Of Roses and Thorns - Prologue
Revised 20th January 2008
Author: Guuthulhu
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Above Ohtori Academy dense clouds, swelled with moisture, filled the vastness of the sky. The air felt heavy and smelled the strong stench of ozone-nature's prequel to rain. Students dressed in their stylish sailor uniforms dotted the courtyard chatting and cramming before classes. Only their muted conversations could be heard over the day's stillness. Not too many were about so early this morning. Most preferred taking up other activities before school; anything to forget life's monotony and in just an hour or so, the bell would toll and the stillness would momentarily be disrupted.
One student stood out amongst the spotted mélange of uniforms. The sailor uniform all the other girls wore at the academy didn't adorn this student's athletic body. She preferred to wear a boy's uniform - a suit of black and white with a matching hat she wore crooked over her short, pink hair. She stood a few feet from the large stone fountain erected in the center of the courtyard outside the administration building. Water gently spilled from its marble carved spout into the simple small basin around the antiquated structure. She adjusted her small hat and brushed a few strands of stray hair from her eyes.
She leaned back and sighed, basking in the morning air.
"Utena-sama!" A faint voice called over the grounds, "Utena-sama!"
The tomboy glanced away from her reverie and peered across the green courtyard. Her eyes fixed upon a girl running towards her. Her chestnut hair had been tied back in small ribbons and neatly swayed side-to-side with her pace. Several times she stumbled forward, nearly tripping over her feet.
"Utena-sama!" the girl shouted again, waving an arm high above her to draw the student's attention.
"Ah! Wakaba!" came the shouted reply.
When the young girl had reached her, she stopped, leaning forward to rest her hands on her knees while she panted for air. She never considered herself anything closely resembling athletic. She had always believed running was what involuntarily occurred when one was late for classes. "U..tena... sama," she gasped. "The gardens..." She straightened slightly and began coughing. The cold, morning air irritated her lungs and made her chest tingle. "The gardens vanished."
Utena's eyes widened at the words, "vanished? I don't understand. Wakaba, calm down." She stood and placed both hands on Wakaba's shoulders. The young girl shivered. Black clouds now drifted listlessly over the campus and the air grew cold.
"There's nothing there. It's gone." Wakaba glanced upward into Utena's cerulean eyes. "Apparently one of the other students was there when it happened. The student council has got together for a meeting. Police have come and everything." Her breaths had finally slowed, but the cold still lingered, stinging in her chest.
Utena's expression grew stern. "Who was there?"
"No one knows what's going on or why any of this happened. What if oth-"
Utena's eyes flared as she rose to a stance. Her grasp on Wakaba tightened. "Who was in the gardens!" she cried.
Startled, the young girl tottered backwards and stared into the swirling pools of Utena's eyes. The firm hold made her shoulders hurt and the look in her eyes was frightening. She suddenly felt she wished she were elsewhere.
"Wakaba! Answer me! Was it Anthy! Was Anthy in the gardens!"
Wakaba's eyes watered and she slowly nodded, confirming Utena's fear. She could feel the muscles tightening in her chest. The tomboy tossed the girl aside with enough force to send her young friend to her knees. Heart pounding in her chest, Utena ran, leaving her friend a frail lump on the ground with her chest heaving and eyes spilling tears into the stone slabs beneath her. Wakaba looked up once and through blurred vision watched Utena's figure shrink into the gray landscape.
The distant rumble of thunder reverberated through the air just before the morning bell rang. Students began filling the grounds to begin their usual daily routines. Classes - lunch - classes - clubs - homework - dinner - sleep - repeat. No one paid any attention to Wakaba, on her knees crying below the fountain as if her heart had broken. No one paid any attention to Utena darting between students, fear and worry in her eyes. To the world around them, they were invisible.
Utena woke with a start. She raised her hand and drew the back of it against her forehead, wiping away tiny beads of sweat that had accrued. She swallowed hard and glanced at the vacancy beside her. She had been plagued with nightmares ever since her bride's disappearance so long ago. She closed her eyes.
But it felt like yesterday when it all happened. It felt like she remained trapped in the same few days that repeated over and over morning and night. Not even in her dreams could she escape from the dreadful sorrow that bled in her. Her fists clenched gripping the sheets of her bed. If only she had a clue. If only she was there, they would be together now and everything would be fine. It would be like it always was.
She opened her eyes and slid out of bed, pausing briefly to stretch. She hesitated, standing in the middle of her simple bedroom as if not remembering why she had got out of bed in the middle-of-the-night to begin with. Or perhaps she didn't want to remember. Right now, her thoughts were disjointed.
