would make such a huge
difference. Utena closed her eyes and drew closer as she thought
desperately, "I wish you'd been the one who saved me, Touga."
Akio laughed as Touga grinned triumphantly at him. "Is this
your revenge against me? I could care less what you do now, you're of
no more use to me. Mikage was right about how similar you were, you're
doing just as he did after I defeated him. I'll warn you Touga, the
prince inside her isn't completely dead. When that desire begins to
reawaken it will destroy you so it can assert itself."
"If that is my destiny, so be it. I will gladly follow my
lady, even to the Ends of the World if need be. Shall we go Utena?"
Utena's nodded in reply and then climbed inside the little girl in the
remaining coffin and started to slide the lid shut. The last thing she
felt before comforting darkness engulfed her was Touga's hand gently
slipping through her hair.
"Bubble gum pink hair? Oh, you mean her. Well, why didn't
you say so in the first place, not many freaks... er (-_-; boy, she can
go from kawai to kowai real fast)... people with hair like that. Yes,
there's a Jane Doe matching that description here."
"Tenjou Utena."
"Huh?"
"I told you her name was Tenjou Utena. She's a friend of
mine whom I'd like to see. Now."
"Um, I'm afraid that would be against our policy," gulped the
receptionist. The girl was still smiling at him, but he had the
feeling you did _not_ want to get on her bad side. Plus that freaky
monkey-mouse thing was starting to creep him out, what with the way it
had climbed up onto the counter and was drinking his coffee while it's
tail swished back and forth, back and forth, like an agitated cats.
And now... oh my God, it must have been his imagination, but he swore
it was eyeing the Ctrl Alt Del keys on his computer.
"Um, but I don't supposed it'd hurt to let you see her for
just a minute since your an old friend of hers, and uh, is this um,
thing yours?" said the receptionist nervously as he pointed at the
monkey that was currently typing Utena's name into the mental
hospital's database.
"ChuChu! Behave yourself," admonished Anthy as ChuChu
climbed back onto her shoulder. Then she bowed to the receptionist,
"Thank you, it's been to long since I've last seen her."
"Well, I should warn you, she's not like you remember her,"
cautioned the receptionist as he led Anthy down the hallway. "We know
something traumatic happened to her because she just showed up at the
ER one day with this big ol bleeding stab wound through her guts which
nearly killed her. Man, wait til you get a load of the scar it left.
Front and back. And the entry wound was in the back, so some honorless
creep must have driven a katana from behind; you see a street knife
would be to short to go all the way through. The way I see it the
back-stabber must have been a real sadist, cause he could have killed
her quickly by bringing the blade out with a slash and ripping through
her, but he wanted her to die a slow lingering death, so he withdrew
the blade without doing anymore damage. What a sicko..."
"*Ahem*.
"Uh, anyway (why'd she get so uncomfortable? I guess girls
got no stomach for blood and guts), turned out the physical wound,
nasty as it was, wasn't the most severe. Nope, the wound to her psyche
must have been much deeper, cause she's completely withdrawn inside
herself. She just sits in her room all day with a blank look on her
face, doesn't respond to anything going on around her. There's no
damage to the hardware though, and when we scanned her brain we were
surprised to find that there's a lot of activity going on in there,
looks real similar to a sleeping persons scan, but not as random. I
figure what ever happened to her must have been so awful that's she's
run away into her own personal dream that's protecting her from
reality. It's quite tragic."
"I see." The receptionist regretted that he didn't have any
good news for the girl. When she'd first come in she'd been quite
vibrant and full of life, but he'd noted her become increasingly
pensive as he'd informed her of her friends condition. Poor thing was
going to need someone to support her. ...And she was real cute.
"Well, here we are," announced the receptionist as they came
to door E 40. "Your friends on the other side. After you see her how
about we grab a bite to eat? There's a really great Indian restaurant
around the corner. Their curry is the best, real spicy. We could
discuss options for how to take care of your friend in the future."
Anthy smiled in amusement. "Thanks for the offer," she
replied as she opened the door, "but I've already got other plans."
The receptionist was momentarily crestfallen, but his spirit picked up
as he saw the girl shine again like she had when she'd first came in.
Her whole face lit up as she beheld once again her prince who had
believed in; believed in her and fought for her even after her
betrayal. How she'd longed for this moment.
Not that the journey had been tiresome or dreary, Anthy had
actually enjoyed rediscovering the joy of the simple things of a world
that she had long ago taken for granted; the aura and roar that
surrounded waterfalls, the varied smells and tastes of summer festival,
the sound of crickets chirping while one lazily watched the evening
fireflies. But through it all had been the nagging knowledge that
something was missing; that special person to share it with. That
person who'd be there through all the joys and trials of life.
"Utena..."
Despite the fact that his brain told him is was completely
irrational the receptionist half expected Utena to miraculously spring
up at the sight of her friends joyful face. Why, even the dead would
surely come back to life to see such radiance. "Utena?" But Utena did
not even stir to her friends now pleading whisper.
Anthy's face fell for a moment, but then she held her head up
with a look of fierce determination burning in her eyes. "Yes, I've
got other plans. You see, I'm taking Utena out to dinner tonight.
Please leave us."
