Seinen Kakumei Utena
Utena and Penguindrum characters belong to their various owners.
WARNING: Parts of this work contain depictions of transphobia, controversial shoujo fantasy trans situation that in no way reflects real life trans people, and misogynic magic attack leading to forced masculinization.
Part Twenty-Five: Empty Movement VII
"Greetings, lowlifes who somehow managed to dodge Fate in the last around."
Standing against a fantastically luxuriant pink backdrop - one adorned with innumerable red wheel motifs - the Penguin-Hat-wearing one faced the Children of Fate with violet eyes aglow.
"Though, I must say you've now both become borderline transparent, about to vanish off of the World's Scenery," said the Penguin Hat –- clearly in control of its current wearer. "I'm assuming the likes of you still want to survive on, even now." With a flick of a hand, the Hat materialized a television set, angling its flat screen to better face the audience. "I come bearing news of utmost importance to all you invisible nobodies marginalized by society. So listen up-"
" . . . Momoka-chan?"
The question from Eriko, now having come up to beside the Chidren of Fate, struck the hat-possessed one like a spell, turning it statue-still. Even the fanciful pink backdrop had dimmed into an dark indigo shade, with the number "95" now igniting within each and every red wheel motif.
"Is that . . . you? Momoka-chan?" asked the stunned mom. "I remember this hat . . . it's the one that I saw you looking at while I took you to Sunshine City Aquarium's souvenir shop. I wanted to buy it for your coming birthday, but then that happened . . . !" She would have walked up towards what she recognized to be her deceased daughter's ghost, if not for her surviving younger daughter and her cousin both holding her back. "It's really is you!"
"Stay back from that . . . that-" gasped Ringo, her eyes welling with tears of anguish. "Mom, that's not the Onee-san you remember. She's now become something . . . dangerous." The last, accusing word was growled out from between gritted teeth, as the girl cast a meaningful glance towards the literal shadow of the boy she loved.
"Momoka", for her part, remained unresponsive.
The TV, since turned on to a news program, played smoothly, mechanically onwards . . .
"What the . . . hell?!" uttered Wakaba; the sentiment was shared by all those other Duelists currently hawk-eyeing the TV.
The video –- said to contain evidence of Anthy having murdered Keiko - showed not any area within the Sunshine City Aquarium, but rather, a swampland of sorts encased within a thick forest. The camera zoomed in on a patch of moist grass beside the water, where a sizable caterpillar could be seen curling its spiky length around an exquisite purple rose.
"This is their trump card?" asked Nanami, thin brows twitching. "The 'murder video'? Looks more like some freaking clip from Discovery Channel . . ." Miki, now beside her, appeared equally baffled.
"I had no idea real caterpillars can look like that." The academically sound young man narrowed his blue eyes at the featured creature. "I mean, those spikes around its scrawny length look so metallic, almost like protruding sword blades cutting out . . ." And he trailed off blanching, before soon gasping aloud along with everyone else watching.
"Wait . . . hold . . ." Too shocked now to keep up her grudge against her twin, Kozue risked getting physically closer to Miki while pointing at the insect on screen. "Look at those small antennas on top of its forehead looking like curled bangs, and those feather things at its temples that hang like twin tails . . ."
"But . . . if this is Sonoda-san . . . she . . .?" rambled Shiori, the bloody rescue effort from earlier on likely still vivid in her mind. "How?"
Lips pressed into a determined flat line, Juri hugged the trembling woman tightly against herself.
"Where has Himemiya gone off to?" asked Touga, a displeased twist evident upon his lips. "She's left us mortals at a loss without anyone to give explanation on these eerie happenings." Utena, who once leaned comfortably against the man's embrace, visibly stiffened at those words.
"I can give you explanation if you're indeed so eager for one," grumbled Saionji, glaring at the redhead for his untimely display of pettiness.
Quickly realizing his fault, Touga schooled his stance into a neutral one; too late though, as Utena had since pried off the man's arms to stand on his own feet again.
