Dead Roses:

Dead Roses:

Shoujo Kakumei Utena

"Let's live our lives heroically,

Let's them with style.

And even if the two of us are ever torn apart…

…take my revolution."*

Part One:

"Himemiya!!!" Utena called as she entered their room. "I'm home!!" Silence answered her. "That's strange. It's not Saturday. She should be here. Maybe she's still at class." Suddenly, Utena heard a scratching sound from the dining room. She ran to the door and opened it.

"Aha! Himemiya! I've found you!" she cried and then stopped when she saw that it was only Chu-chu sitting on the table, eating crackers and saying "chu chu". Utena sighed. "Chu-chu!" she scolded. "Don't you ever stop eating?" Chu-chu ignored her for a second and then gluttonously shoved the remainder of his crackers into his tiny mouth. Somehow, he did not die.

Utena groaned and walked back out of the dining room.

"I suppose I should try to get my homework done." She mused. Back in the room, she kneeled at the table and took out her math assignment. After an hour, she took a break. "I wish I had Miki here." She complained.

The clock read eight-thirty. "When is Himemiya going to come home!!?" Utena thought. Then, an idea struck her. Maybe Anthy was in trouble. It wasn't unlikely. She was the 'Rose Bride' and as such, she was the target of many people's ridicule and desire. One time, she had even been kidnapped.

"I've got to help Himemiya!" Utena yelled suddenly and ran out of the dorm.

Utena searched all over the school; in the rose garden, the library, and the cooking classroom. She found Anthy no where.

There was only one more place to go…

"Zettai unmei mokushi-roku. Zettai unmei mokushi-roku."~

The dueling arena lay upward as Utena climbed the stairs, which seemed endless. "At least I'm not hear for a duel," murmured Utena. But still, for some reason, she felt a sense of foreboding at going to the top, where the eternal castle would be in plain view. Gathering herself, Utena ascended the last few steps to the top. What she saw was a horror to her eyes.

"Himemiya!" she cried, tears already running down her cheeks as she rushed to the dead girl's side. Blood pooled around her lifeless body. But Utena could discern no wounds. Anthy was simply…

"No!!!" Utena cried out. "You're not dead! This is a dream. A dream…"

And then, Utena woke up. She was in her own bed, in her own room.
"Nani? I guess it really was a dream," she said shivering.

"Himemiya?" she called and looked over the edge of her bed to Anthy's bed below. But it was empty. "She must be cooking. Or cleaning." Utena reasoned. But as she went through the day and didn't see Anthy anywhere, she began to recall her dream. "No! It wasn't real." She cried and bumped into Wakaba.
"Utena-sama!" Wakaba screeched in delight. Then she looked at Utena's face. "You don't look to good. What's wrong?"

"Wakaba, have you seen Himemiya?"

"Dare?" asked Wakaba.

"Himemiya Anthy! You know! My room mate!" Utena yelled, loosing patience with her bouncy friend.

"No clue who you're talking about, Utena!" Wakaba said. "I got classes now! See ya later!" Wakaba ran off.

Utena stood still in surprise. "What does she mean she doesn't know?" She walked aimlessly for a few minutes until she bumped into someone else. Student council President Kiryuu Touga held out his arms to steady her.

"Touga-sama!" Utena said. "You must tell me where Himemiya is!"

Touga looked sadly into her eyes and then away. "Don't you know. She is dead."

"Dead!" Utena cried out softly. "My dream…"

"You were not dreaming. You fainted and I found you and returned you to your room."

"Who killed her?"

"I don't know."

"Tell me! You must know!"

"I don't."

Utena gripped his uniform fiercely for a few moments. Then she let go.

"Where is she?"

"We will have a funeral service for her tonight." Touga answered.

Utena nodded slowly, somewhat accepting what had happened, only because she had to.

"No one will remember her. Only the duelists."

"I see," Utena began to walk away. That explained why Wakaba didn't know who I was talking about, she thought.

"Tenjou!" Touga called.

Utena stopped and turned around. There will be another Rose Bride. You will possess them, since you were the last champion."

"I don't want to! I don't want anyone other than Himemiya!!" Utena turned and ran away. Somehow, she could not cry. She could not believe it.

The princess she had sworn to protect was dead. She had failed.

Next part will come very soon. Arigato.

"Missing truth and forever,

kissing love and true your heart.

Hold me tight with your arms so true.

The key to unlock to-morrow is reality.

I want to keep

on smashing lies apart.

No matter how much

the two of us may talk…

…you still just can't

see anything.

Excuses are fitting for adults

Who just cling to old stories.

The angels who were passed over

Don't need wings to fly!

Missing truth and forever,

Kissing love and true your heat.

I like who I'll be to-morrow and…

…I'll believe in myself

because I want to believe.

I want to keep on hating lies."**

*From the opening song Rinbu Revolution

**The ending song, Truth

~From the song Zettai Unmei Mokushi-roku (Absolute Destiny Apocalypse)