There were many things the receptionist wanted to say to her.
Such as what she was asking was definitely against hospital policy.
That it was utterly crazy to think Utena would suddenly magically get
better just because she wanted her to. But instead he found himself
quietly closing the door and heading back up front. That girl had a
special charm that was hard to say no to. If anyone could bring Utena
back from where ever she'd ran away to it was her. He wished them both
the best of luck.
"Utena... I'm sorry," began Anthy as she caressed Utena's
face and hair. "Perhaps you don't want to see me. I hurt you badly,
didn't I? But I'm a selfish woman Utena, I don't think I can go on
without you. If I were to lose you too I might as well follow my
brother, so please..." Unable to express her self with words Anthy
embraced Utena in a fierce kiss. God, she'd wanted to do this for so
long. Surely something in Utena would resonate with her desire. But
Utena was as unresponsive as a plastic doll.
Anthy forced herself to stop. She did want to make love to
Utena, but not like this. Though she was hardly the moralist, it still
felt wrong. ChuChu got a fan out of the purse and started cooling his
mistress off. Anthy sighed as the gentle breeze calmed her down, she
just wasn't used to going more than a week without. Getting in bed
with Utena had been near the top of her to do list once they were
reunited, but she'd do it fair and square.
She remembered clearly when it first started. It'd been the
day Utena was showing off those earrings to ChuChu. She'd looked very
feminine without losing any of that special strength that made her
Utena. And the way she was flaunting it had been so naively seductive.
Like a maiden flower in full bloom, beckoning with it's sweet,
intoxicating pollen. That was the moment when she'd realized she
wanted Utena. It was frustrating that Utena hadn't seemed to notice
her arousal; it'd been clearly visible in her riding up shirt. For a
moment she'd felt like she really was a teenager, just awakening to the
uncharted world of sexuality.
Yes, because of Utena so many things inside of her had been
awakened. She'd save Utena no matter what. Bringing her forehead up
to Utena's third eye, Anthy began to gaze into the mind reflected
there. Anthy let out a sigh of relief; Utena was here, just hidden
very deep within the recesses of her own mind. She was on a flight of
fancy around the Castle. Anthy gritted her teeth in exertion as she
tried to get closer to Utena, but it did no good. A flash of light
erupted from Utena's forehead and threw Anthy back. Utena was both
armed and armored to repel any attempts of the outside world to intrude
upon her sanctuary.
Well, if she couldn't get at Utena directly from the outside
she'd have to go inside Utena's fantasy world. "Chu?" said ChuChu
worriedly.
"I'm sorry ChuChu. You've been a good companion, but this is
one journey you won't be able to follow me on. Yes, it's pretty stupid
to do a mind meld with an insane mind, but love is reckless you know.
Even if I lose my mind too and forget where I came from it will be
worth it, just to be with her again. I'll become a knight and pursue
you toward the Castle Utena."
The Castle... Anthy stopped and wondered if she was really
being as heroic as she sounded. No, she was just being selfish again.
The truth was she'd gladly enter hell if she could once again be with
the one she loved. She wasn't really intending to save Utena, she just
wanted to be reunited with her Prince. Wait... if she forgot reality
and her subconscious merged with Utena's to shape that inner world it
would be possible to meet him again. That which was no longer possible
in this world would be there.
Anthy wasn't sure whether to be excited or terrified by the
possibility. She had truly loved him, otherwise she wouldn't miss him
so, wouldn't feel so guilty. It was her fault for leaving him. That's
what drove him to it. What a cruel woman she was. Leaving him even
though she was the one who'd seduced him and dragged him down to her
level.
Anthy gazed back at Utena and wondered if she had the right
to do this. Her brother and she were the one's who'd hurt Utena and
whom she'd run from. By merging her mind with Utena's she'd be
shattering Utena's peaceful world and reintroducing the very things her
world had been created to keep out. And yet...
"I'm going to be selfish again, Utena, but there's more to it
than that. Your last words were a promise. And I promised you that
we'd laugh and have tea and cookies together," Anthy pulled a red rose
out of her purse and placed it into Utena's hands, clasping them with
her own. "I can't help but feel it's destiny that has led us to
meeting again like this. Perhaps it's best for us to start over.
Forgetting everything will let us meet each other again, but for the
first time as we really are. Whatever happens now, after we've come so
far, don't forget the promise we made to each other," Anthy looked into
Utena's eyes one last time, then with a final thought merged her mouth
and mind with Utena's. "Someday... someday we'll shine together."
By: Caleb
By all means, let me know if you think I'm on to something or totally
off base or if you're wondering what the hell is going on or any other
feedback at: caleb_david@angelfire.com
Revolutionary Girl Utena is the creation and property of Ikuhara-sama
and various other entities, none of whom happen to be me. I'm just
borrowing them without permission. Considerable spoilers and
considerable weirdness abound in this fic. Consider yourself warned.
Missing Link
Akio couldn't help but flinch as the world was smashed to
pieces before his very eyes. When he reopened them and looked through
the elevator door everything was back to normal. Regaining his
composure, the Prince strode back into his domain. The last rays of
the setting sun revealed that the sparse furniture had been overturned
during the struggle which had recently transpired.
