Chapter 1: The Final Duel
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Beyond the castle."
"There's more?"
"All beyond the castle."
"But it was supposed to end..."
"When the story ends, I end."
*~*~*
"Utena... wake up."
A warm, familiar voice. Hands I've grown to know all too well, shaking me from sleep. My eyes fluttered open. I expected to see her when I woke up. She was leaning over me with one hand rested on the side of my face and her other hand rested on my shoulder, trembling.
Trembling?
I rested my hand over Himemiya's and looked at her. She gazed into my eyes with worry. Perhaps I blacked out somewhere and she was concerned. I sat up slowly to gaze at my surroundings. I was in bed. My body was fine. I flexed my wrists. They were fine. Everything seemed fine. I looked at her, she seemed so worried.
"Anthy?"
"Utena."
Her voice carried such gloom and uncertainty. I took a deep breath.
"Are you all right? What's the matter?" I took her trembling hands.
"It's time, Utena. The final duel."
"The final duel?" Why doesn't anyone tell me about these things? While Akio's in the midst of corrupting a school, he really should stop and write out a brochure of just what the hell the duelists are getting ourselves into. The final duel? I thought I fought the final duel. Surely no one was going to tell me that I was going back to Oothori Academy to duel more people for my own lover!
I sighed, "What final duel, Anthy?"
Himemiya sighed and gazed beyond me out of the window. "The final duel that no one has ever lived to fight. I, myself, do not even know who the final duelist is."
"So how do you know about it?" I pulled her into my arms and held her close.
"I am... was the Rose Bride. It's part of me." Himemiya kept her glassy stare beyond me.
"Hmm..." I trailed my eyes over the room once again. How long has it been? Time moved gradually, memories were just that... memories. There was nothing to remember because nothing was supposed to be remembered. Oothori Academy is an illusion created from the greed of humanity. Such power desired, lead to the destruction of the mirage. The key, the link to power, lay in my arms. Where she belonged. No one dueled for the power. No one was engaged to the bride. The castle became a faded memory of the Rose's dream. Great rose, no more. Oothori Academy exists to educate, and educate alone.
"I don't want to question it, really. I don't even feel I should do it. But if it will calm you down, I'll do it." I traced my thumb over Anthy's lips and slid out bed.
"I don't want you to do it. I don't feel right about it." Anthy followed me into the bathroom. "But something keeps me from telling you not to." She leaned against the bathroom door and rested her hand over her heart. "I will be your Rose Bride forever, Utena."
It was funny, actually. To talk as if we were going to be separated. The duel would end and I would be the victor or I would be the loser, and in the end, Anthy is nothing but a woman. "So... when and where is this duel?"
"Right now. At the end of the world."
I picked my head up and raised a brow. "Have you lost your mind between last night and this morning? The end of the world?" I crossed my arms.
"At the end of the world, Utena." Anthy's eyes began to water as her voice wavered. She closed her right hand around her left hand and held the ring on her ring finger close to her heart. She sighed as tears slowly flowed from her emerald eyes. She was serious.
Now dressed, I stretched a little. Anthy sat on the windowsill and continued gazing out of the window. We'd said very little between the time I'd stepped in the shower until the time she seated herself at the windowsill. It was starting to set an unease between us. I wanted to speak, but she seemed so fragile.
I'll be honest. It frightens me a bit. Because I have no idea what's going on. It frightens me to see her so distressed. Neither of us knows anything more than what's in front of our face and what's in our minds. Anthy just holds her ring finger and gazes out of the window. I decided to put all joking aside for the matter at hand. It didn't seem like any of this is a joke.
"But why?" Was all I could ask. "Why is it that I have to duel for nothing?"
"Because the castle isn't eternal."
I sat in front of her and rested my hands on her thighs. I needed her attention now. This was moving too fast for me. "Are you saying that all of this is still just some sort of game for power, Anthy?"