The sounds of thunder gently rumbled in the distance causing the window to lightly rattle attracting her attention. Utena glanced at it, staring a moment before approaching. She stared at the pretty, rose-patterned curtains and lost herself in a memory. She remembered when Himemiya would leave in the middle-of-the night. It always woke her up no matter how quiet her bride was. After the door clicked shut, Utena would rise and glance out the window and see her walking calmly away. Sometimes the girl would stop and wave up at her in the window. Each time she awoke from her nightmares, she stood before that very window and pulled the curtains back, each time hoping to see her again. Each time was the same - nothing.
She pulled the curtains back and glanced down into her dorm's garden below then slid her gaze into the street. A fiery, orange-headed woman opened the gate and began walking down the narrow path leading to her building. She wore a long, black coat and held a plain umbrella in her left hand. At that moment, Utena realized the rain pouring down and gently closed the window. The woman below glanced up briefly while walking, her peripheral vision noticing the shifting curtain. Sighing, Utena slowly walked across her room and sat down on the edge of her bed. The mattress shifted slightly under her weight. She stared at her feet and wriggled her toes every now and then, a curious expression on her face. She felt empty inside, lost.
The thunder rumbled again accompanied by a firm knock at the door. Absently, Utena left her room, entered the foyer, and answered the door. "Juri," she whispered. The redhead brushed a curl away from her eyes and looked her host up and down noticing her bed attire of red tank top and underwear. "Utena... I'm concerned about you."
Utena took one step aside allowing her guest to pass. Juri slipped out of her shoes and hung her coat and umbrella on the adjacent coat rack. She still wore her sharp, school uniform since she came here after finishing after-school activities. Utena shut the door behind her and stood silently staring at a pitcher of water on the table. Next to it were a bottle of pills.
"Utena, You haven't done anything for months. You've skipped all your classes. Why, it's amazing that you're still allowed to be here." Juri placed a hand on Utena's shoulder causing no reaction. "Utena, you can't keep going on about this... phantom."
"She's Real!" Utena spun around ferociously with clenched fists and glared at Juri. "I don't understand! You had her before I did! You... Saionji! All of you were there! She's the Rose Bride! We dueled for her! We fought for her!"
Juri's expression altered to one of pity. "Utena... No one knows this person. No one's ever heard of her. There's no record. She couldn't possibly exist."
"She's real!" She cried again, much louder than before as her heart filled with anger and her body filled with adrenaline.
Juri paused and sighed glancing downward towards the polished wooden floor. She noticed blood beginning to ooze between Utena's fingers. "Utena, please. Whatever your problem is, you need to move on. You need to get through this... I can't let you stay here and wither away like this. Please... let me help you."
Utena turned around, leaving Juri to her back. "Leave me." Her voice was soft, but still conveyed the cold intensity that pumped through her anger.
Juri lingered a few moments before gathering up the things she had only recently set aside. "Wakaba wants to see you again... She asked I bring this to you." She took a letter out of the pocket of her coat, walked past Utena and placed it upon the table near a bottle of pills. She then walked to the door, opened it, and glanced back at her. Not knowing what to say, she turned and started to leave. Utena grabbed the pitcher of water from the table and flung it back towards her. But she was too slow. Juri had just shut the door behind her. The pitcher impacted with a blam and shattered. The larger shards crashed upon the floor. Water, ice and glass spread everywhere. Utena breathed heavily, sweat slowly beading all over her body. She couldn't hear the thunder anymore, just the pounding of her heart in her head mirrored by the throbbing in her hands.
She took the bottle of pills off the table and held it in her hand. She stared at the label and read the instructions. She felt numb inside. Briefly she struggled to open the container and tossed two pills into her bloody hand. Staring, little rivers of red settled in the creases and slowly spilled, dripping onto the floor. She couldn't feel the pain, just throbbing.
Why didn't anyone believe her? Why didn't anyone understand? She closed her fists with her eyes and sank to the floor, dropping the open bottle. Pills tumbled out scattering all around. Tears began to swell and sting in her eyes. Her breathing shifted, becoming uncomfortable and random. She sobbed. Tears fell from her cheeks in endless streams. Her fists pressed against the ground and she tipped forward barely able to hold herself up. She couldn't breathe. It hurt all over. Her forehead slowly sank and pressed to the ground. She couldn't see. Everything was blurred. She gasped for air, but couldn't control herself. Her weakened body slowly gave out. She lay a helpless heap upon the floor; her chest on fire.
"Himemiya..." she sobbed, "Hi... memi..ya..." She managed to clench her fists again, a strong feeling welling inside. She opened her mouth and screamed. "Himemiya!"