"Anthy?" called Akio with a tinge of apprehension. No
response. Now with agitation, "Anthy!" Still no response. Damn.
Where was she? This had better not be some game. Still, he had seen
her fall... Though he didn't want to think it Akio found himself
looking down from one of the shutter openings. Though the images had
been illusions, projections of myth, Akio was old enough to not
discount myths to readily, there was often some truth underlying them.
Even if Anthy hadn't really fallen Akio was unnerved by what he'd
witnessed.
Damn her. Most likely she was just off in some corner
sulking over this latest failure. She could at least let him know she
was alright; she knew he'd be worried sick about her. But she probably
was getting back at him for what'd happened to her precious Utena-sama.
Some nerve, considering who'd back stabbed her. Damn that passive
aggressive bitch.
As Akio turned back toward the elevator, determined to find
Anthy, he heard a pained moan come from the other side of the
projector. Changing his course, he passed by the bleeding and
convulsing hero, teeth gritted against unimaginable pain. "Anthy, I'm
sorry..." Akio stopped and turned around, surprised.
"Even in the end you won't hate her, will you? No... the one
your hating is yourself." There was a lot of blood. Akio turned Utena
over and examined the wound. "*tsk* Idiot, you made this a lot worse
with your pointless heroics. If you would have just laid low I could
have patched this up, but there's internal bleeding now." Utena didn't
have long to live. Akio pulled out his cell phone and began to dial,
but then stopped as he realized there wasn't enough time for an
ambulance.
Shrugging his shoulders, Akio got up to leave, but at that
moment Utena lost her battle to hold in the screams being ripped out of
her by hundreds of slashing and stabbing swords. If only they were
real, for then surely she would have died and the torture would be
over. Then surely they would have severed her nerves, cutting off the
pain. But each impalation brought to the body the shock of a fresh
injury and left the mind with the dread anticipation of further pain
and the soul with no hope for respite. "Oh God...Make it stop! Please
make it stop! Dios? My prince? Where are you... why... why have you
forsaken me?!"
Akio remembered those words well. In the end they all said
that. It was a sorry sight indeed, but Utena had brought it upon her
self. This was the price all who pretended to princehood paid. The
price for getting everyone's hopes up and failing to then deliver the
impossible. He owed her nothing. And yet he found himself picking
Utena up and putting her in the passenger seat of his car. It was
because of Anthy he told himself. If she came back here while he was
searching for her and found Utena like this it would be a bad thing.
Yes, that was it. First thing to do was put away the pieces.
Grabbing the passenger seat and windshield Akio flipped over
Utena and into the drivers seat. As the engine roared to life Akio
noticed a girl with a bow in her hair standing to the side of the car
and holding a street sign that read Stage Lane. Up ahead was another
girl with twin pigtails holding up twin signs that read: "Hospital:
Exit Stage Left Museum: Exit Stage Right." "Idiots. I don't
need stage cues," growled Akio as he spun the wheel to the left and
sped off like a bat out of hell.
A moment later a black car emerged from the shadow underneath
the projector. It looked exactly like the Akio car, excepting the
color and the license plate that read kagecar. Sitting in the drivers
seat was a girl wearing a headband who had arm draped familiarly around
an object concealed by a Shroud. "Don't worry Utena-sama, we're almost
there," declared the driver as she turned the radio to the Shadow girl
theme and turned the car to the right, right into the side of the
Chairman's tower. *CRASH*
"Oops, the cursed clutch and misplaced steering wheel threw
me off! You okay Utena-sama? On the bright side at least we didn't go
between those arches. That's one long drop. Ooh, I knew this was a
stupid idea. I told them I didn't have my license yet, but they
insisted and told me the first part needed two sets of signs, so I was
stuck with this. *sigh* Being the odd man out sucks, I get stuck with
all the crazy roles. Anyway, we're here Utena-sama. Let me help you
out."
*
* *
"Wow! I didn't know the chairmen had such an amazing
museum!" squealed B-ko as she ran back and forth, trying to take in
all the historical works. "Oh, look at this, it's a signed first
edition of "The Origin Of The Species" and it's got my picture on the
back!"
"That's your reflection idiot. See, someone put a mirror on
the back cover," explained A-ko.
"Oh. Hey, this is a cool painting. This guys on the right
is Plato, right? Even with that heavy beard of old age weighing him
down he gestures up to the heavens."
"Actually, that's really Leonardo. Plato rejected the Gods,
but in his old age became a bitter man recommending a state propped up
with a fabricated religion because people were to dumb to be moral on
their own."
"Oh, but I thought Plato was a rather spiritual guy, he
certainly looks like it in this picture. And wouldn't the people
eventually figure out that the religion was just a fake?"
"For the last time, that pictures not really Plato, that beard
and gesture are Leonardo's! It was Porphyry's interpretations that
created the Neo-Platonic idealization of Plato. And the people
wouldn't ever question the religion because Plato proposed a death
sentence for any doubters."
"He'd kill people for doubting a religion that he made up?!
Boy, talk about a bitter old man. Well, let's check out this "Theology
of Aristotle" then. Ooh, it's one of the original Arabic translations.
This must be worth a fortune. Check this out, Aristotle's got some
pretty cool ideas in here."
