Chapter 20
The Price of Victory
Sunlight filtered in through the window as Utena opened her eyes. Warmth from the light caressed her face softly, giving warmth to her unnaturally cold body. She wasn't sure why, but she felt numb.
"Chu, chu, chu." The little creature squeaked, trying to break free a frog, frozen in a block of ice, using a pick. Looking to the right of the lower bunk, Utena saw Nemo's sleeping face leaned against the bedpost next to her pillow, his mouth hanging open slightly as gentle snores issued from his throat. Dangling from the bed above, Anthy's arm hung down, her soft murmurs floating in the air.
Utena smiled weakly, her cold heart warmed like a thaw at the devotion of her friends. "They are looking out for me." She whispered to herself, closing her eyes once again.
She saw through the haze of her mind, the King holding his sword to her, then thrusting the pommel into her, followed by a terrible chill that broke inside of her. Utena opened her eyes, trying to feel at her stomach with her hands, but her arms refused to move. Helplessly, she struggled to summon some kind of life from her limbs, but her body seemed content to ignore her, drifting slowly closer and closer to the grave.
She tried to cry out, to let them know how close she was to dying, her voice rising barely above a whisper as she choked out a desperate call for help. Icy hands began reaching about her, pulling at her, tearing at her, dragging the life from her. Utena resisted them, hanging on as best she could, drawing upon every ounce of will she had to hang on.
The sound of her dorm room door opening brought with it a flood of relief. Calling as strongly as she could muster, Utena tried to get the attention of whoever had entered. Unfortunately, she succeeded. "Help me, whoever you are, help me!" Her voice was scratchy and barely audible, but she called nonetheless, the desperation of death's gate driving her to give the last of her energy for the hope of aid.
Akio walked up, his smile sending chills through Utena as he approached. "So, you were the one who stole Dios from me. No wonder I couldn't find him." Looking up at Anthy, then over at Nemo, he chuckled, turning his gaze back to her eyes. "It doesn't matter, since the spirit will have to come back to me once you're gone."
"What!? No!" Utena's voice barely scratched from her throat, unable to be discerned even by Akio, who leaned over her, his cruel eyes burning into her soul.
"Goodbye, Utena. Soon your friends will despair and you will drag them down with you to Hell. Say hello to everyone I sent before you, won't you?" Akio leaned forward, kissing her forehead. As he did, his arm began pressing her chest, forcing the wind from her lungs.
Utena gasped, fighting gravely to draw another breath. Her body twitched under him as he shook his head at her. "You should have let me win, little Prince." Rising from where he had leaned, he brushed a hand over Utena's eyes, then turned and walked quietly from the room, closing the door behind him.
He looked up at the glorious day, the sun was shining once again, breaking the power of the clouds gloom over Ohtori. As he walked, fallen leaves crunched underfoot, and flowers withered away along the sides of the dorm. His work had been done well, and soon, they would all be under his heel once again.
***
Touga pushed the door open slowly, Anthy's uncontrolled sobs tearing at his heart as he entered the dorm room. Holding it aside, he allowed the procession of Student Body Council Members pass him, waiting until they had entered the room before closing the door.
It seemed that all the sorrow that had filled the skies over the academy had been drawn into the little dorm. Every face was sad, many tearful as they looked to where Utena lay, Anthy leaning on the side of her bunk, crying hot, sad tears next to her friend.
Miki knelt next to her, speaking softly as he rested his hand on Anthy's shoulder. "We did all we could for her, miss Anthy. I'm sorry."
"Where did Nemo go?" Touga asked, realizing he could not feel the young man's presence.
"He's gone to be alone." Saionji answered from where he sat next to the study table. "He couldn't stay any longer, so I sent him away."
"I see." Touga nodded sadly. "He was in love with her. The next few years are going to be hard on him."
"Big brother..." Nanami's voice was small and sad.
"Yes, Nanami?"
"Wh-why does this have to happen? Why does it have to end this way? It isn't right that Utena should have to die like this! Why is this world so cruel!?" Nanami erupted into a shower of tears, wrapping Touga's arm in hers, her small body trembling.
