"Don't be scared," Tia said, looking down at her smiling little brother and ruffling his hair. "Everything will be fine here," she continued, "Ohtori Academy will be a nice place for both of us. We'll be alright. I promise you..."
Standing in front of the gates of their new home, the two looked up, as far as they could see and took a deep breath.
"Let's go," Janus replied, taking his sister's hand and entering.
Chapter 1 - Fallen Angels
The sun shined into her bedroom. Juri sat up in her bed very quickly, drenched in a cold sweat, her hand cupped around her face. "A new revolution is coming..." Juri thought to herself, wiping her forehead. Rising from her bed, Juri flung her nightgown from her person. "This is the fourth night that dream has happened," Juri continued to ponder, "and it always ends the same way. I'm dueling but I can't see her face... Her power, her skill... it's like nothing I've ever seen. I know that Anthy is the answer to it all, though... she has to be..." Screaming, Juri looked into a nearby mirror and punched it, causing it to break. "If I can have her, at any cost... all of this pain and suffering I'm forced to endure will end!"
Utena grasped Anthy's hand and squeezed softly, opening her eyes slowly.
"The sun is smiling on you," she said to Anthy.
Rubbing her eyes with one hand, Anthy reached for her glasses with the other. Placing them on her face, she smiled at Utena and nodded.
As the doors to the elevator shut and it began to rise up the shaft above it, Touga's words echoed, "If the egg's shell does not break, the chick will die without being born. We are the chick; the world is our egg. If the world's shell does not break, we will die without being born..."
In unison, Juri and Miki chimed in - "Break the world's shell, for the revolution of the world!"
"I'm concerned," Juri began, as she sat in a nearby wire chair. Touga and Miki also sat.
Placing his foot on his knee, Touga assumed a pensive stance, "What troubles you?" he asked, sounding a bit concerned.
"It has to do with..." Juri began, only to be interrupted by an approaching girl, wearing a black uniform, her golden blonde hair flowing in the soft breeze - "...those dreams? I've seen your figure... it's nice to be able to put a face to the name finally."
"Who are you?" Touga asked, rising from his seat.
"Sit, please. I mean you no harm," the girl continued.
"Who are you?" Juri asked.
"My name is Tia, and I been searching for those who are familiar with End of the World. Especially the subject of my dreams - Arisugawa Juri."
"What business do you have with us?" Miki asked, clicking his stopwatch.
"You forget what those signets on your hands symbolize... you are duelists, who wish to revolutionize the world, correct?" Tia replied.
"Indeed," Juri answered.
"We have common ground," Tia continued, beginning to walk out from where she entered. "I'll be in touch, ... Juri, everyone... I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the near future. Believe in the power of miracles! Just don't forget what that ring you wave around stands for..."
"What the hell was that all about?" Touga asked, sitting once again.
"I really don't know, but it was as if she could read my mind, my very thoughts were flowing from her mouth..." Juri replied.
The sun shined brightly into the garden cage, where Anthy was watering roses. Utena opened the door to the greenhouse, entering slowly.
"Himemiya? Are you ready to go yet?" she called out.
Lifting her watering can, Anthy smiled and nodded. Utena looked down at the flowers her bride was watering, noticing their beauty as always, but something a bit different this time.
"Miss Utena, is something wrong?" Anthy asked.
"This flower," Utena said, picking it from the blossom. "I've never seen this color in here before..."
"Oh?" Anthy asked, looking at the flower. "It must be some sort of hybrid... this is awkward, a gray rose..."
"What does it mean?" Utena asked.
"Utena, are you in here?" Juri asked, entering the cage.
"Juri?" Utena inquired, rising to her feet and scanning the area for her classmate.
"Utena..." Juri began.
"Is everything alright?" Utena asked.
"Don't be so familiar!" Juri replied, slapping Utena across the face and knocking her to the ground. "Even in my dreams, you cause me pain! I am challenging you to a duel, right now! I will see you in the Eternal Castle Duel Area in fifteen minutes!" Juri continued, narrowing her eyes and glaring at Utena before walking out.
"Miss Utena, are you alright?" Anthy asked, helping her to stand again.
"Yes, I'm fine. What came over her all of a sudden?" Utena asked.