"Aristotle didn't write that. Some Neoplatonist concocted it
in the fifth century and the Muslims mistook it for a genuine work of
the Stagirite. The real Aristotle was a down to earth scientists who'd
have nothing to do with theology."
"Oh... Hey! Isn't that the Shroud of Tur-"
"Forgery made by a church in need of a holy relic. A
scientific study showed the pattern was just pigment painted on the
shroud several hundred years ago."
"A-ko! Stop being such a kill joy and contradicting
everything I say. Aren't you in the least bit impressed by any of
this? This is our cultural heritage that's reached down through the
ages to shape our present world and even the very patterns of our
minds!"
"Um... B-ko? We're Japanese. These are all Western works."
"See! Your doing it again!"
"Ah! Young Mademolises, you are just in time for ze unveiling
of our newest addition," announced C-ko as A-ko cringed at her bad
accent. She was dressed up in a black and white striped shirt with a
red beret and an even sillier looking fake mustache (for it goes
without saying that berets look silly). "Zis is my masterpiece upon I
have labored long and hard. Viola!" C-ko pulled on a drawstring,
lifting up the Shroud which concealed her statue.
"Hmmm," murmured A-ko as she narrowed her eyes and critically
appraised the work.
"Ooh, it's real nice C-ko. You're so creative. The wings are
a lovely touch."
"Creative?! It's a rip off of promotional artwork done in the
style of the Greek Nikes, which is totally inappropriate considering
Utena was hardly victorious! Weren't you paying any attention C-ko?
Not only did Utena fail to beat the final bad guy and save the
princess, but she was mortally wounded to boot!"
"A-ko, don't make a scene," pleaded B-ko. Then she turned to
C-ko, "I'm sorry, don't take her personally. She's so touchy cause she
really believed in Utena to the very end. That'd she'd become a real
Prince and Revolutionize the World. It really is a very nice statue."
"Nice?! It's a wildly inaccurate forgery. What the hell is up
with the wings! Utena never had wings! Think of all the people who
will see this and get the wrong idea."
"How do you know Utena wasn't an angel?" countered C-ko.
"The pic I used for the model came off the net, so it must be true.
They say her body was never found, in fact, I've heard that at the last
moment Dios saved her. They must have ascended to heaven by now and
are living happily ever after."
"Bull crap! The reason her body is never going to be found
is Akio made off with it and is probably dumping it in an incinerator
as we speak. I can't believe how gullible you two saps are, believing
every pretty little made up story you hear," said A-ko as she threw up
her hands in disgust.
"A-ko," said B-ko gently, "you're getting so hung up on the
details that I think your missing what's truly important."
"Oh yeah?! Well at least I've got reality. You guys are
completely missing the truth."
"A-ko, how'd your audition go?" asked C-ko.
"Huh? Oh it was great. I think I've got a good shot at
getting the part, but what's that got to do with anything?"
"How'd you end up working up the nerve to try out? Did
something... or _someone_ inspire you?" prodded B-ko.
"Uh, well... maybe a little, but I still don't see what this
has to do with..."
"And what about what happened after you took B-ko out to
"celebrate" that night? The A-ko I knew at the start of the quarter
never would have had the guts to do that. I wonder if perhaps someone
inspired you there? I wonder, I wonder, do you know what I wonder?"
"Y-You were watching?!" exclaimed a blushing A-ko.
"A-ko, I don't think it so much matters whether Utena was
victorious or lost, whether she's dead or alive," explained an also
blushing B-ko. "What's really important was her life; how everyone who
met her was inspired and had their life profoundly changed by her. And
that even those who never met her will be inspired by her story
throughout the ages. With art and myths, I think what's important is
not that they're completely accurate, but that they make us proud to be
human and inspire us to live up to our potential..."
"Uh, B-ko, I hate to interrupt your great speech, but it's
time for us to do the voice overs for the last scene," interrupted C-
ko.
"Ah, I love the song that plays then," sighed B-ko. As if on
cue the radio station the kagecar was tuned to started playing Baiser.
"Ahh, this has got to be the prettiest song of all."
"Silly. You said that about the opening to the Overture
also," teased A-ko. "Hey, you know what this songs other name is B-
ko?"
"Nope. I just always called it that-really-pretty-song-that-
plays-right-near-the-end."
"Is it Aphrodite Ascension?" guessed C-ko.
"Nope. The other name is... *CHU*"
"Real smooth, A-ko, but you guys can practice that anytime
you want, we've got to get going... ACK! Look out B-ko!" warned C-ko,
too late. A blissful B-ko was leaning back against a statue of a nude
goddess which was starting to tip over. B-ko suddenly found herself
without support and fell over backward with A-ko landing on top of her.
The statue crashed into another nearby statue, smashing to pieces and
setting off a chain reaction of destruction before C-ko's horrified
eyes.
"Look what you've done you two! You killed Venus!"
admonished C-ko as she dodged a chunk of falling ceiling and helped the
two girls lying admits the ruins of the fallen goddess to their feet.
"Quick, we've got to get out of here before this turns into
another skit where we get killed at the end! To the kagecar girls!"
shouted A-ko as she struck a dramatic pose.
"Uh guys, about the car..."