"I think . . . it's something similar to Nanami's cowbell incident from long ago," said the Victor, his quietly voice statement sending the mentioned blonde flushing red. "Even I still don't know how these things actually work. But . . . if Mikage can become a flower van –- among other things - then it isn't all that far-fetched for Sonoda Keiko to show up as an insec-"
/"Chu!"/
Jaws dropped around the room, as Chu-Chu now appeared in the video by way of playfully "walking" atop an Easter egg with similar coloring as himself. At his startling appearance, the Keiko-ish caterpillar uncoiled from the purple rose before pouncing snaked-like at the familiar. The two peculiar creatures then proceeded to battle it out amidst a cartoon-ish dust cloud, with the Easter egg now getting knocked aside and off view.
"You know, if we take Chu-Chu as some representation of Himemiya-sempai's powers . . ." Tsuwabuki then trailed off, turning his expectant gaze towards Nanami.
" . . . this video might actually make for a semi-accurate symbolic representation of what had possibly happened," finished the blonde, eyeing the younger man with an approving smirk. "You just might've nailed it there, Tsuwabuki-kun." Her younger admirer grinned back at her while blushing.
"Whatever this video is, I doubt it is the one Kazami planned on using to incriminate Himemiya." Juri, still hugging Shiori, narrowed her eyes at the video. "Someone must've somehow replaced the original video with what we see now, and uploading it for the broadcast."
"It's Tsuchiya-sempai," stated Shiori with much certainty. Miki, who overheard her, agreed.
"That's why we saw him beside Kazami earlier on," reasoned the sharp-minded man. "He's likely playing undercover agent, waiting for his chance to strike!"
"But, the Bride also said something about him making the battle's outcome all the less predictable." Caught up in the moment, Kozue too offered her piece . . . prior to narrowing her eyes at the suspicion she saw in her twin's eyes. "What? Your Himemiya-sempai told a few of us about Ruka having returned from the dead just before this meeting." To that, Miki glanced awkwardly away.
"Listen, Kozue . . ." He spoke up in a low murmur. "There's something I found out earlier on, that I need to tell you-"
"Hey, look at that thing!" exclaimed Kozue, cutting him off while pointing at the TV with perhaps exaggerated surprise. "A big-mouthed reptile thing!"
Yet another strange creature had appeared in this video: a red, tailless baby alligator with umbilical cord still attached. Coming up to beside the dust cloud from Chu-Chu and Keiko Caterpillar's epic battle, the alligator's snout started to lengthen like a budding sprout . . . before abruptly snapping up both[/b] dueling creatures with startling violence.
"Whoa . . . that's-" No sooner did Tsuwabuki started commenting that another outlandish occurrence on screen rendered him and all others silent once more.
The "big-mouthed" baby alligator, about to swallow up both clamped creatures, suddenly found its throat clogged up by something large enough to further widen its stretched jaws. It was the Easter egg Chu-Chu had been rolling just earlier on, currently getting shoved down the reptile's throat by a rotund blue penguin's flipper. Not only that, but a equally fat black penguin now is stepping down upon the baby reptile's umbilical cord with its flapper . . .
"Number 1-"
"-and Esmeralda?!"
Perched in front of the TV –- and temporarily overlooking the confrontation between the Oginomes –- Kanba and Masako watched agape as their respective penguin familiars proceeded to "rescue" the monkey-mouse and the caterpillar while cramming the Easter egg further down the baby alligator's throat. Letting out a pitiful wheez, the unfortunate reptile then combusted in a fiery explosion that engulfed the entire view in smoke and flames. Video having ended, the TV again showed the press conference, where Seen –- now appearing somewhat harried - was currently beseeched by reporters.
/"Seen-san, what's the meaning of this?"/
/"Is [i]this
the "murder" video? The evidence against Himemiya Anthy that you spoke of ?"/
/"Seen-san, please explain!"/
"Seen-san isn't getting out of this one that easily, methinks," commented Renjaku, glasses glinting. The maid's young charge nodded precociously from beside her.