"Excellent," Tia thought to herself, as she observed the incident from the outside, holding Janus close to her.
"I want to see this miracle that you believe in, Utena!" Juri shouted across the dueling arena, her sword pointed at Utena.
"I don't know what has become of you, Juri! If I have to fight you again, then I shall. I'm not going to lose now - not to you, and not to anyone!" Utena replied.
"Say that to me with your sword!" Juri commanded, dashing at Utena and swinging wildly.
"What is wrong with you, Juri! You're not acting like yourself! This is a bit extreme, even for you!"
"I want the power to revolutionize my life! I can get that from her," Juri said, looking at Anthy, before sweeping Utena's legs out from under her, causing her to crash to the ground.
Landing with a quiet groan, Utena looked up only to have a sword touching her throat.
"If only killing you were required, I'd have done it a long time ago..."
"Juri! Stop!"
"There isn't a locket to break this time, or a sword to fall down on my chest to defeat me! Prepare yourself!"
Juri kicked the Sword of Dios from Utena's hand, causing it to fly across the floor of the dueling arena.
"You see that?" Tia said to Janus, observing the duel from the bell tower.
"What is it?" Janus replied.
"This is the power of world revolution. Now the champion is going to lose." Tia responded.
"I can't be defeated...!" Utena said, writhing on the ground. "This isn't right..."
"Watch now, as I hand your loss to you! Rose Bride! Abandon your body and protect the Sword of Dios!" Juri commanded
Surrounding the sword, Anthy's essence radiated in a small red hue.
"Power of Dios, come to me!" Juri commanded, the sword flying into her hand.
Slicing at the rose on Utena's breast, Juri again glared at Utena before leaving the arena.
Victorious, Juri returned to her room. Sitting on her bed, Juri commanded that Anthy take her human form. The sword in her hand glowed, before turning into Anthy. Kneeling before Juri, Anthy spoke: "I am the Rose Bride. From this day on, I belong to you Miss Juri."
"This is only the beginning," Tia said to Janus, pointing at the semi-conscious Utena who still lay on the floor, exhausted both mentally and physically. Closing her eyes, Utena sighed. "Himemiya is gone, again..." As tears rolled down her face, Utena lost consciousness.
Standing in front of the gates of their new home, the two looked up, as far as they could see and took a deep breath.
"Let's go," Janus replied, taking his sister's hand and entering.
Chapter 1 - Fallen Angels
The sun shined into her bedroom. Juri sat up in her bed very quickly, drenched in a cold sweat, her hand cupped around her face. "A new revolution is coming..." Juri thought to herself, wiping her forehead. Rising from her bed, Juri flung her nightgown from her person. "This is the fourth night that dream has happened," Juri continued to ponder, "and it always ends the same way. I'm dueling but I can't see her face... Her power, her skill... it's like nothing I've ever seen. I know that Anthy is the answer to it all, though... she has to be..." Screaming, Juri looked into a nearby mirror and punched it, causing it to break. "If I can have her, at any cost... all of this pain and suffering I'm forced to endure will end!"
Utena grasped Anthy's hand and squeezed softly, opening her eyes slowly.
"The sun is smiling on you," she said to Anthy.
Rubbing her eyes with one hand, Anthy reached for her glasses with the other. Placing them on her face, she smiled at Utena and nodded.
As the doors to the elevator shut and it began to rise up the shaft above it, Touga's words echoed, "If the egg's shell does not break, the chick will die without being born. We are the chick; the world is our egg. If the world's shell does not break, we will die without being born..."
In unison, Juri and Miki chimed in - "Break the world's shell, for the revolution of the world!"
"I'm concerned," Juri began, as she sat in a nearby wire chair. Touga and Miki also sat.
Placing his foot on his knee, Touga assumed a pensive stance, "What troubles you?" he asked, sounding a bit concerned.
"It has to do with..." Juri began, only to be interrupted by an approaching girl, wearing a black uniform, her golden blonde hair flowing in the soft breeze - "...those dreams? I've seen your figure... it's nice to be able to put a face to the name finally."
"Who are you?" Touga asked, rising from his seat.
"Sit, please. I mean you no harm," the girl continued.
"Who are you?" Juri asked.