"ACHOO!" Akio gave his car a queer look, wondering why the
hell there would be sneezing on the radio. Shrugging, Akio decided not
to waste anymore time with this weird station and flipped the dial.
"The orbit of Pluto, Plato, a circumscribed circle. The orbit of Sol,
Plato, an inscribed circle." "Nonexistent circle," corrected Akio as
he finally reached his favorite station, 66.6, all Akio car theme all
the time.
"I never showed you the Ends of the World, did I Tenjou?"
said Akio to his unhearing passenger. "Well, now it's your turn." The
engine roared like a beast unleashed as the car began to accelerate
unnaturally fast, 40...80...160...320...640... Utena's pained moans
increased in intensity, as if the depths of the sword thrusts were
linked to the gas pedal Akio was mercilessly grinding into the floor.
With a final burst the Akio car reached a speed at which the street
lights along the deserted highway and the pain throughout Utena's body
climaxed into one blur.
"Does it hurt Utena?" snarled Akio as he focused all his
attention on tackling the corners at such an insane speed. "It's not
me who's causing your pain though, it's the world. The world can't
abide Princes. It always ends up destroying them. Princes are only
allowed in my world. Any who try to leave it will soon find themselves
at the End of the World. But don't worry, they'll return you to my
world after they're through with you. They always regret it after they
finish off a Prince, so they always return him to my safe, secure
world. Akio let loose a bitter laugh, "They're already making images
of you as an angel you know."
"Anthy..." moaned Utena as a silent silver tear began to
slowly make it's way down her face.
Akio glared at her and then continued, "I wish for once
they'd tell the last chapter of the Prince's story right. Once the
Prince gets bit by the snake he's dead and that's it, he doesn't get to
go see his damned precious rose. You understand Utena?" Utena just
continued to cry.
Off to the right a tempest started brewing as a grave came
into view. Akio's face softened as he continued, "I suppose there are
less harsh alternatives for the final chapter. We're near the village
that was once known as Herai, Utena. Do you know who's grave that's
said to be? I like that as an ending to his story much better. That
he gave up all that craziness and escaped to Japan, raised a family,
and lived a good long life. Hell, I find that a lot more credible than
the "official" account. Like the judge, I was always suspicious about
how quickly he gave up the ghost. And his death was only confirmed by
one officer, wonder how much it took to pay him off? Doubt is was
much, the officials didn't really care about doing him in. Just
appeasing local sentiment."
Akio looked down at Utena's swollen and bruised hands. Still
affixed to her ring finger was the rose signet. He gently took her
left hand in his and kissed the tears from her eyes. Inside of her he
could feel her mind breaking down. "I'll become a prince... Foolish
human, there never was such a thing as a prince... Do you love
Himemiyia?... Himemiyia, you and I... But I can't... not anymore...
I'll save her from you... Wrong! This is the only way she can be
happy... I'm sorry for being a make believe prince... Your my
sister's, no, my good friend... A LIE! ALL OF IT WAS LIES! MY LIFE
WAS A JOKE BASED ON A LIE! THEY ALL USED ME, but... but I let them,
because I wanted to live in that make believe world..."
"Poor thing. You, Anthy, I, we can't be happy in the
outside world. It's only in that inner world that we can have what we
want. I will give you a parting gift," Akio leaned over and kissed
Utena's rose signet. "As long as you wear this ring you may use my
power... Oh shit!"
Akio looked up just in time to see that they'd reached a dead
end. He desperately spun the wheel to the right, but the car was
doomed. However, the passengers side door flew open and Utena was
thrown clear into a hedge before the Akio car slammed into the Tokyo
General hospital with a sickening crunch.
"What the hell did you think you were doing! Damned
motorists these days think they're God. You're lucky to be alive!"
yelled a doctor at a groaning Akio who was clutching his bleeding
forehead. The doctor spared Akio one last withering glance before he
reached Utena. "Holy shit! This girl needs to get to the ER ASAP!
Damn, and I was just about to go home."
Wasting no time, the doctor whipped out his cell phone. "I
need a table with an IV and a coagulant out here on the double! And
I've got a blood sample that needs to be rushed down to the lab so we
can get a proper transfusion ready...what? Screw the universal
precautions! There's a life fading here while you waste my time!"
"She's B positive," said Akio as he unsteadily rose from the
now flaming wreckage of his car.
"Wha...How the hell can you still... No, I'm not talking to
you idiot! Just send an IV of B positive after that table! As for you
for mister hot shot driver, as long as you can talk I've got some
questions for you!"
Akio was too tough to be taken out by an over 600 kph crash,
but he'd just about reached his limit. His precious car was ruined,
the doctor's attitude was starting to grate on his nerves (Akio really
really disliked self-righteous people), and he had blood dripping into
his left eye (Akio also disliked blood, he'd made a point of banning it
from campus his first day as acting chairman). This all was a good
reminder of why he avoided venturing into the world outside Ohtori.
The sooner he got out of here and back home the better.
"Taxi!" called Akio as he casually, despite his injuries,
managed to both wave down a nearby green taxi and leap clear of his
conflagration of a car. Before the taxi had even came to a stop Akio
used a half cartwheel half flip to get over the hood and onto the
passenger side. "I hate to leave her here like this," thought Akio as
he jumped into the cab, "but it's not like I don't have a couple spare
cars at home. Damn this is humiliating, I could never stand using a
taxi regularly."
