BlackRoseVixen05: Hey, people! Me again. I'm back for another fun-filled update. This chapter is kind of scaring me right now, as I haven't started on it yet. Hopefully, though, by the time I reach the end of this chap, I will have beaten my fears! If not, the chapter will still be finished, so whatever. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Revolutionary Girl Utena or its characters. I do, however, own the plot of this fanfiction.
Chapter Twenty-One
Silence washed over the entire tower as a blinding white light beamed from inside the Rose Gate. Though it seemed like minutes, the quiet only lasted mere seconds. Then, the noisy crumbling of the tower resumed.
The student council uncovered their eyes and looked around in wonderment.
"Wha…What happened?" asked Nanami, her pointed ears giving a curious swivel.
"I don't know…" Touga said, as he trotted over to the other animals. He'd risen only moments ago to help Juri fight.
The flaming Pegasus gazed over at the injured emerald dragon. Their outside forms appeared to only be staring, but on the inside, their human selves smiled to one another.
It was then that Saionji remembered something important.
"Wait…!" the Green Rose growled, jumping to his feet again. "Where's the Chairman?"
Heads practically spun as the five beasts scanned the area for the winged wolf. There was no sign of him. Both Saionji and Juri frowned; they didn't trust Akio's disappearance.
There was another loud "explosion" then, and the tower began to shake even more. It also felt like…it was leaning? True enough, the platform was starting to collapse underneath them, pieces starting to fall into the water below.
"Everyone!" called the voice of Utena at that moment. All attention snapped towards the Rose Gate. The gate looked more like a door filled with light now. Utena was standing outside the door, leaning on its frame. "Everyone, hurry! This way! The tower is going to fall!"
No objections were made. The five animals made their way to the gate as speedily as they could. Because he wouldn't have fit, Miki returned to his human form and hitched a ride on Juri's back. They were the first to enter the gate, disappearing inside.
Touga trotted alongside Saionji, who managed to keep up with him. Though it was obvious the dragon was in pain. Nanami ran along in front of them. Soon, they were all inside. Utena was about to enter as well, when a squeal of panic reached her ears.
"CHUUUU!!"
"Huh…?" Utena murmured, turning around to see the source of the squeal. Low and behold, there was Chu-Chu, Anthy's little marmoset friend. The tiny purple monkey was currently riding on the back of what looked like a black and gray cat. The two looked quite terrified.
"What in the…! Chu-Chu!" Utena called, worry lacing her voice. Utena was scared that the animals wouldn't be able to make it to the gate if the platform continued to fall. The pink-haired girl jumped and held onto the door's frame when a long green blur flew past her, the figure leaving the safety of the door.
"S-Saionji!" Utena called when she realized who the blur had been.
The green dragon ignored her calls as he flew to the aid of the two small creatures. Saionji's flight was rather awkward and uncoordinated because of the holes in his wings, but he managed to reach them in time. He picked the two animals up with his front claws and then made a b-line for the gate once again.
When he was in, Touga and Juri helped Utena shut the door, sealing away the destruction and ruin taking place outside.
Within the Rose Gate
From the outside, the door showed only light, but inside, the only source of light was the large circular platform on which everyone stood. Saionji panted as he sat Chu-Chu, and the kitty cat down. Touga recognized the cat immediately. It was Mouse.
Needless to say, the group, minus Utena, was shocked to see Anthy there inside the gate. The purple-haired girl was dressed in a long red sari, and seemed quite pleased to see them. The others gazed at her suspiciously as she hugged Chu-Chu.
"Utena…?" Touga asked the girl, silently questioning the odd situation.
Utena gave a small smile. "It's a long story…" she said.
"Indeed, but I believe I can explain it…" said the voice of a young man then. A figure stepped out of the darkness then. The boy looked like a younger and less evil version of Akio.
The boy smiled kindly to them all, "I am Dios," he said simply.
"What…?" Juri murmured in disbelief.