"People suffer because our world is fallen, imperfect." He answered, looking down into her eyes. "That was why we sought after Eternity, to change the way the world was." Looking back up, his face hardened, covering the sorrow he felt. "Now, however, I see that this world will never be perfect again, and all that we can do is live well, and be willing to sacrifice so that others might have a chance to lead better lives. That is how Utena lived, and that is her example to me. I can only pray that I live up to the sacrifice she made for me."
"I used to be a pretty horrible person myself," Saionji commented, "that is, until Utena came along. She was so noble, so willing to cast aside everything to help her friends. Even though we didn't see eye to eye, I couldn't help but respect her for who she was, a true Prince among us."
"She wasn't like anyone I had ever met." Juri said, her own voice barely containing her emotions. "She refused to stop believing in miracles, and in doing so, made me believe again. She cast aside her safety and confronted me with the fullness of her faith, breaking the chains that bound me to my pride. I am free of myself because of what she did."
"Utena was my friend, was friends with all of us. When she showed up, I had no idea how lonely my life had become, working hard, and never stopping to realize the value of friendship. She opened my eyes, showed me that perfection is not the only thing in this world worth fighting for, but that friends are the best that we can have." Miki's words resounded with conviction as he stood, his eyes still watering as he stared at his passed on friend.
"I didn't know her well enough to cry, but if it weren't for her, my brother and I would still be unable to speak together." Kozue looked over at Miki, her self-assured attitude lost in the emotions she struggled to control. "If she hadn't done for me what she did, my heart would still be lost, and I would still be trying to get his attention. Thank you Utena, for all you did."
"Most older people always looked down on me, but not miss Utena." Mitsuru fought back tears. "She would let me sit with her and the others when we had lunch. She would listen if something was wrong, and always help if I needed it. I'm going to miss her." Unable to hold himself, Mitsuru bawled until his face was covered in streaks, overwhelmed by the loss of a friend.
"Utena was, she was- No! I just can't believe it! Utena can't be dead, she just has to have survived! She'll wake up, you'll see!" Nanami screamed, her heart breaking at the loss of the friend she never realized she had. Running from the dorm with tears flowing, she disappeared into the streets, leaving the others behind.
***
One by one, they filed out of the sad dorm room, leaving only Anthy, who was still crying for her friend. Each with their own emotions, they walked out of the building, doing their level best to keep control of themselves.
Touga quickly walked off, headed after Nanami. The others followed Juri as she made her way from the dorm, arriving at the school's entrance. She turned to face them, her resolve hardening enough to speak.
"I've decided to leave the academy." Juri said, causing all the others to look up at her.
"But why, miss Juri?" Miki asked, stunned by her announcement.
"This place will continue to drag us in as long as we stay." She explained, only half believing it herself. "Utena fought so that we would be free, but every time, we remained, fighting again and again for the same goals under different names. Eventually we started the whole cycle over, ending up back where we started. If we don't leave, we will be caught again by this trap, this same doom that has had us. I want to be free."
To her surprise, there were several nods of agreement. "You're right," Miki said, "if we stay here, we will end up falling again. Kozue," he looked to his sister, "I think it's time we left too. This place has become one of hurt and sorrow, and we don't belong anymore."
"All right. I don't want to leave, but you're both right about it. I'm tired of playing this game. I want to be free more than I want to stay here." She sighed, her heart torn between the home she had always known, and the freedom that lay outside.
"I'll come too! This place has nothing left for me, and I'm ready to leave it behind." Mitsuru agreed, becoming slightly more cheerful.
"Perhaps you're right, Juri, but I have some business to finish before I can leave." Saionji said, his expression resolute. "I hope we meet again on the other side."
Near the base of Ohtori Academy grew a small tree. It was barely two years old, but it was already growing strong. Its roots dug deep into the earth, finding life-giving nutrients and drawing them in from the rich soil. One of the roots encountered something else, the foundation of the academy. The hardened cement held firm as the root pressed, refusing to budge. Then one day, the firm cement cracked, and the root pushed into it. Slowly, as the tree grew stronger, the crack grew bigger, breaking the cornerstone of Akio's tower, breaking away the might of Ohtori Academy.