"The Hat –- likely manifestations of Oginome Momoka-san's spirit –- has powers beyond human comprehension." Mario cast his blue eyes upon the Hat-controlled man currently at the center of the motif-filled scenery they now found themselves in. "I doubt this pretty man making the accusations could be a match for that."
/"That's . . . I-"/ Struggling to keep his long locks from getting tangled up in the multitudes of mic heads thrusting sword-like at him, the idol looked frantically around. /"I gave the smart phone to what's-his . . . my assistant to upload the file. Did anyone see where he went?"/
/" . . . assistant?"/ asked the newswoman, baffled. /"But . . .the only ones beside you all along are Oose Yuuko-san and Wakiya Aiko-san . . ."/
/"B-But he was here just now!"/ Surgically enhanced eyes widening in what seemed to be genuine shock, Seen looked to the mentioned women, who faced him blankly. /"Surely you all saw-"/ And he got cut as the scene abruptly changed.
It was another video, this one featuring what appeared to be a hidden cam video of a dressing room. An adolescent girl could be seen seated in front of the vanity, getting her hair and makeup done by two other girls no older than her.
Those girls were easily recognizable as Hibari Isada and Hikari Utada: members of Double H, currently decked in their stage costumes.
/" . . . to think I can still get to become an idol alongside the two of you,"/ murmured the girl getting groomed at the vanity. /"It's just like a dream . . . Hibari-chan, Hikari-chan."/
"Himari-chan!" exclaimed Shouma, glancing over from where he hovered beside the Oginomes.
"The strange guy took Himari-chan to where Double H is?" Ringo, too, watched the screen from where she and her aunt held onto her mother (who still remained frantic when faced with Momoka's ghost). "But . . . why did he say all that nonsense about having to burn her?"
/"Even after all these years, we've never ever forgotten our childhood dream of becoming Triple H . . ."/ whimpered Hibari, sobbing like the child she still was. /"Please believe us, Himari-chan!"/ Beside her Hikari likewise appeared choke up from where she helped with glooming up Himari.
/"Himari-chan, you don't know how happy we were back then . . . just being with you!"/
"Weird . . ." Masako scratched her chin, baffled. "It looks like Double H are actually desperate for this girl to join their idol group."
"They were elementary school friends with Himari back in the old reality," said Shouma, who had by now gotten over up to beside the Natsumes. "Perhaps they simply want to rekindle their old friendship?"
"Oh?" The Natsume heiress arced a dubious brow at that. "To the point of begging her to share in their spotlight?" Beside her, her "shadow-ed" twin-brother straightened his back in growing alert.
On screen, Double H continued on with their sorrowful, heartstring-tugging speaking.
/" . . . after you got diagnosed with the illness, and we got picked at the audition, we've begged the agency to wait for you to recover. We really wanted for you to have your audition too! We wanted for us to debut together . . . but the people in charge of us back then won't hear of it. "/
/" . . . afterwards, after we were made to debut as Double H, we've wanted to come visit you so many times. But every time we try, the agency's people would block us. They told us that if the paparazzi found out about us being friends, then the Takakura family background would also come under media scrutiny. And so, we . . ."/
/"We listened, and let the agency maneuver us about like wired dolls, cutting us off from our old friend, our old life . . . our childhood. The two of us had sacrificed everything we once held dear to become the top idols we are now. We spend our days showing up on TV appropriating the perfect adolescent maidens . . . and our nights entertaining the power players in the biz as per our manager's orders."/
/"Obviously, neither of us are even 'maidens' anymore . . . not like you are, Himari-chan."/
Onscreen, Himari's seated figure visibly stiffened at the revelation. Double H, for their part, hung their heads.
/"No secret can stay secret for long. Already, tabloids have caught onto hints of our . . . off screen dealings; it won't be very long now before they're to find hard evidences. Double H's image is risk of collapsing any moment now."/
"Oh . . . my . . . god . . . " Ringo had by now left Eriko to Tokiko's care to come over to the TV. "Those gossipy entertainment magazines are actually right about those two . . ."
Beside her, Shouma appeared increasingly perturbed. "Then, the reason they need Himari would be . . . could it be . . . ?"