"Wait!" cried the doctor as he stood up with Utena in his
arms. "You forgot your..." KABOOM! The doctor was knocked back down
as the explosion of the Akio car drowned out his last word, "key."
"Oh well," thought the doctor as he got back up and rushed
Utena to the IV table, "such an irresponsible guy who runs away
deserves to misplace those. I've got a life to save."
*
* *
The first thing Utena became aware of, besides the dull pain
in her heart, was the sound of an organ being played by a tall pale man
with a dark blue robe and eyes obscured in a deep fathomless darkness.
It was a sad haunting piece, foreshadowing the death of a Greek youth
after he barely failed to rescue his beloved from hell. The image of
Anthy's hand slipping from hers flashed through Utena's mind.
"Anthy!" Utena forced her eyes open, the dried up blood that
had glued her eyelids shut making it a considerable task. A gasp
escaped from Utena as she realized where she was. This was the place
where it had all started, where her destiny had been set in motion.
The church.
Utena gulped as she noticed she was suspended in mid air.
She tried to move, but found swords were pinning her against a cross on
the wall. It wasn't that bad though, the swords were no longer
actively harassing her and she'd gotten used to the aching pain. The
only sword that really hurt was the Sword of Diablo piercing her
abdomen. At least it wasn't Anthy impaled this time, that was some
consolation.
Utena's eyes were drawn across the chasm to the stained
glass. To her surprise she saw that her story was captured in those
windows. Thirty nine panes cast their soft light like a spotlight onto
the three coffins in the center of the church. There was one final
circular window, bigger than all the rest. Above the crucifix in the
center of the church, it's black surface waited hungrily to be filled
in. "I'm afraid there's nothing left to be said," apologized Utena to
the blank window. Except...
Utena closed her eyes as she remembered her first meeting
with Dios. Opening them she saw her younger self looking up at Dios.
"I will! I'll become a prince and save her!"
"So impressed was the little princess by the prince that she
vowed to become a prince herself one day. But was that really such a
good idea?" mocked the shadows.
"No, it wasn't," replied Utena. "A girl couldn't become a
prince. And besides..."
"There never was such a thing as a prince," mocked Dios as he
morphed into Akio.
Anger flared up in Utena at Akio's mocking know it all grin.
This was not the pure anger she had let out when confronted with
injustice. This was a dark venomous hatred, slowly twisting her
insides as it futilely tried to find some outlet. A LIE! MY LIFE WAS
ALL BASED ON HIS ILLUSION! Utena felt her heart, which had once loved
this man, began to harden. At least it wasn't aching as much like
this. "I wish that I'd never met you that night!"
"Oh, but who would have saved you then?" asked Akio as he
looked down on Utena. Looked down? She was off the cross! Turning
back she saw her limp unmoving body still crucified. Examining
herself, Utena blushed at her lack of attire, well not complete lack,
she still was wearing her ring. With a warning snarl at a leering
Akio, she hastily bandaged her chest. "You still seem intent on being
a prince instead of a princess," smirked Akio. "If you'd never met me
you'd never had the opportunity to be a prince, and... you'd never
have met Anthy. Would you give up being a prince... and your memories
of Anthy?"
"Anthy... I'm sorry, but I can't be your prince anymore...
it's to painful for me to bear... if only... if only we could have met
for real and not as pretend prince and princess, but it's to late...
I'm sorry I'm not stronger... but I have to let this all go... it's
tearing me apart... I'm sorry I couldn't save you..." with tears in her
eyes Utena cut her hair and let it fall atop the coffin on the far
right. "Farewell."
"You mustn't open your heart to the Ends of the World or the
Rose Bride."
"I should have listened to you," thought Utena. "And your
sister. You both tried to warn me." With a deep breath Utena closed
her heart. It hurt her more than all the tortures she'd endured from
the swords. When she looked up Akio's eyes narrowed in surprise.
"My, my, you're no longer a child, are you? Who'd have ever
thought the open and care free Utena would ever put on such jaded
armor. You're outward personality has practically flipped, though I
guess it's no surprise after how you were betrayed. Welcome to
adolescence Utena, you're well on your way to becoming a cynical adult
like myself."
"How dare you! I'll never let myself end up like you. I'm
through with you!"
"How fortunate for you then, you no longer need be caught up
in his unfathomable game. Forget about him and his duels for the power
to revolutionize the world. You wished to save the Rose Bride, but in
the end she betrayed you. You wished to be a prince, but in the end
you couldn't live up to it. Well, this is an excellent chance for you
to go back to being a normal girl, isn't it?" Utena let out a yelp of
fright as Touga emerged from the center coffin, bearing two bouquets of
Roses, one white and one black.
"T-Touga?! What's with the black uniform?"
"Why, isn't it traditional to wear black at a funeral?"
smirked Touga as he leapt the chasm and laid the white roses at the
feet of the crucified prince. After mumbling some prayers of last
respects Touga leapt back over to the coffins and presented the black
roses to Utena. "And these are for you my lady. Even with your
femininity concealed your beauty calls to me more loudly than the
chorus of all the girls of the academy combined."