"The castle isn't eternal. And everything that shines within it will soon dull. And reality becomes part of the past as the future desires to be molded. The prophecy says so. They ignore the prophecy when they enter the castle. They walk right pass the truth and ignore the concept of conservation. In the end, their greed overtakes them and their resources run out. Desperate for more, they seek to bring back what made the castle so bountiful in the first place. They seek out the bringer of miracles. It's a story about greed and lust and envy. A man's struggle for power. And how it slips through his fingers like sand." Himemiya parted her hands and held up the Bara no Koukuin. She silently slid the ring off her finger and slid it on to my ring finger.
It's the first time I wore the ring since Himemiya and I reunited. When everyone forgot, she remembered. Their miracles seemed to fade while hers remained everlasting. She was the creator of miracles. But she was my miracle. And there was no way I'd let anyone take her from me to use as their own. When it came down to it, Himemiya was just a girl. Not a witch. Not a resource. She was just another person.
"Till the end of the world..."
Himemiya turned to look at me. "What?"
"I'll love you... till the end of the world and farther than that." I pulled my hair out of my uniform and stood up. "We should go." I extended my hand to help her up.
Anthy took my hand and stood to her feet. I hope I gave her some hope in promising to love her. She knew it was true, but reminding her might have helped even a little bit.
"Will... you kiss me?" Anthy looked up at me hopefully.
I brushed the back of my hand across her cheek before leaning in and passionately kissing her soft lips. I savored the taste of her for almost a year now. The thought of never again holding her this close made my blood run cold. This final duel had better be the final one.
"And with this battle... the story ends." I wrapped her in my arms.
"When the story ends, I end."
"Don't say that."
"We must go... to the end of the world." Himemiya took my hand. "We must finish their story."
"And then we'll come home."
End of Chapter 1
Notes: OK now! That moved fast! It's a two-part story and the second chapter is up already. I've always wanted to alter the ending of Shoujo Kakumei Utena and I finally got around to it! Wai! What fun! Since Anthy and Utena are on a more intimate level and Anthy has developed emotions, her and Utena more of just casual lovers instead of Duelist and Prize. That's why Utena calls Himemiya, "Anthy".
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Shoujo Kakumei Utena or any of it's characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Beyond the castle."
"There's more?"
"All beyond the castle."
"But it was supposed to end..."
"When the story ends, I end."
*~*~*
"Utena... wake up."
A warm, familiar voice. Hands I've grown to know all too well, shaking me from sleep. My eyes fluttered open. I expected to see her when I woke up. She was leaning over me with one hand rested on the side of my face and her other hand rested on my shoulder, trembling.
Trembling?
I rested my hand over Himemiya's and looked at her. She gazed into my eyes with worry. Perhaps I blacked out somewhere and she was concerned. I sat up slowly to gaze at my surroundings. I was in bed. My body was fine. I flexed my wrists. They were fine. Everything seemed fine. I looked at her, she seemed so worried.
"Anthy?"
"Utena."
Her voice carried such gloom and uncertainty. I took a deep breath.
"Are you all right? What's the matter?" I took her trembling hands.
"It's time, Utena. The final duel."
"The final duel?" Why doesn't anyone tell me about these things? While Akio's in the midst of corrupting a school, he really should stop and write out a brochure of just what the hell the duelists are getting ourselves into. The final duel? I thought I fought the final duel. Surely no one was going to tell me that I was going back to Oothori Academy to duel more people for my own lover!
I sighed, "What final duel, Anthy?"
Himemiya sighed and gazed beyond me out of the window. "The final duel that no one has ever lived to fight. I, myself, do not even know who the final duelist is."
"So how do you know about it?" I pulled her into my arms and held her close.
"I am... was the Rose Bride. It's part of me." Himemiya kept her glassy stare beyond me.
"Hmm..." I trailed my eyes over the room once again. How long has it been? Time moved gradually, memories were just that... memories. There was nothing to remember because nothing was supposed to be remembered. Oothori Academy is an illusion created from the greed of humanity. Such power desired, lead to the destruction of the mirage. The key, the link to power, lay in my arms. Where she belonged. No one dueled for the power. No one was engaged to the bride. The castle became a faded memory of the Rose's dream. Great rose, no more. Oothori Academy exists to educate, and educate alone.