/"Some time ago, the agency suddenly changed ownership."/
/"Even the staff had all changed. Suddenly, we're no longer pressured to do the extra-stuff. Not only that, but we're now allowed a lot more freedom than before . . . including access to fan gifts and letters, which we never even got to see for ourselves before."/
/"So, when we got to receive those scarves you made for us, we wore it on TV, hoping you'd see it. Hoping; hoping Himari-chan would see this, and know that you're still our best friend."/
/"We were so happy, Himari-chan . . ."/
/" . . . so happy . . ."/
/"Just a few weeks ago, we even went to your place looking for you. But this older girl told us that you were away, and we could only leave behind our new album, and-"/
/"Did your new agency send the two of you to recruit me into the group that early on?"/
Somehow, Himari's softly voiced question sent a jolt through her old friends, who backed off from her hesitantly.
/"Himari-chan . . ."/
Himari stood up in front of the vanity, revealing her slight frame to be donned under a matching costume with Double H.
/"Hibari-chan, Hikari-chan . . ." Slowly, she turned around to face the other girls, calmly looking them in the eye. "Your current agency is planned on debuting me as the final member of Triple H . . . and the known daughter of Kiga member Kenzan Takakura."/
"WHAT?!" The revelation shocked both Kanba and Shouma into blanching, to the point that they now appeared more like pallid children than shadowy boys. "Himari . . . why would you agree to something like this?!"
/"The agency call this 'Project M', right?"/ mused Himari, rather wistfully. /" 'M' for the 'Miracle' of having a terrorist's daughter successfully generate hype for an idol group . . . such a daring business move."/
"Project M . . ." murmured Ringo and Masako in unintentional unison, remembering the time when they each worked on a "project" by the same name . . . each to disastrous results.
/" The media will focus its spotlight on my background, and the heat of its glare will burn me to the core . . . but I will let this happen."/ Her delicate frame now was hardened by a toughness that neither of her doting brothers had ever seen before. /"Like a martyr at the stake, I will let this scrutiny burn me, all so I may work to erase this country's prejudice against criminals' relatives!" Even though the poor video resolution, the unshed tears in her anguished eyes now were clearly visible. "I'm not doing this to share in your fame, or even to rekindle our faded friendship." Double H's heads, if possible, hung even lower. /"I'm using this opportunity to become a successful idol in spite of my background, so my poor brothers can finally be free of the collective guilt we've all been suffering under, and get to become something! This is my Project M, my miracle!"/ Watchful of Double H's reaction, the girl's hands slapped firmly down upon the other two's shoulders. /"Hibari-chan, Hikari-chan, I'll be there for when Triple H debut as the guest act for Seen's upcoming concert!"/ At that point, the video cut out into a static screen.
"Himari! You . . . hopeless fool!" Kanba had grabbed onto the flat screen TV, shaking it in agitated savagery. "You don't know the true horrors of this world! People will label you and tear you to pieces for the reveal!"
"And we'll all still get persecuted!" screamed Shouma at the device in mad despair. "Just like that time when the police went after our parents, and everyone but Uncle Ikebe turned their backs on us! Himari-chan . . . the deep-rooted concept of collective guilt in our country isn't something that can be easily erased! At this rate, you'll end up becoming nothing along with us-" A hand clasping down soundly on top of the device stopped the boys in their tirade.
"Shut. Up." It was Masako, staring into space with something like grudging respect evident in her narrowed eyes. "Can't you so-called brothers see? This is your little sister's survival strategy."
"Exactly."
The ethereal voice cutting into the conversation had the Children turning around. The glowing Penguin Hat, having since released its host (currently on the ground in a pile of lanky limbs), now sat steadily upon midair, positioned as though perched upon the head of an invisible child.
"As you all can see, the new Project M –- the revolutionary strategy to save your dead end world from the darkness of collective guilt –- has since gone underway," said Oginome Momoka, the "Princess" in command of this magical realm. "Then, guarantee its success with your lives, if you all still wish to amount to something." Gradually, the aerial hat came to sparkle with starry lights, as the ghost's form started becoming increasingly visible from underneath.