***
Nemo rose slowly from where he had fallen, pushing himself from the leaves of the dying forest. His body was covered in sweat, his hurt leg burned from the running, but he didn't care. The pain was more than he could bear. Pushing himself up to his knees, he shouted in rage and sorrow at the sky, tears pouring from his cheeks.
Birds fluttered away, animals sought cover from the terrible sound of the young man's cries. He shouted and shouted, wailing in pain until his throat gave out, leaving nothing but a quiet, grinding moan on the wind.
The fire in his empty soul was starting to gutter, the flame that had grown strong with Utena's friendship was nearly gone. The void of darkness within him grew, consuming his heart, until he couldn't feel anymore.
He lost all track of time, all sense of feeling, slowly sinking back into the lifeless shell he had been before he met her, the girl he loved. Ragnarok stalked quietly out of the darkness and sat next to his Prince, the pain of Nemo's soul filling him with sorrow. There they sat, a broken Prince and his loyal guardian, as the quiet of night stole over them.
***
Anthy finally pulled herself away from the bed where Utena rested, unable to cry another tear on behalf of her fallen companion. She took the sheets and pulled them softly over Utena's face, covering the mortal remains of her best friend.
"Goodbye Utena..." A long silence. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you." She turned to leave, then looked back. "There are so many things I wanted to say to you. How I wanted to thank you for saving me from myself, from my curse. I want you to know that you were, are, and will always be my dearest friend, and I will remember you forever. Someday, I hope we meet again, and then we'll never have to die."
Making her way to the door, she scooped up Chu Chu, walking out of the dorm that they had shared ever since that fateful day when Utena had first saved her. Now she closed the door, the click seemed to resound in the night, like the final nail being driven into a coffin.
The nighttime streets were quiet and empty as Anthy made her way along the road, carrying her bag, with Chu Chu perched upon her shoulder. Feelings of loneliness welled up within her, and she turned back to look at the dorm one last time.
Her eyes widened at the sight of a strange, hideous glow in the window of the room she had shared with Utena. Breaking into a run, Anthy charged back to the dorm, desperately trying to get in. The door had been locked and melted by some unearthly force.
She clawed and dug with every bit of might she could muster, but the door was firm. "No! The Swords! The Swords! Miss Utena!"
***
Utena felt the faintest breath flowing into her body again, like cool water after days in the desert. Gripping onto the light of consciousness like a lifeline, she fought to bring herself back to life. Her eyes cracked open, then snapped shut again, unable to bear even the faint light that was in the room.
"Her hatred is strong, my master!" A girl's voice giggled near her, it was unearthly, but somehow familiar. "Strong enough that we can pull her back from death's grip!"
"Arise, Utena!" A second, commanding voice demanded. Suddenly filled with an undying vitality, she found she had strength enough to sit up. Looking over to see what had happened, her eyes widened at the sight of her healers.
Venetia knelt next to her bed, clothed in some kind of strange black armor that clung to her like a second skin, small plates of blackened metal layered over each other giving the impression of jutting scales. Her head was only covered along her hairline and over parts of her skull, the bizarre helm looking more like some kind of sinister headdress, complete with jutting spines.
Behind her, however stood an even more daunting figure. He was tall and imposing, darkness swirling about him like a cloak, clothing him in armor that seemed to absorb the light from everything around it. Even more fearsome, held pointing into the floor, a Sword of Hatred quivered and quaked, trying to escape his grip, still seeking the blood of those who had touched Eternity.
He spoke again, his voice rolling like the coming of a storm, looking down at her through dark, commanding eyes. "You are dead, Utena Tenjou. Nothing more than a corpse with a will great enough to remain a little longer. Even this will not save you, since you can't hold on forever. You will die like the pitiful creature you are, unless," he paused, "unless, I help you."
"Why would I accept your help?" Her voice barely escaped her throat, but the defiance of her will made it through.
"Because, Akio still lives." His taunt seemed to make the sword under his hands quiver with rage. "I imagine he will use your death to drive your friends to despair, and keep using them as pawns of his will."
Utena's scowl told him he had hit the mark. He continued to speak, his voice igniting a terrible hatred within her. "You could have defeated him, if you were living. I am giving you the chance to take revenge against him, if you pledge your loyalty to me."