"Mystery"
A short fanfic for
"Revolutionary Girl Utena"
Written by Corvus


Dappled sunlight played across the rich green fullness
of the lush grass, rippling as a warm spring breeze tossed
the branches of trees this way and that, running their
leaves through the golden stream. A flicker of red flashed
among the verdant life, the tossing cascade of scarlet mane
that was the hair of Kiryuu Touga, Student Council President
of Ohtori Academy. He stood with his eyes closed, head
tilted back, a smile on his lips. The white jacket of his
uniform hung open halfway down his chest, letting the breeze
and the light caress him. Truly, a picture-perfect day.

For a moment Touga's thoughts drifted away from the
Council, away from the Rose Bride, the duels and End of the
World, to a warm, quiet place where he was free of his
obligation to the Revolution, free from his duty to himself
and the others to be the one who would win the Power of
Dios. The moment ended and the certainty returned. He
would be the one to bring Revolution to the World.

All around him the birds chirped their symphony in
harmony with the rustling trees and the whispering wind.
And in that symphony was a steady rhythm, regular as a
heartbeat. Muffled footfalls on grass.

Touga opened his eyes and turned his head.
Approaching from behind was a fellow Council member,
Arisugawa Juri, captain of the fencing team. Her flaxen
curls bobbed in the breeze and her green eyes reflected the
sweet life around them. "Good morning, Mister President,"
she said to him.

"Good morning, Miss Arisugawa," he replied. "What
brings you out here on such a lovely day?"

"One might ask you the same question," Juri said
softly, just a hint of amusement touching the edges of her
voice. In her eyes Touga could see that which he had come
to know as Juri's defining trait, the self-reliance that
made Juri the queen of all she surveyed. Even now as she
stood with Touga on this quiet spring morning she claimed
everything around with her gaze, suffering others to tread
on her territory.

"Indeed, one might." Touga ran a hand through his
luxurious scarlet hair and flipped it back over his
shoulder. "Such life, such potential. The future."

"The future?" Juri turned a critical eye on the
President, attempting to fathom the meaning of his words.

His hands extended to his sides, Touga turned a slow
circle. "Look around you, Juri. What do you see?"

"I see trees, grass, hills... sunshine. The sky.
You."

"Nothing else?" Touga asked her.

What was his game? Juri stared at Touga, and one
golden eyebrow crept slowly up her forehead. "You obviously
have something in mind."

"I see potential, Juri. Power. Majesty. Everything
we seek to claim in the Power of Dios."

"How grand," she replied flatly. Had Touga slept
well? Perhaps someone had slipped something into his juice
at breakfast. Whatever the cause, the President was acting
strangely. "Do you expect everyone to see the same thing?"

He smiled at her as if sharing a secret. "No," Touga
said, "of course not. Each of us is different. Each of us
embodies a different passion, a different strength."

Now Juri was certain Touga wasn't feeling like
himself. "What do you mean by that?"

Touga was silent as he lowered himself to the ground
and stretched like an indolent cat. It was the same
indolence that Juri saw Touga express in nearly every
action, a self-assured relaxation that said, "You can't beat
me, and I'm not going to worry about you." Finally he
looked up at her, propped himself on his elbows and said,
"Each of us -- you, me, Miki, Utena, Anthy, Saionji, even
Nanami -- embodies a concept. You, dear Juri, are
Self-Reliance incarnate."

Juri folded her arms in front of her chest and stared
down at the President with a smirk firmly in place. "Are
you so certain?"

"I am. You are the angel who believes in no miracles.
Only yourself and your skill, and it gives you power. None
can match you on the fencing ground, and that look in your
eyes claims everything you see."

"Do you think I'd claim you?" she asked of him, not
bothering to hide her amusement.

"You could claim the Power of Dios," Touga replied.
He reclined once more and placed his hands behind his head.
"And through it and the Revolution, you could claim the
world."

"How terribly philosophical of you." There was
another long moment of silence. Juri looked up at the sky
and thought she could see the black behind the blue like she
sometimes did. Then she sat facing Touga. "All right, I'll
play this game. What is Miki?"

"You said it yourself," Touga began. "Miki is Talent.
Raw, native talent that expresses itself in his genius, at
the piano and in the classroom. He cannot match your skill
in the duel, but even so he is nationally renowned. Kaoru
Miki's talent could lead him to the Power of Dios one day if
we are not careful."

"Hmm," Juri muttered. She had indeed spoken of Miki's
talent the day he had finally overcome her skill and beaten
her. How had Kiryuu Touga learned about that conversation?
It wasn't like Miki to boast. "Saionji?"

"Ah, the Vice President, Saionji Kyouichi. We've all
seen the depths of his soul laid bare, his desire for
Himemiya Anthy, for the Rose Bride and the Power of Dios
that she brings. That is Saionji, Desire. Desire so strong
it cripples him, but even so it could very well lead him to
the Revolution itself."

Again Juri had to conceed the point. Touga's words
were making sense, even if they weren't usual for the
President. Or were they? Regardless, he was right;
Saionji's inner drive toward the Power of Dios was like a
raging inferno. Juri had seen its light in Saionji's eyes
and heard its roar in his voice. "Nanami?"

"My dear, dear little sister Nanami is none other than
Devotion. In her eyes I am the Power of Dios." Touga
smiled at Juri's sharp deriding laughter. "Surely you've
seen what she's done to catch my attention. Nanami feels I
have spurned her, and in that heartbreak you can hear the
shattering of a world."

"How like the Revolution, hmm?" Juri chided. "Tenjou
Utena, then."

"Miss Utena... The only word I can think of to
describe that which Tenjou Utena embodies is Love. Love of
friends, love of self, love of life and love of honor. It
is her guiding strength and that which draws others to her
like helpless moths to gleaming candle flames."

The words came so naturally to Juri that she laughed
as she spoke them. "Much like you, Mister President?" When
Touga didn't respond she stilled her mirth and sighed
lightly. "Himemiya Anthy."

"The Rose Bride... Yes, she is the vessel of the
Power of Dios, but more than that, she is Potential. Much
like everything around us." With this, Touga stretched once
more and got to his feet in a liquid motion. "She is a
force of nature that we all want to tame. Though we seek to
claim her, can we ever truly control her?"

That statement took Juri by surprise. She barely
noticed when Touga began walking away. Could the one who
took the Rose Bride ever truly control her and that which
lay within her? Anthy would obey the commands of whoever
had won her... but was she truly the one in control of them
all? Did the Rose Bride rule them?

As Juri looked about her in startlement she saw Touga
leaving. "What about you?" she called. "What are you?"

The scarlet-maned Student Council President stopped,
looked back at Juri, smiled his dazzling smile, and then
continued walking away. And in that moment Juri knew she
had her answer. Kiyruu Touga was, and forever would be...