The ever-present Penguin Familiars –- all four of them –- had also reappeared, and were now flanking the starry phantom like loyal subjects.
"Momoka-chan!" Eriko struggled to go up to her daughter's apparition. "Momoka-"
"Stop, Eriko!" Tokiko persisted in holding her cousin back. "You mustn't approach her like this! Momoka-chan is no longer alive; you can't risk getting her attached to you or this world again-" Both frantic women went still at a brisk gesture from Momoka's apparition.
"I, who've chosen this path knowing the whole of the world, have no attachment to my past mortality," stated this powerful ghost of a child, her tone and wording both eerie in their maturity. "My only regret is having my entire family wounded by my choice."
Impacted by those words, Eriko again tried calling out to her deceased daughter. "Momoka-"
"Mama," Momoka cut her mother off firmly, "stop blaming other people for your daughter's own choices, and move onwards." She then turned towards Ringo, looking uncertain from where she stood beside the "broiled" Takakura boys. "Sister, stop deluding yourself that Dad won't leave the family for another woman if I hadn't died." Holding her head high, the star-adorned little girl stared down upon everyone held within this fantastical illusion of her making. "The Survival Strategy meant to free the Takakuras and others from the world's hatred has since been initiated. Everyone, do what you must." With that, she vanished along with her fantastical Kekkai, leaving everyone back at the Oginomes' apartment unit.
It was Masako who broke the ensuing silence.
"It's always the media who decide what the sheeple get to believe in," stated the Natsume Heiress, putting an arm around Kanba's now child-slim shoulders. "If it means helping Kanba, Natsume Corporation can always exert its influence on the media outlets to paint positive pictures of Triple H's debut." Seemingly passionate, Esmeralda waddled up to her mistress and approximated a military salute, while Number 1 applauded by her side.
"We can even start a fan club for Himari-san, " offered Mario, coming up to beside his older siblings along with their maid. "It can be made up of relatives of known criminals who have suffered under collective guilt, along with relatives of the Kiga Subway Attack Victims sympathetic to our situation. Such a group can be crucial to changing the public's opinion."
"Please count us in." Eriko, at last more or less in control of her emotions, came up and steered her daughter towards the Natsumes. "Our family had suffered greatly from the Attack. I'm sure it will help the cause if people are to know that I fully support my daughters' relationship with the sweet Takakura Shouma-kun."
"Re-re-relationship?!" gasped Ringo and Shouma, both beet red in their faces. Numbers 2 and 3 could be seen at their feet striking mock-bashful poses.
Unnoticed by the increasingly exuberant group working on their survival strategy, Tokiko helped an unsteady Nemuro over to the sofa.
"Incredible how easy the engine can run once it gets kick started . . ." murmured the woman, speaking against the curve connecting the man's neck and shoulder in a seemingly intimate manner. "Isn't that right . . . Chu-Chu?"
At that, the monkey mouse peeked tentatively out from where he was hiding under Nemuro's outgrown hair.
There was a recording bug held in its hand.
"How stealth of you, to have slipped into Momoka-chan's Kekkai unnoticed . . ." Tokiko cupped the tiny creature in her delicate hands, slowly pressing her palms together. "Back to Himemiya you go."
When she opened her palms again, the creature was since gone.
/". . . Strategy meant to free the Takakuras and others from the world's hatred has since been initiated. Everyone, do what you must."/
"I see." Taking off the earphone, Anthy petted the proudly grinning Chu-Chu from where she had been listening to the playback at the dinning room table "So that's what Oginome Momoka is planning to do . . ."
Multitudes of hurried footsteps could be heard fast approaching, before Utena –- with the others hot on her tail - could be seen rushing into the dinning room.
"Himemiya, there you are! Did you just see-"
"Utena." The Witch - smiling her first true smile of this very long day - cut her Victor off with that languid ease of old. "I've finally gotten a handle on the new players' upcoming move." She then beckoned all Duelists over. "Everyone, take a seat. I'm ready to lay out our revolutionary strategy."
End Part Twenty-Five