Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from this fan fiction, Utena and its characters belongs to Be-PaPas, Chiho Saito, Shogakukan, Shokaku Iinkai and TV Tokyo.
I have absolutely no experience in writing whatsoever other than a few book reports in school and it has been over 10 years since that. So read this with that thought in mind and take it into consideration. Please let me know what you think of this and if I should even do anymore. I will use the English dub Anthy in my story as I like it better than Anshii. Also, since I am primarily writing this for English speakers I will not be using any Japanese words I don't feel they are appropriate here.
Now on with my story.
I… really.. I really couldn't become a Prince. she says crying, I'm so sorry, Anthy. Sorry, for in the end I was just a make-believe Prince... Forgive me.
Slowly she realizes Akio is no longer there and she really doesn't care. Her is heart breaking with the knowledge of her failure in saving her best friend, her beloved Princess. Yes, she realized to herself she loved Anthy and would do anything in the world for her. She would give her life without a second thought. But… in the end, she just was not good enough to be what she had claimed to want to be. To be a Prince, to save her Princess and to set her free of the chains that bound her.
"How," she laments "could I have been so foolish to believe that I, just a girl could seize eternity. To revolutionize the world when I couldn't even save the one person I loved more than any other in this god-forsaken world. You were right Anthy I couldn't be your prince."
Above her, the swords circled angry and out for vengeance against the Prince, the person that dared to interfere. No longer held back by the Rose Bride they sought a new target. She could hear them, not with just her ears but with her heart, her soul, her mind, her very essence of being. The million gleaming swords filled with all the worlds' hatred screaming, steel clashing as they slide past each other above her deafeningly and overwhelmingly in her mind to give back the Rose Bride.
To return to them the object of their insane and eternal hatred. No longer held back by her sacrifice they whirl about in a great circle above Utena moving faster with each passing moment. The sound of them glancing off one another building to a deafening crescendo. Looking for another target. They want the one that took her from them and they are angry, very angry.
She looks up with sadness and pain in her eyes, the agony from her wound slowly draining the life from her. Her life's blood is spilling out on the walkway. The agony of her broken heart lying shattered in her breast. The swords above her don't care, they want revenge on the one that took the Rose Bride, and they want the Prince and have her they will. Utena strains to pull herself forward and over the edge. To fall into the abyss and join her beloved Anthy but Utena no longer has the strength needed to accomplish this.
She was too week from the blood loss and from the terrible ache in her heart. "Anthy my beloved Princess I will take the swords in your place." She cries out with barely a whisper "My only wish is for you to now be free to live your life how you see fit. Not at the command of another. Not by your brother and certainly not from me. Live your life for me, live well and live free."
The swords stop circling overhead as if reaching consensus on what to do and dive at Utena, she can hear the sound of the air as they rip through it descending upon her and as they approach all she can think about all she can do is call out for her princess... "Anthy, I'm so sorry... So sorry I wasn't good enough to save you please forgive me!" The agony as the swords begin to pierce her body rushing faster as their outrage being spent on Utena's body. All the pain she feels course through her body is nothing compared to the pain she feels for failing her beloved, her last words are "Anthy I Love you, please forgive me"
They continue on destroying the platform wreaking their vengeance on everything in sight but Utena can no longer hear them.
All she is aware of now is the pain, the rage, the hatred around her. Her body destroyed her mind ripped to shreds.
Slowly the pain is changing to lost love, emptiness and longing.
Finally, darkness and despair take her tattered mind as she slips into unconsciousness.
Time passes how long she doesn't know.
Slowly she becomes aware of herself, her surroundings, and a voice calling out to her. "Wake up little one; it's time to wake up. The time has come to claim what is yours." The voice speaks to her.
"What... Where am I?" she asks "It's time to wake up little one, your battle is over you are safe now. "It's over. Did… did I fail? I did fail didn't I?" she cries out "Oh Anthy!" "No" the voice says "You did not fail Anthy, you did what you promised me so long ago that you would do. You fought for and saved the princess. You are now the Prince you longed to be. It's time for you to take your place."
Reaching out in the darkness, she tries to find the voice that is speaking to her. Instead, her mind is filled with images flashing in her minds eye. The flashes of steel as swords meet in battle, a dress, and a uniform. Love loss betrayal all flashing through her mind bringing hot wet salty tears to her eyes. Vast emptiness in her vision her heart and her head. A prince on a white horse fighting a dragon, a girl was hanging from her hands a sword piercing them holding her up.
Thousands of swords impaling her body. An angry crowd, darkness against light. Isn't that impossible? Utena thought. Menacing black storm clouds racing across the sky. Thunder rumbling lighting flashing blinding white. Terrible heartbreak, unimaginable longing, love that spans the centuries.
A hand reaching out, two hands reaching for each other. A shinning love, tears fall and two hearts become one. A meeting for the first time with an old and dear friend and partner. Strangers that are friends, companions, sisters, would be lovers. Then fear she is slipping falling away into the darkness. Desperate cries of longing hurt and fear... NO... A heart that seems to die as the most important thing to it is taken away into the darkness below.