"Dios as in…the Sword of Dios?" Miki asked, finally sliding down from the Gryphon's back.
"Yes," Dios said, before going to stand next to Anthy. He gently took hold of her hand and the two bowed to the group.
"First things first…We owe each and every one of you a debt of gratitude," Dios said softly. "We apologize."
"All of you have suffered greatly, because of me…" said Anthy, sounding truly sorry. For once, her voice held emotion. "Forgive me."
No one knew quite what to say. Juri broke the silence.
"So…the two of you…" the Orange Rose murmured, seeming to be piecing things together. "You're saying that story… the Tale of the Rose, is actually true?" she asked.
Dios nodded. "Yes, it is," he said, before approaching Utena. He kneeled before her and smiled warmly. "You've done well, little one…" he whispered, before gently touching her forehead.
A soft white glow spread from his fingers to the girl's body. Slowly, Utena straightened, looking down at herself in awe. She was completely healed. She no longer felt pain anywhere.
When Dios was finished with her, he approached Saionji. Since the dragon had become mortal again, his wounds had not healed like Touga's.
The emerald dragon gave a warning hiss as Dios drew nearer, wary of the young man. Dios stopped several feet in front of Saionji. "Don't worry… I promise I mean you no harm…" Dios spoke honestly.
Saionji didn't look convinced. The dragon gave a tiny gasp as Mouse darted away from him and padded over to Dios. The kitty looked up at him curiously before starting to rub against his shins, purring. Dios chuckled and kneeled to pet the friendly cat.
Saionji sighed, "Fine…" he murmured, letting his guard drop. Dios only smiled and came closer to Saionji. He placed his hand on the dragon's long neck and began to heal him. When Dios was finished, Mouse padded over to Saionji again and made himself comfortable on the dragon's front claws.
Saionji couldn't help groaning at the cat's actions. He blinked when he noticed Dios staring at him. The Green Rose frowned. "What?" he asked.
"You're wondering how you survived," the young man stated plainly. "It's bothering you a lot, isn't it?"
Saionji didn't answer. Dios smiled again and then looked off into the distance. The others followed his gaze. Before them appeared the crystal coffins which held each student council member.
"What are you showing us these for?" Saionji asked, before catching a glimpse of his coffin.
The dragon statue guarding the casket was severely cracked and beaten. It looked as though it could fall to pieces at any moment. Touga came over to stand next to Saionji.
"What does it mean?" the Pegasus asked, his question directed at Dios.
"The dragon was protecting him. If Saionji's soul had been destroyed, the dragon would have broken, and his body would have expired," Dios said, before looking over at the green dragon. "It's a good thing your friends came to help when they did."
The dragon's eyes lowered to the floor, before gazing over at Juri, who'd stepped in first. He stared at her for a moment, and then looked away again.
The Gryphon chuckled. "I know it's too hard for you too say out loud. I can tell what you're think though, and you're welcome," the Orange Rose said, before turning to her human body.
"Dios?" Utena questioned softly, the pink-haired girl standing next to Anthy. "What…What happens now?" she asked, seeming almost afraid to know.
Dios approached her slowly. "Whatever you want, Utena. You've brought the revolution. You can now shape the world any way you like," he said.
Utena looked down at the floor. "What happened to Akio? And the…other Anthy?" she asked then.
Dios' warm smile became a somber one. He lifted his hand towards the blackness of a seemingly random area. Another coffin appeared. This one was crystal also and shined purple light. Inside the coffin, curled up like lovers, were Akio Ohtori and the other Anthy. The two lay naked, surrounded by purple and white roses. They looked almost peaceful.
"These two will remain here, between the borders of this world, and your world, Utena. It is their sentence. I'm afraid it is the best that can be done for them…" Dios said regretfully.
Utena slowly left Anthy's side to approach the coffin, which held the man she'd thought she loved. Utena reached out and slowly placed her hand on the cold crystal. "I understand… though, I still feel sorry for them," she whispered.
