(~I thought that the whole Utena fandom needed more A&U fics, so here we are. ^_^; I decided to cut it off here because, well...because I get more inspired after hearing from people that have read my story, and either tell me it's good, bad, horrid, or whatever. Criticism: the food of the muses ^_~ Yeah, I heard that somewhere. ::shrug::~)
~*~Aishiteru, Migoto Hana-sama~*~
Utena held the soft, pink-tinted envelope in her hands, and turned it over. Yep, it was addressed to her: and, from the look of the handwriting, it was from Touga. She let out a short sigh. When would the guy accept that she just wasn't interested?
She walked into the bedroom she shared with Anthy, and she threw it into the wastebasket, and fell onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling for a few moments before standing, curiousity overtaking her.
She walked over to the wastebasket, and fished out the letter.
She shuffled back to her bed, and sat on the edge of it, staring at the piece of paper for a few moments. It smelt of roses. She ripped it open and discarded the envelope.
"Dearest Utena," she read out loud, "I, Touga Kiryuu, would like to acompany you to the Ohtori Aacademy dance next week..."
She paused in her reading. Dance? She hadn't been aware of the school planning a dance...Of course, the whole 'rose bride' thing had been taking a lot of her concience lately. It was hard work, fighting for Anthy like that on a regular basis, but she did it whole-heartedly. She didn't want to see her fall into the hands of the wrong person. Of course, it had also taken a toll on her marks at school, and instead of getting better, they got worse day to day. She was too tired to study when she got home: she normally just went to bed.
"....of course, you should feel lucky, I am admired by many women, and my eyes could only brace on a thing as beautiful as you..."
Proud as a peacock, she thought with a smirk.
She read on, raising her eyebrow.
"It will be next Saturday, 7 pm, in the common-room. I look foreward to your answer. Love, Touga."
She nearly gagged. This boy was not only proud and egocentrical, he was obsessive. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? If he had so many admirers, both male and female, why didn't he just go with one of them? From what she had observed, even his own SISTER seemed to have an unhealthy infatuation with him.
"Ne, Utena-sama, something wrong?"
Utena raised her eyes to gaze at the person that had broken the silence. It was Anthy, wearing an apron over her school uniform and holding a feathered duster in her hand. She was smiling cutely at her, her head cocked to the side.
Utena smiled back at her. "No, thank you, Himemiya. I'm fine."
Anthy put away the duster in the closet, and undid the bow on the back of her apron, and pulled it off and folded it, putting that in her closet also. "Well, if you say so," she said softly, and sat down on her bed, pulling off her shoes.
"Himemiya?"
Anthy raised her eyes to look at her. "Hai, Utena-sama?"
"Were you aware of a dance going on at school?"
Anthy chewed her lip thoughtfully, frowning, before slamming her fist into her open palm, eyes wide.
"Yes, I think I do recall hearing about a dance going on next Saturday, Utena-sama."
Utena groaned. "Why am I always the last one to know these things?"
Anthy pondered this for a moment. "Possibly because you don't pay attention, Utena-sama?"
Utena smirked and stood, walking out of the room and down the hall into the small bathroom. Anthy followed, Chu Chu at her heals. She knelt over and scooped him up, and placed him on her shoulder.
She stood at the door of the bathroom while Utena brushed her teeth.
Utena spat into the sink and ran the water to wash it away.
"What, did someone invite you to the dance, Utena-sama?" She asked, breaking the silence.
Utena pulled the hairbrush through her long pink hair. "Hai, Touga."
Anthy smiled, bracing herself at the bathroom door. "Well, I'm happy for you. I think he really cares..."
Utena gagged and turned to face her. "I'm not going to accept his invitation, Himemiya. He needs to get it into his thick skull that I'm not interested."
Anthy nodded. "If you say so, Utena-sama." She paused. "Want me to comb your hair for you?"
Utena shrugged. "Sure, if you want."
Anthy walked over so she was standing behind her, and gently took the brush from her hands, and starting running it slowly through Utena's long pink locks.
"You have such soft hair," she complimented, running her fingers through it, following where the brush had been.
Utena blushed. "You don't have to say that, Himemiya,"
Anthy nodded. "If you don't want me to, I won't say it again."
Utena sighed irritably. "You don't have to do everything I tell you to do, Himemiya."
"Hai, Utena-sama, I won't."
Utena shook her head, eyes closed. "You don't have to call me that, you know."
"Call you what?"
"Utena-sama."
"But that's your name, isn't it?"
Utena nodded, regaining her patience. "Yes, it is, but really, Utena's just fine."
"But all the girls at school call you that..."
Utena sighed. "Yeah, they do, but it's just....weird when you say it"
Anthy stopped for a moment. "Why is it weird when I'm the one that says it?"