"But... I lost her, she fell into the darkness." She cries silently to herself. "I lost my grip on Anthy and she fell." In the darkness a face smiles gently as it replies. "No" said the voice "you did not fail her, what you did was free her from the chains that bound her in the eternal prison of pain she had been confined to." "Where is she?" Utena asks "She is waiting for you to come to her but before that can happen we need to talk and you need to make some choices." "We need to talk? What choices? Please tell me." The voice gently replies, "Open your eyes little one and look at me."
Utena opens her eyes slowly expecting the darkness to be all that is there but in her vision she see's The Prince, the Prince that had saved her that fateful day when she had locked herself away in the coffin next to her parents. How could she have forgotten for all this time? "Dios is that really you?" he smiles "Yes and so long have I waited for this day, I am very proud of you little one." "Now you must decide how you feel about Anthy as well as what you will do with the power that is now yours. The power that was sealed away with me and you freed with your nobility and willingness to sacrifice yourself for Anthy."
"How I feel about her… I… I lover her, she means everything to me." Dios smiles knowingly "Yes I love her, I finally realized just how much as I was facing him her life her freedom means everything to me. I wanted to be her Prince so bad yet in the end I failed her she fell and there was nothing I could do to stop it."
"Little one do you really think you failed her and did not become her Prince?" Utena says nothing for a moment, "I lost, how could what happened be anything but losing?" Dios smiles "You did not lose and yes you became that which you promised me those many years ago, you became her Prince. Do you think you become a prince just because you want to be one? No, you become a Prince through your actions, your hopes and your dreams for others. With a desire to sacrifice yourself to protect and yes to serve others as their champion."
With a puzzled look on her face, she asks "I am a Prince then? I can protect Anthy forever?" Dios nods "Yes little one you are her Prince and you can be by her side as her protector for ever if that is your desire."
Utena smiles, "I am so glad I did not fail Anthy, all I ever wanted to do for her was set her free to live her life as she saw fit. To keep her safe from those that just wanted to possess her, to use her to their own ends."
"You should know this as well little one, there is a reason I found you. Why you were the one I came to, it was not a coincidence." Dios explains at length the history they both share. Utena's eyes wide with wonder and amazement. "You mean I am… we are..." Dios nods "Yes and that is also, why I can now fade away from this existence. I am no longer needed in this world to guide you and my little sister to their destinies. It is time to take that into your own hands and walk into the future together."
"The other thing you need to decide is what you will do with the power you now possess." Her eyes go wide as she asks "My power?" "Yes, you now have all of my power. Everything that was sealed away is now yours to use as you see fit. You can change the world, alter reality and mold it to your wishes. That is what it means to poses the power that was sealed away."
"But I never cared about the power, all I ever wanted to do was free Anthy."
Dios nods "Yes and that is why you were able to overcome all odds and free us. You did not covet power. To you friendship, love and helping others was more important and so you did what no one before you had been able to accomplish. That however does not change the fact that you now possess it and can change the world as you see fit. It can be a dangerous power but I believe in your hands it will not be abused, that it will be wielded with compassion and love."
Utena sighs, "I don't care about that I just want to see Anthy."
"You will see her soon I promise you little one. The power is yours to use or not to use and you have all of eternity to decide how or when or if you use it at all." "All eternity what exactly does that mean?" "You will know that soon enough." Replies Dios with a smile.
"I just want everyone to be happy and at peace I have no desire to change the world other than that." Dios smiles "Then it is decided, you are free to go to her now be with your princess and be happy for all eternity"
"How do I go to her… how do I use this power?" asks Utena. "Just think about her and how you wish to be at her side and you will be." "Anthy can help you learn what you need and can do now that she is free of all of the restrictions that had bound her."
Utena closes her eyes concentrating hard and pictures Anthy in her mind, she can see her lying on the bed of their dorm room curled up just as if she was in the coffin she occupied for so long.. Utena gasps, "Am I seeing her for real or is that my imagination?" "You have the sight now little one you can watch over anyone you choose now."
"There is one more thing I need to warn you about. Though you won and defeated him, there might be others to challenge you and though he may be defeated that is no guarantee he will not return seeking retribution. Evil is very difficult to destroy and it has a habit of returning when you least expect it." Utena nods silently. "I will protect her forever I promise."
"Thank you Dios, thank you for all you have done."
"Love, forgiveness, reconciliation, truth, eternity, miracles... I will believe in all of these and I will never forget you and what you did for us." With that, Utena again closes her eyes and pictures her princess then fades away.
extra! extra!
do you wonder, do you know?
extra!
do you wonder what I know?
She left without us!
How dare she, doesn't she know how important we are?
Apparently not, oh well...
Well let's go find her she can't run off without US we tell the story better than anyone else does.
Dios smiles before he himself fades away.
Authors notes:
So that's chapter one revised and re-written to have a little better grammar and spelling. I hope people enjoy this. Currently I am going through the entire story nit picking and looking for ways to improve it. Writing this has shown me a lot and so I must do this to make this story better.
Please read and review.