"W-why are you here Touga," said Utena blushing, as she
accepted the fragrant roses. Their scent was remarkably similar to
that of the poppy.
"Because I can't ignore a damsel in distress, of course,"
declared Touga as he closed in on Utena. She gasped as he pulled her
in close and whispered, "It's the nature of being a prince."
A prince. Yes, she had mistaken him for her prince at first
because he'd been there that night too. And he'd sincerely wanted to
be her prince at the end. If only I'd let him be my prince... if only
you would have saved me that time, then I never would have met him and
gotten those notions about being a prince that hurt me and her so
badly. Then I could have lived the safe life of a normal girl with a
normal romance. Just that one slight change would make such a huge
difference. Utena closed her eyes and drew closer as she thought
desperately, "I wish you'd been the one who saved me, Touga."
Akio laughed as Touga grinned triumphantly at him. "Is this
your revenge against me? I could care less what you do now, you're of
no more use to me. Mikage was right about how similar you were, you're
doing just as he did after I defeated him. I'll warn you Touga, the
prince inside her isn't completely dead. When that desire begins to
reawaken it will destroy you so it can assert itself."
"If that is my destiny, so be it. I will gladly follow my
lady, even to the Ends of the World if need be. Shall we go Utena?"
Utena's nodded in reply and then climbed inside the little girl in the
remaining coffin and started to slide the lid shut. The last thing she
felt before comforting darkness engulfed her was Touga's hand gently
slipping through her hair.
"Bubble gum pink hair? Oh, you mean her. Well, why didn't
you say so in the first place, not many freaks... er (-_-; boy, she can
go from kawai to kowai real fast)... people with hair like that. Yes,
there's a Jane Doe matching that description here."
"Tenjou Utena."
"Huh?"
"I told you her name was Tenjou Utena. She's a friend of
mine whom I'd like to see. Now."
"Um, I'm afraid that would be against our policy," gulped the
receptionist. The girl was still smiling at him, but he had the
feeling you did _not_ want to get on her bad side. Plus that freaky
monkey-mouse thing was starting to creep him out, what with the way it
had climbed up onto the counter and was drinking his coffee while it's
tail swished back and forth, back and forth, like an agitated cats.
And now... oh my God, it must have been his imagination, but he swore
it was eyeing the Ctrl Alt Del keys on his computer.
"Um, but I don't supposed it'd hurt to let you see her for
just a minute since your an old friend of hers, and uh, is this um,
thing yours?" said the receptionist nervously as he pointed at the
monkey that was currently typing Utena's name into the mental
hospital's database.
"ChuChu! Behave yourself," admonished Anthy as ChuChu
climbed back onto her shoulder. Then she bowed to the receptionist,
"Thank you, it's been to long since I've last seen her."
"Well, I should warn you, she's not like you remember her,"
cautioned the receptionist as he led Anthy down the hallway. "We know
something traumatic happened to her because she just showed up at the
ER one day with this big ol bleeding stab wound through her guts which
nearly killed her. Man, wait til you get a load of the scar it left.
Front and back. And the entry wound was in the back, so some honorless
creep must have driven a katana from behind; you see a street knife
would be to short to go all the way through. The way I see it the
back-stabber must have been a real sadist, cause he could have killed
her quickly by bringing the blade out with a slash and ripping through
her, but he wanted her to die a slow lingering death, so he withdrew
the blade without doing anymore damage. What a sicko..."
"*Ahem*.
"Uh, anyway (why'd she get so uncomfortable? I guess girls
got no stomach for blood and guts), turned out the physical wound,
nasty as it was, wasn't the most severe. Nope, the wound to her psyche
must have been much deeper, cause she's completely withdrawn inside
herself. She just sits in her room all day with a blank look on her
face, doesn't respond to anything going on around her. There's no
damage to the hardware though, and when we scanned her brain we were
surprised to find that there's a lot of activity going on in there,
looks real similar to a sleeping persons scan, but not as random. I
figure what ever happened to her must have been so awful that's she's
run away into her own personal dream that's protecting her from
reality. It's quite tragic."
"I see." The receptionist regretted that he didn't have any
good news for the girl. When she'd first come in she'd been quite
vibrant and full of life, but he'd noted her become increasingly
pensive as he'd informed her of her friends condition. Poor thing was
going to need someone to support her. ...And she was real cute.
"Well, here we are," announced the receptionist as they came
to door E 40. "Your friends on the other side. After you see her how
about we grab a bite to eat? There's a really great Indian restaurant
around the corner. Their curry is the best, real spicy. We could
discuss options for how to take care of your friend in the future."
Anthy smiled in amusement. "Thanks for the offer," she
replied as she opened the door, "but I've already got other plans."
The receptionist was momentarily crestfallen, but his spirit picked up
as he saw the girl shine again like she had when she'd first came in.
Her whole face lit up as she beheld once again her prince who had
believed in; believed in her and fought for her even after her
betrayal. How she'd longed for this moment.
