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.

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Anthy is lying in her bed some time after falling from the platform. She does not completely understand yet what has happened

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Oh why Utena, why did you save me. I don't deserve it, I am a witch, a betrayer but you believed in me. You never judged me and now you're gone. Anthy lays curled up in a ball in their old dorm room on the bunk bed she spent so many nights sleeping in with her Prince right there above her. Quietly she cries to herself feeling very lost and alone without Utena there to comfort her.

I betrayed her; I stabbed her in the back at my brothers command and still she saved me even at the expense of her own life. Did she really love me that much? Why didn't she tell me if she did? Was it that she cared so much for me that her own life meant nothing if it would save mine? Her mind drifts back to the duel between her Prince and her brother, when he shoved her at Utena to distract her and with a look commanded me to… to betray her and stab her in the back.

I didn't want to, it hurt so much as I slid the blade I had taken from the folds of my dress into her back until it came out the front covered in her blood. It felt like I was stabbing myself, my heart was crushed and broken then when he commanded me to take the sword from her I fell into my role as a helpless puppet and did as commanded. I tried not to hand it over but… I couldn't resist his will.

As she lay there on the ground, bleeding out her lifeblood shocked and betrayed all she could ask me was why. She wasn't angry not… not… oh why did I hurt her. Why did I lie to her and tell her she could not be my Prince because she was a girl.

I knew I knew almost from the day we met that she was my Prince. There was something different about her, she had an elegant stance an honest passion and such nobility in the way she held herself and smiled with open friendliness. The righteous anger in her eyes as she challenged my master Saionji for hurting someone dear to her.

The way her smile was always kind and caring and she never had a cross word for me unless she was frustrated at my refusal to make my own feelings known rather than reflect hers. She never once demanded anything of me and only asked that I express my wants and needs and that I am an individual. Not a reflection of someone else's desires.

In the months, since she took me from that worthless being who was my master and abuser she treated me with only respect and kindness. Never demanding anything from me other than I live for myself and not because others commanded me to do something but because I wanted it. With each duel, she defended my honor and my right to be who I was and not a puppet. Always thinking about my feelings never did she fight to possess me or to gain power.

So noble my Prince, so kind and loving and how do I repay you. With a sword through your back.

The pain I saw in her eyes when Touga took me from her, not for herself but her failure to protect me. To keep the promise that she would always be there for me. She fell into such despair after that. I could see in her eyes that she was sick with worry. That she hated herself for failing me; it broke my heart to see that and be forced to hide it behind my mask.

The triumph that shown on her face when she won me back and won herself back at the same time.

It was then I realized how much she cared for me and just what price she had paid in losing me. It had broken her spirit and her heart.

All she ever wanted was for me to be happy and free of my bonds. "Oh Utena I have been such a fool!" she cried out. I was so blind and trapped, trapped in my role as the unfeeling uncaring Rose Bride. What I felt didn't matter to anyone or so I believed. Slowly though as we spend the days and weeks then months together I found myself wondering what it would be like if you and I were truly betrothed with no demands on either of us other than our desire to be together.

What am I going to do now? How can I possibly go on as she wished as if she never existed? What am I supposed to do now, I have no knowledge of this world and its ways. I am lost and alone, the one thing I have never been before.

Slowly a soft light began to infuse the room. At first, she did not see it through her closed eyes. It grew in intensity becoming almost blinding before it faded away. As she saw the light and opened her eyes she gasped at who she saw lying on the bed next to her, it was her Prince. "Utena!" Anthy cries out, but quickly the tears began rolling down her cheeks then she realized not all was right with Utena. She was covered in blood, blood that was soaking through her clothes and into the bedcovers.

Her breath was coming out in ragged gasps her body shaking with convulsions and she was coughing up blood. Her face so pale and obviously in pain. Anthy reached for her face hesitantly at first needing so badly to touch her. To make sure she was real and not a dream. Then Utena's condition registered in her mind. "Oh no! Utena!" Anthy screamed. "Oh my god Utena! Noooo... Oh god… oh god... She's dying right in front of me."

Franticly Anthy starts ripping off Utena's clothes to see the wounds and if she can do anything to stop the bleeding. What she see's shocks her into silence. Utena's body is covered in thousands upon thousands of cuts from the swords that she saved Anthy from. She wonders how Utena could possibly be alive after that.

"Oh Utena how could you be so noble so selfless that you would put yourself in between me and my punishment as if I was worth more than you. But then you did always believe in me and longed to save me even if you didn't remember that day so long ago and your belief that I did not deserve my fate."

Anthy reached deep into herself to bring forth the power diminished as it was and she concentrated hard on healing her precious prince. Slowly the multitude of wounds began to close, to stop bleeding. She gently touched the wound just below her ribcage that had been inflicted by herself and it closed stopping the flow of blood.