"I don't want to question it, really. I don't even feel I should do it. But if it will calm you down, I'll do it." I traced my thumb over Anthy's lips and slid out bed.
"I don't want you to do it. I don't feel right about it." Anthy followed me into the bathroom. "But something keeps me from telling you not to." She leaned against the bathroom door and rested her hand over her heart. "I will be your Rose Bride forever, Utena."
It was funny, actually. To talk as if we were going to be separated. The duel would end and I would be the victor or I would be the loser, and in the end, Anthy is nothing but a woman. "So... when and where is this duel?"
"Right now. At the end of the world."
I picked my head up and raised a brow. "Have you lost your mind between last night and this morning? The end of the world?" I crossed my arms.
"At the end of the world, Utena." Anthy's eyes began to water as her voice wavered. She closed her right hand around her left hand and held the ring on her ring finger close to her heart. She sighed as tears slowly flowed from her emerald eyes. She was serious.
Now dressed, I stretched a little. Anthy sat on the windowsill and continued gazing out of the window. We'd said very little between the time I'd stepped in the shower until the time she seated herself at the windowsill. It was starting to set an unease between us. I wanted to speak, but she seemed so fragile.
I'll be honest. It frightens me a bit. Because I have no idea what's going on. It frightens me to see her so distressed. Neither of us knows anything more than what's in front of our face and what's in our minds. Anthy just holds her ring finger and gazes out of the window. I decided to put all joking aside for the matter at hand. It didn't seem like any of this is a joke.
"But why?" Was all I could ask. "Why is it that I have to duel for nothing?"
"Because the castle isn't eternal."
I sat in front of her and rested my hands on her thighs. I needed her attention now. This was moving too fast for me. "Are you saying that all of this is still just some sort of game for power, Anthy?"
"The castle isn't eternal. And everything that shines within it will soon dull. And reality becomes part of the past as the future desires to be molded. The prophecy says so. They ignore the prophecy when they enter the castle. They walk right pass the truth and ignore the concept of conservation. In the end, their greed overtakes them and their resources run out. Desperate for more, they seek to bring back what made the castle so bountiful in the first place. They seek out the bringer of miracles. It's a story about greed and lust and envy. A man's struggle for power. And how it slips through his fingers like sand." Himemiya parted her hands and held up the Bara no Koukuin. She silently slid the ring off her finger and slid it on to my ring finger.
It's the first time I wore the ring since Himemiya and I reunited. When everyone forgot, she remembered. Their miracles seemed to fade while hers remained everlasting. She was the creator of miracles. But she was my miracle. And there was no way I'd let anyone take her from me to use as their own. When it came down to it, Himemiya was just a girl. Not a witch. Not a resource. She was just another person.
"Till the end of the world..."
Himemiya turned to look at me. "What?"
"I'll love you... till the end of the world and farther than that." I pulled my hair out of my uniform and stood up. "We should go." I extended my hand to help her up.
Anthy took my hand and stood to her feet. I hope I gave her some hope in promising to love her. She knew it was true, but reminding her might have helped even a little bit.
"Will... you kiss me?" Anthy looked up at me hopefully.
I brushed the back of my hand across her cheek before leaning in and passionately kissing her soft lips. I savored the taste of her for almost a year now. The thought of never again holding her this close made my blood run cold. This final duel had better be the final one.
"And with this battle... the story ends." I wrapped her in my arms.
"When the story ends, I end."
"Don't say that."
"We must go... to the end of the world." Himemiya took my hand. "We must finish their story."
"And then we'll come home."
End of Chapter 1
Notes: OK now! That moved fast! It's a two-part story and the second chapter is up already. I've always wanted to alter the ending of Shoujo Kakumei Utena and I finally got around to it! Wai! What fun! Since Anthy and Utena are on a more intimate level and Anthy has developed emotions, her and Utena more of just casual lovers instead of Duelist and Prize. That's why Utena calls Himemiya, "Anthy".
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Shoujo Kakumei Utena or any of it's characters.