"There's nothing wrong with that," Dios comforted.
The student council watched quietly, each wondering what exactly was going to happen next. Saionji's fin-like ears twitched when he noticed Anthy coming toward him. He looked at her skeptically. The girl then held up Chu-Chu, who stood in the palm of her left hand.
"He wants to say thank you for rescuing him," Anthy said with a small giggle.
Saionji was confused. Chu-Chu gave a delighted squeal and hopped onto Saionji's face. The purple monkey turned red and its tail became the shape of a heart, the tiny animal happily hugging the dragon's muzzle. Saionji groaned and then shook the marmoset off his nose. This new affection was obviously one-sided.
Dios chuckled at the scene, before looking to Utena once more. "Everything is left up to you now. What kind of world will you rule?" he asked the pink-haired girl.
Utena looked at him and shook her head, smiling faintly. "I'm not going to rule anything. I'm going to make a world where everyone is free to do what they want… A world where a person is perfectly able to vote, pray, eat, think, and live the way they please…" she said, before gazing at the student council. "Dios, what will happen to them?" she asked.
"Don't worry. They'll be fine, Utena. The others will be made whole again now that they are free from Akio's grasp. They'll be normal people again," Dios said, smiling. "You'll see them soon."
Utena smiled and nodded. "Everyone, thank you so much for all your help… I couldn't have made it this far without you guys," the pink-haired girl stated, blinking back tears.
"As he said, Miss Tenjou, you'll see us again soon," Touga said, his beast form melting away as he returned to his human body. Saionji and Nanami did the same. Utena smiled and went to give each of her new friends a hug. The girl paused when she came to Saionji last, the kendo-ka not seeming the least bit interested in a hug as he stood with his hands in his pockets.
The Green and Pink Roses stared at each other for a moment, before Utena smile kindly and held out her hand. "Thanks…for everything, Kyouichi," she said, well aware that she used his given name.
Saionji twitched, but didn't snap at her this time. Sighing, the Japanese teen grasped Utena's hand and shook it, the tiniest of smiles appearing on his face as he looked down at the girl.
"I look forward to having tea with you again…" Utena added, smiling.
The Green Rose was quiet for a couple of seconds.
"I… I suppose I look forward to it too…" Saionji said, his voice just above a whisper.
Utena smiled brightly and then returned to her place next to Anthy and Dios. "Goodbye, everyone," she said to the Seitokai members.
"Just for now, Miss Tenjou," said Miki, smiling.
"We'll be seeing each other soon enough," Juri added, giving her famous "half smile".
"Hopefully you'll recognize us," giggled Nanami.
"Goodbye," Touga said, smiling to the pink-haired girl.
Saionji only gave a silent nod of his head, the Green Rose picking up Mouse, who snuggled into his arms.
"Farewell," Anthy said to the five teens as she and Dios gave another small bow to them.
Utena watched in bittersweet silence as her friend's bodies began to glow the color of their rose. After a moment, each council member closed their eyes and their bodies instantly dissolved into a flurry of rose petals. The brightly colored red, green, yellow, orange, and blue petals flew off into the air and combined, forming a spiraling rainbow that soon vanished into the darkness.
"See you soon…" Utena whispered as she watched them go, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.
Dios smiled and gently took hold of Utena's left hand, Anthy taking hold on her right. "Are you ready, Utena?" Anthy asked hopefully, gazing at her savior.
Utena sniffled softly and smiled a confident smile, "Yes, I'm ready," she whispered in return.
The pink-haired girl felt so happy.
She'd finally become a Prince.
End of Chapter Twenty-One
BlackRoseVixen05: Wow, I really did not expect to write this in one sitting. Especially not as tired as I am right now. ((wobble)) Anyway, there you have it: chapter twenty-one. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-two, the epilog. Please leave me a nice review!! Thanks!!