"My name is Tia, and I been searching for those who are familiar with End of the World. Especially the subject of my dreams - Arisugawa Juri."
"What business do you have with us?" Miki asked, clicking his stopwatch.
"You forget what those signets on your hands symbolize... you are duelists, who wish to revolutionize the world, correct?" Tia replied.
"Indeed," Juri answered.
"We have common ground," Tia continued, beginning to walk out from where she entered. "I'll be in touch, ... Juri, everyone... I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the near future. Believe in the power of miracles! Just don't forget what that ring you wave around stands for..."
"What the hell was that all about?" Touga asked, sitting once again.
"I really don't know, but it was as if she could read my mind, my very thoughts were flowing from her mouth..." Juri replied.
The sun shined brightly into the garden cage, where Anthy was watering roses. Utena opened the door to the greenhouse, entering slowly.
"Himemiya? Are you ready to go yet?" she called out.
Lifting her watering can, Anthy smiled and nodded. Utena looked down at the flowers her bride was watering, noticing their beauty as always, but something a bit different this time.
"Miss Utena, is something wrong?" Anthy asked.
"This flower," Utena said, picking it from the blossom. "I've never seen this color in here before..."
"Oh?" Anthy asked, looking at the flower. "It must be some sort of hybrid... this is awkward, a gray rose..."
"What does it mean?" Utena asked.
"Utena, are you in here?" Juri asked, entering the cage.
"Juri?" Utena inquired, rising to her feet and scanning the area for her classmate.
"Utena..." Juri began.
"Is everything alright?" Utena asked.
"Don't be so familiar!" Juri replied, slapping Utena across the face and knocking her to the ground. "Even in my dreams, you cause me pain! I am challenging you to a duel, right now! I will see you in the Eternal Castle Duel Area in fifteen minutes!" Juri continued, narrowing her eyes and glaring at Utena before walking out.
"Miss Utena, are you alright?" Anthy asked, helping her to stand again.
"Yes, I'm fine. What came over her all of a sudden?" Utena asked.
"Excellent," Tia thought to herself, as she observed the incident from the outside, holding Janus close to her.
"I want to see this miracle that you believe in, Utena!" Juri shouted across the dueling arena, her sword pointed at Utena.
"I don't know what has become of you, Juri! If I have to fight you again, then I shall. I'm not going to lose now - not to you, and not to anyone!" Utena replied.
"Say that to me with your sword!" Juri commanded, dashing at Utena and swinging wildly.
"What is wrong with you, Juri! You're not acting like yourself! This is a bit extreme, even for you!"
"I want the power to revolutionize my life! I can get that from her," Juri said, looking at Anthy, before sweeping Utena's legs out from under her, causing her to crash to the ground.
Landing with a quiet groan, Utena looked up only to have a sword touching her throat.
"If only killing you were required, I'd have done it a long time ago..."
"Juri! Stop!"
"There isn't a locket to break this time, or a sword to fall down on my chest to defeat me! Prepare yourself!"
Juri kicked the Sword of Dios from Utena's hand, causing it to fly across the floor of the dueling arena.
"You see that?" Tia said to Janus, observing the duel from the bell tower.
"What is it?" Janus replied.
"This is the power of world revolution. Now the champion is going to lose." Tia responded.
"I can't be defeated...!" Utena said, writhing on the ground. "This isn't right..."
"Watch now, as I hand your loss to you! Rose Bride! Abandon your body and protect the Sword of Dios!" Juri commanded
Surrounding the sword, Anthy's essence radiated in a small red hue.
"Power of Dios, come to me!" Juri commanded, the sword flying into her hand.
Slicing at the rose on Utena's breast, Juri again glared at Utena before leaving the arena.
Victorious, Juri returned to her room. Sitting on her bed, Juri commanded that Anthy take her human form. The sword in her hand glowed, before turning into Anthy. Kneeling before Juri, Anthy spoke: "I am the Rose Bride. From this day on, I belong to you Miss Juri."
"This is only the beginning," Tia said to Janus, pointing at the semi-conscious Utena who still lay on the floor, exhausted both mentally and physically. Closing her eyes, Utena sighed. "Himemiya is gone, again..." As tears rolled down her face, Utena lost consciousness.