Not that the journey had been tiresome or dreary, Anthy had
actually enjoyed rediscovering the joy of the simple things of a world
that she had long ago taken for granted; the aura and roar that
surrounded waterfalls, the varied smells and tastes of summer festival,
the sound of crickets chirping while one lazily watched the evening
fireflies. But through it all had been the nagging knowledge that
something was missing; that special person to share it with. That
person who'd be there through all the joys and trials of life.
"Utena..."
Despite the fact that his brain told him is was completely
irrational the receptionist half expected Utena to miraculously spring
up at the sight of her friends joyful face. Why, even the dead would
surely come back to life to see such radiance. "Utena?" But Utena did
not even stir to her friends now pleading whisper.
Anthy's face fell for a moment, but then she held her head up
with a look of fierce determination burning in her eyes. "Yes, I've
got other plans. You see, I'm taking Utena out to dinner tonight.
Please leave us."
There were many things the receptionist wanted to say to her.
Such as what she was asking was definitely against hospital policy.
That it was utterly crazy to think Utena would suddenly magically get
better just because she wanted her to. But instead he found himself
quietly closing the door and heading back up front. That girl had a
special charm that was hard to say no to. If anyone could bring Utena
back from where ever she'd ran away to it was her. He wished them both
the best of luck.
"Utena... I'm sorry," began Anthy as she caressed Utena's
face and hair. "Perhaps you don't want to see me. I hurt you badly,
didn't I? But I'm a selfish woman Utena, I don't think I can go on
without you. If I were to lose you too I might as well follow my
brother, so please..." Unable to express her self with words Anthy
embraced Utena in a fierce kiss. God, she'd wanted to do this for so
long. Surely something in Utena would resonate with her desire. But
Utena was as unresponsive as a plastic doll.
Anthy forced herself to stop. She did want to make love to
Utena, but not like this. Though she was hardly the moralist, it still
felt wrong. ChuChu got a fan out of the purse and started cooling his
mistress off. Anthy sighed as the gentle breeze calmed her down, she
just wasn't used to going more than a week without. Getting in bed
with Utena had been near the top of her to do list once they were
reunited, but she'd do it fair and square.
She remembered clearly when it first started. It'd been the
day Utena was showing off those earrings to ChuChu. She'd looked very
feminine without losing any of that special strength that made her
Utena. And the way she was flaunting it had been so naively seductive.
Like a maiden flower in full bloom, beckoning with it's sweet,
intoxicating pollen. That was the moment when she'd realized she
wanted Utena. It was frustrating that Utena hadn't seemed to notice
her arousal; it'd been clearly visible in her riding up shirt. For a
moment she'd felt like she really was a teenager, just awakening to the
uncharted world of sexuality.
Yes, because of Utena so many things inside of her had been
awakened. She'd save Utena no matter what. Bringing her forehead up
to Utena's third eye, Anthy began to gaze into the mind reflected
there. Anthy let out a sigh of relief; Utena was here, just hidden
very deep within the recesses of her own mind. She was on a flight of
fancy around the Castle. Anthy gritted her teeth in exertion as she
tried to get closer to Utena, but it did no good. A flash of light
erupted from Utena's forehead and threw Anthy back. Utena was both
armed and armored to repel any attempts of the outside world to intrude
upon her sanctuary.
Well, if she couldn't get at Utena directly from the outside
she'd have to go inside Utena's fantasy world. "Chu?" said ChuChu
worriedly.
"I'm sorry ChuChu. You've been a good companion, but this is
one journey you won't be able to follow me on. Yes, it's pretty stupid
to do a mind meld with an insane mind, but love is reckless you know.
Even if I lose my mind too and forget where I came from it will be
worth it, just to be with her again. I'll become a knight and pursue
you toward the Castle Utena."
The Castle... Anthy stopped and wondered if she was really
being as heroic as she sounded. No, she was just being selfish again.
The truth was she'd gladly enter hell if she could once again be with
the one she loved. She wasn't really intending to save Utena, she just
wanted to be reunited with her Prince. Wait... if she forgot reality
and her subconscious merged with Utena's to shape that inner world it
would be possible to meet him again. That which was no longer possible
in this world would be there.
Anthy wasn't sure whether to be excited or terrified by the
possibility. She had truly loved him, otherwise she wouldn't miss him
so, wouldn't feel so guilty. It was her fault for leaving him. That's
what drove him to it. What a cruel woman she was. Leaving him even
though she was the one who'd seduced him and dragged him down to her
level.
Anthy gazed back at Utena and wondered if she had the right
to do this. Her brother and she were the one's who'd hurt Utena and
whom she'd run from. By merging her mind with Utena's she'd be
shattering Utena's peaceful world and reintroducing the very things her
world had been created to keep out. And yet...
"I'm going to be selfish again, Utena, but there's more to it
than that. Your last words were a promise. And I promised you that
we'd laugh and have tea and cookies together," Anthy pulled a red rose
out of her purse and placed it into Utena's hands, clasping them with
her own. "I can't help but feel it's destiny that has led us to
meeting again like this. Perhaps it's best for us to start over.
Forgetting everything will let us meet each other again, but for the
first time as we really are. Whatever happens now, after we've come so
far, don't forget the promise we made to each other," Anthy looked into
Utena's eyes one last time, then with a final thought merged her mouth
and mind with Utena's. "Someday... someday we'll shine together."