Utena shut her eyes, thinking it over. "Well, you're one of my closest friends, and it feels weird to have you looking up to me all the time."
"Wakaba-san calls you Utena-sama, Utena-sama..."
"Well, it's different when she says it! She doesn't say it all submissive-like."
"But I'm engaged to you, Utena-sama..."
Utena spun around and glared at her. "Will you stop it with that 'engaged' crap!"
Anthy looked down at her feet, eyes misting over. "Gomen nasai, Utena-sama..."
Utena froze. She had screamed at her! She suddenly felt ashamed of herself, and she willed her tense muscles to go lax.
"Gomen, Himemiya. I don't know what got into me."
Anthy raised her eyes, and smiled. "It's alright, Utena-sama..."
Utena turned around so she was facing the mirror again, and Anthy quickly got back to brushing her hair. Utena closed her eyes: it felt kind of nice. She sighed contentedly.
Anthy spoke up. "So, are you going?"
Utena shook her head. "I'm not sure. I don't think so. I don't have anyone to go to it with."
"You could go with Wakaba-san."
"No, I wouldn't want her to think that I don't want her to find a date or something..."
"I could accompagny you, Utena-sama, if you wish."
Utena's eyes snapped open, and she searched Anthy's gaze in the mirror. "You still want to go, even after what happened last time?"
"It won't happen again. I'll make my own dress. And besides, it was a nice evening. All is well that ends well, ne?"
Utena smirked. Yeah, it had been a nice evening. Anthy and her had shared their first dance, after all. She closed her eyes. It had almost been....romantic, but not quite. More of a friendship dance. She sighed. She had acknowledged her feelings for the coffee-skinned girl a while ago, but had never dared do anything about it. If she confessed her love to her, Anthy would pretend she loved her, too, just to make her happy. And Utena didn't want that: she either wanted a genuine friendship, or a genuine romance. No lies.
Also, she KNEW that all she had to do was ask her to sleep with her, and Anthy would oblige, whether she felt anything for her or not.And Utena didn't want that, either. She strived for Anthy's happiness over everything else.
She wanted, more than anything else, to set Anthy free. Which was the big reason why she even fought in those duels.
"Yes, I would very much appreciate you company, Himemiya. Thank you."
___
"Ne, Himemiya?"
Utena was lying on her bed, on her side, watching Anthy as she brushed her long, purple hair. It's so long...Utena mused, feeling an odd desire to merely touch it. It looked so soft, so pretty when she let it out of its confines. And for some reason, it always made Utena think of freedom.
"Hai, Utena-sama?"
She shook her head. "Nothing, Himemiya. Forget it."
TBC
~*~Aishiteru, Migoto Hana-sama~*~
Utena held the soft, pink-tinted envelope in her hands, and turned it over. Yep, it was addressed to her: and, from the look of the handwriting, it was from Touga. She let out a short sigh. When would the guy accept that she just wasn't interested?
She walked into the bedroom she shared with Anthy, and she threw it into the wastebasket, and fell onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling for a few moments before standing, curiousity overtaking her.
She walked over to the wastebasket, and fished out the letter.
She shuffled back to her bed, and sat on the edge of it, staring at the piece of paper for a few moments. It smelt of roses. She ripped it open and discarded the envelope.
"Dearest Utena," she read out loud, "I, Touga Kiryuu, would like to acompany you to the Ohtori Aacademy dance next week..."
She paused in her reading. Dance? She hadn't been aware of the school planning a dance...Of course, the whole 'rose bride' thing had been taking a lot of her concience lately. It was hard work, fighting for Anthy like that on a regular basis, but she did it whole-heartedly. She didn't want to see her fall into the hands of the wrong person. Of course, it had also taken a toll on her marks at school, and instead of getting better, they got worse day to day. She was too tired to study when she got home: she normally just went to bed.
"....of course, you should feel lucky, I am admired by many women, and my eyes could only brace on a thing as beautiful as you..."
Proud as a peacock, she thought with a smirk.
She read on, raising her eyebrow.
"It will be next Saturday, 7 pm, in the common-room. I look foreward to your answer. Love, Touga."
She nearly gagged. This boy was not only proud and egocentrical, he was obsessive. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? If he had so many admirers, both male and female, why didn't he just go with one of them? From what she had observed, even his own SISTER seemed to have an unhealthy infatuation with him.
"Ne, Utena-sama, something wrong?"
Utena raised her eyes to gaze at the person that had broken the silence. It was Anthy, wearing an apron over her school uniform and holding a feathered duster in her hand. She was smiling cutely at her, her head cocked to the side.
Utena smiled back at her. "No, thank you, Himemiya. I'm fine."
Anthy put away the duster in the closet, and undid the bow on the back of her apron, and pulled it off and folded it, putting that in her closet also. "Well, if you say so," she said softly, and sat down on her bed, pulling off her shoes.