She smiled tears flowing down her face in fear and relief tracing her finger over the scar that didn't seem to heal even if the wound had closed. "You are marked with my betrayal forever my Prince I am so sorry." She sobbed. "Oh Utena… wake up please show me you are going to be ok. Please!" A soft painful moan escapes the pink haired prince's lips as if in response to Anthy's plea. Slowly Utena opened her eyes with great effort and gazed upon her princess with her soft loving beautiful blue eyes.

She reached up and gently stroked the dark face with her bloodied hand. "Shhhh my beautiful princess it's all ok now, you are free of him. Free of everyone you will never be subject to anyone's whims again."

"Oh Utena don't you understand." Anthy cried, "All I care about is being with you, I could not bear to lose you. I... I love you." Utena smiles up at her "I love you to Anthy, I always have. It just took me far to long to realize that I did." Utena reached up with her other hand and lifts her head to Anthy's face and kissed her gently on the lips. Anthy responded with her own lips and tears again flowing down her cheeks with joy.

Utena lays her head back on the pillow and gazes up into Anthy's eyes and says "It's ok my beautiful Princess, everything is all right now. You are free and if you will let me I will stay by your side for ever protecting you and loving you." She smiles softly up at Anthy "For ever Utena? You won the duel you took the power from my brother and you really want to stay with me forever?" Utena nods "Yes my beloved Princess."

Anthy lies down on the bed and wraps her arms around her prince happier than she has ever been in her very long life.

"I can see it all now, everything. I can feel the hopes and dreams of the world if I concentrate. However, I see the fear and the hatred too. Your brother Dios, your real brother. I met him after… after you fell from the platform and the swords descended upon me." Anthy's eyes go wide at this "We had quite a talk I guess you could say. He explained a lot to me and told me that you would be there to help me with the rest."

Anthy slowly sits back up and gazes down at her Prince.

"Some of what I learned during our little chat was how I was able to call on his power, why I was able to win the duels so easily." Utena paused and winced before continuing

Anthy reaches out to her with fear in her eyes. Utena smiles back and takes her hand in hers. "It's ok it just hurts a little still.

"This may be a bit of a shock it certainly was to me. As he explained it, Dios was not completely locked away by you. He was still able to exert some influence, his love for you was that great even after all this time. So he allowed himself to be reborn and it turns out that it was me. So you see I… he… we share the same soul." Anthy gasps in shock at this revelation.

"That is why we felt so connected, why we came together in the first place and why I came to this school." "It is why you acted with me as you did with no other and why I did not reject you or treat you as the others did. Our connection was deeper than either of us knew. Much deeper."

Anthy looked at her prince wide eyed and in wonder. "You are Dios?" she asked.

"In a way yes. His soul was reborn in me but I am not him. We share the connection to you. I am still me and I always will be but it explains why we were so compatible. Why I was drawn to you and why I was so determined to protect you. He gifted me with all that was locked away behind the rose gate and before he let himself fade away he wanted me to tell you that he never quit loving you and never gave up hope that you would be free."

Anthy nods looking both thoughtful and ecstatic at the same time.

"Um… Anthy?"

"Yes Miss Utena?" Utena groans, "Please don't call me that Anthy just call me Utena." Anthy blushes "Sorry Utena it's a bad habit I know." Anthy said as she lowered her eyes. "It's ok you don't need to be sorry but... um… I do have a question."

"Yes?"

"Uh… l well why am I half naked?" "Oh" Anthy said with a tears appearing in her eyes. "When you appeared you were covered in blood and bleeding and I needed to see how bad it was so I could stop it. So I undressed you and treated your wounds."

"I see" Utena says blushing.

"Well Anthy would you mind helping me to the bathroom so I could get cleaned up and then we can talk some more." "Yes Utena" Anthy says happily and with she helps her Prince off the bed and they slowly moved towards the bathroom so Utena could get cleaned up.

While Utena was in the bathroom, Anthy went back into their bedroom and happily cleaned up the mess while her beloved was taking a bath.

Author notes:

Ok that completes chapter 2.

This chapter is revised and reposted

Thanks for the reviews people I was so unsure if I was going to do anything at all after the first chapter since I was not at all happy with it after I posted. I am re-writing it to make it a bit more descriptive and not so amateurish.

Thanks Lowrider88, not completely sure where I am going with this glad someone knows. Ha-ha!

Yeah Insane Chocobo probably could use a beta reader to keep me from screwing up since I am so new at this.

Castle of Dark what's Utena without the Shadow play girls eh? They always had me cracking up with their antics.

The Black Yoshi and Tish, I went and read those at your suggestion but I am not sure how they are similar.

Anyways thanks for the reviews peeps and I will strive to improve.