Wilted Rose: The Bride Before Himemiya

Part Five

Wakaba and Aiko walked up the front steps of the headmaster's building, Wakaba extremely excited and Aiko extremely nervous. Wakaba rang the doorbell and Akio answered the door.

"Hello, Miss Wakaba," he said, then nodded to Aiko. "Miss Aiko." Aiko gulped. Something about this man seemed familiar, and not the good kind either. Something about him just screamed, "Run away from me!" and Aiko was ready to, except she had a mission. Make friends with Utena Tenjou. Plus she wanted to get to know this Anthy Himemiya. She had a familiar sense to her too.

"We're here to see Utena," Wakaba said smiling. "Is she here?"

"Yes she's here," Akio replied. "Her and Anthy just got back from their walk around campus. We were all just about to sit down for tea. Would you two lovely ladies like to join us?"

"Sure!" Wakaba said excitedly. "We'd love to, right Aiko?"

"Y-yeah…" Aiko said, following Wakaba inside. They followed Akio to the dining room.

"Utena!" Wakaba exclaimed at seeing her friend. "I want you to meet my new roommate. This is-"

"Aiko, correct?" Utena said. "We met earlier this morning."

"You actually remembered," Aiko said smiling. "Thank you, Utena. Now who's making the tea?"

"Anthy is," Akio said, sitting down at the table. "Now, won't you two sit down too?"

"Of course!" Wakaba said, sitting down. She turned to Aiko. "You sit too, Aiko." Aiko reluctantly sat down, careful not to sit next to Akio. Anthy then came in with tea on a tray.

"Tea is served," she said sweetly.

"Wonderful, Anthy," Akio said as Anthy served the tea.

After tea, Akio went to the planetarium to observe the stars, leaving Utena and Anthy with Wakaba and Aiko. Aiko was fiercely searching for a way to let Utena know she was a duelist without losing her chance at a friendship.

"I have to use the bathroom," Wakaba said, excusing herself from the room.

Good, Aiko thought. This gives me a chance to let Utena know. "So Utena," she said, pointing at Utena's hand. "What's that ring on your finger?"

"Oh, this?" Utena said, lifting her hand up to her face. "It's a ring my prince gave me."

Perfect answer, Aiko thought to herself, reaching for her locket. "Really? My prince gave me this locket." She took the locket out from underneath her blouse, also revealing her rose crest. Utena saw the rose crest and a fowl look spread across her face. "Utena, please understand. I don't know exactly what this ring is for. All I know is that it makes me a duelist. If it hurts you to know that I am a duelist, please know I will not try and hurt you with that power."

"It's not me I'm worried about," Utena said. "I'm worried about Himemiya. All who possess that ring fight the victor of the duels to gain her."

"Please, I won't hurt her either," Aiko said, tears forming in her eyes. "I just want to be friends with you two. You seem like nice people and I just want to be your friend. Not your enemy. Please don't hate me!" She bowed deeply and let the tears fall to the ground. "Enough people hate me without this ring. I don't need more people to hate me. Please Utena. I won't fight you…Not to gain Himemiya…If it makes it any better, I'll take it off!" She took the ring off her chain and set it on the table in front of Utena. "Now will you be my friend Utena?" Anthy got up and retrieved the ring, walking to Aiko. She placed the ring back on the chain, wiping Aiko's tears away afterwards.

"You're such a pretty girl," she said smiling. "You shouldn't cry. Don't worry, I trust you."

"Himemiya…" Utena said, then smiled. "Well, if Himemiya trusts you, then I guess I trust you. You don't have to be so sad. I just am used to people dueling me as soon as they let me know they're duelist. It was my mistake." She got up and walked over to Aiko, putting her hand on her shoulder. "You really are a sweet girl. I'd be happy to be your friend."

"Thank you, Utena," Aiko said. Wakaba walked back in.

"Okay! I think we've stayed long enough," she said, taking Aiko by the hand. "We'll see you in class tomorrow!" Aiko waved goodbye to Utena and Anthy as she walked to the front door with Wakaba.

Back in the south dorm, Wakaba and Aiko were hanging out in their room.

"What should I do with this box?" Wakaba asked.

"Just put it in recycling," Aiko said, looking up from her notebook. She wrote constantly, hoping that it will be for another Book of Power. She had a feeling, though, that all that happened here at Ohtori Academy wouldn't be acceptable for a Book of Power. Still, she wrote about all that happened in the last two days. Wakaba picked up the box and was about to put it outside, when she saw something toward the bottom.

"Hey Aiko," she called. "There's another picture in the box!" She brought it to Aiko before sitting down next to her to see the picture too. "I wonder what it's of." Aiko looked shocked. "Say, isn't that Anthy Himemiya? I wonder what she's doing in a long dress like that?"

"Are you blind, Wakaba?" Aiko asked. "That isn't Anthy. That's me." Though Aiko could see how Wakaba could make that mistake. Aiko did indeed look like Anthy in the picture, her hair rolled up like hers, glasses over her eyes. Aiko remembered that she wore glasses when she was younger, but no matter how hard she racked her brain, she could not remember a time she wore that dress or wore her hair that way. Somehow, she knew this had to do with Anthy, and her mysterious role in the ways of the duelists. And she could think of one person who could tell her what this picture meant. "I need to talk to the Student Council President."

END PART FIVE