"Himemiya?"
Anthy raised her eyes to look at her. "Hai, Utena-sama?"
"Were you aware of a dance going on at school?"
Anthy chewed her lip thoughtfully, frowning, before slamming her fist into her open palm, eyes wide.
"Yes, I think I do recall hearing about a dance going on next Saturday, Utena-sama."
Utena groaned. "Why am I always the last one to know these things?"
Anthy pondered this for a moment. "Possibly because you don't pay attention, Utena-sama?"
Utena smirked and stood, walking out of the room and down the hall into the small bathroom. Anthy followed, Chu Chu at her heals. She knelt over and scooped him up, and placed him on her shoulder.
She stood at the door of the bathroom while Utena brushed her teeth.
Utena spat into the sink and ran the water to wash it away.
"What, did someone invite you to the dance, Utena-sama?" She asked, breaking the silence.
Utena pulled the hairbrush through her long pink hair. "Hai, Touga."
Anthy smiled, bracing herself at the bathroom door. "Well, I'm happy for you. I think he really cares..."
Utena gagged and turned to face her. "I'm not going to accept his invitation, Himemiya. He needs to get it into his thick skull that I'm not interested."
Anthy nodded. "If you say so, Utena-sama." She paused. "Want me to comb your hair for you?"
Utena shrugged. "Sure, if you want."
Anthy walked over so she was standing behind her, and gently took the brush from her hands, and starting running it slowly through Utena's long pink locks.
"You have such soft hair," she complimented, running her fingers through it, following where the brush had been.
Utena blushed. "You don't have to say that, Himemiya,"
Anthy nodded. "If you don't want me to, I won't say it again."
Utena sighed irritably. "You don't have to do everything I tell you to do, Himemiya."
"Hai, Utena-sama, I won't."
Utena shook her head, eyes closed. "You don't have to call me that, you know."
"Call you what?"
"Utena-sama."
"But that's your name, isn't it?"
Utena nodded, regaining her patience. "Yes, it is, but really, Utena's just fine."
"But all the girls at school call you that..."
Utena sighed. "Yeah, they do, but it's just....weird when you say it"
Anthy stopped for a moment. "Why is it weird when I'm the one that says it?"
Utena shut her eyes, thinking it over. "Well, you're one of my closest friends, and it feels weird to have you looking up to me all the time."
"Wakaba-san calls you Utena-sama, Utena-sama..."
"Well, it's different when she says it! She doesn't say it all submissive-like."
"But I'm engaged to you, Utena-sama..."
Utena spun around and glared at her. "Will you stop it with that 'engaged' crap!"
Anthy looked down at her feet, eyes misting over. "Gomen nasai, Utena-sama..."
Utena froze. She had screamed at her! She suddenly felt ashamed of herself, and she willed her tense muscles to go lax.
"Gomen, Himemiya. I don't know what got into me."
Anthy raised her eyes, and smiled. "It's alright, Utena-sama..."
Utena turned around so she was facing the mirror again, and Anthy quickly got back to brushing her hair. Utena closed her eyes: it felt kind of nice. She sighed contentedly.
Anthy spoke up. "So, are you going?"
Utena shook her head. "I'm not sure. I don't think so. I don't have anyone to go to it with."
"You could go with Wakaba-san."
"No, I wouldn't want her to think that I don't want her to find a date or something..."
"I could accompagny you, Utena-sama, if you wish."
Utena's eyes snapped open, and she searched Anthy's gaze in the mirror. "You still want to go, even after what happened last time?"
"It won't happen again. I'll make my own dress. And besides, it was a nice evening. All is well that ends well, ne?"
Utena smirked. Yeah, it had been a nice evening. Anthy and her had shared their first dance, after all. She closed her eyes. It had almost been....romantic, but not quite. More of a friendship dance. She sighed. She had acknowledged her feelings for the coffee-skinned girl a while ago, but had never dared do anything about it. If she confessed her love to her, Anthy would pretend she loved her, too, just to make her happy. And Utena didn't want that: she either wanted a genuine friendship, or a genuine romance. No lies.
Also, she KNEW that all she had to do was ask her to sleep with her, and Anthy would oblige, whether she felt anything for her or not.And Utena didn't want that, either. She strived for Anthy's happiness over everything else.
She wanted, more than anything else, to set Anthy free. Which was the big reason why she even fought in those duels.
"Yes, I would very much appreciate you company, Himemiya. Thank you."
___
"Ne, Himemiya?"
Utena was lying on her bed, on her side, watching Anthy as she brushed her long, purple hair. It's so long...Utena mused, feeling an odd desire to merely touch it. It looked so soft, so pretty when she let it out of its confines. And for some reason, it always made Utena think of freedom.
"Hai, Utena-sama?"
She shook her head. "Nothing, Himemiya. Forget it."
TBC