Disclaimer: I do not own Revolutionary Girl Utena or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
Chapter 34: The Last Challenge
Utena and Anthy were meeting Miki and Wakaba for lunch at Ohtori Academy's outdoor cafeteria. During the meal, Utena had been telling Wakaba and Miki about everything that happened the night before with Mikage and the Skeleton Knight. She even filled them in on the Skeleton Knight's tragic past, and of Father Goodwin's apparent immortality. Wakaba and Miki couldn't help but find the story to be quite shocking. Utena of course also showed them the gold ring she now had that signified her position as the King of Earth's Lock.
"I never would've believed that Father Goodwin was over five thousand years old," Miki remarked after Utena finally finished her story. "Or that the Skeleton Knight was actually his older brother."
"It was a pretty big surprise to me too," Utena responded.
"So what happens now?" Wakaba asked.
"Well, now that Ms. Tenjou has become the King of Earth's Lock, the only thing left for her to do is to challenge the King of Sky's Lock, Father Goodwin, to a duel for the right to enter Seibal," Miki answered. "Guess this means that the involvement of the student council in the game has ended once and for all."
"Then Tenjou had better win!" a familiar voice interrupted.
Utena and the others all looked and saw Juri approaching their table. The redhead was wheeling a still catatonic Shiori in front of her.
Utena rose from her chair to confront her rival. "Hey there, Juri. You're still looking a little pale. Have you been taking care of yourself properly?"
"My health is none of your concern," Juri responded. "More importantly Tenjou, now that you've actually made it this far into the game, you had better not screw things up. It would be an insult to me and to everyone who lost against you."
"Don't worry. I intend to win the whole thing."
Juri nodded. "Well, if you do manage to win, know that my intention is to take the power of Seibal from you after you do."
"And what would you do with that power if you did somehow manage to take it from me? I doubt that you still want to free yourself from those shackles of yours, from the looks of things. Would you just use it to try and wake up Shiori?"
Juri put a hand on the catatonic girl's shoulder. "If she doesn't wake up by the time you win, then yes."
"And what if she does? What would you use the power for then?"
"…Honestly, I don't know. But I do know that my pride will not allow you to take such a power from me without a fight! So get ready Tenjou! You and I will face each other again!"
With that, Juri walked off, taking Shiori with her.
"Wow Utena! What exactly is the deal with you and Juri anyway?" Wakaba asked.
"It's a long story," Utena answered. "Well, I think now seems as good a time as any to go have a talk with Father Goodwin. Anthy, if you don't mind, I'd rather go see him alone. Knowing what I do now about Father Goodwin, I don't trust that guy around you."
"That's quite all right, Lady Utena," Anthy replied as she rose from her chair. "I'd like to go and meet with my brother anyway."
Utena nodded and turned back to Miki and Wakaba. "I'll see you guys later and let you know how things turn out."
Anthy and Utena walked away from the table in opposite directions, leaving Miki and Wakaba alone.
"So, once Utena manages to beat Father Goodwin and this End of the World guy, that'll be it, right?" Wakaba assumed as she leaned back in her chair and looked up at the sky. "I'll bet Utena's pretty eager to get this over with."
Miki nodded. "Let's just hope Utena has what it takes to beat them both."
Akio was sitting on his couch with his shirt slightly unbuttoned and a glass of red wine in his hand as he gazed out the window. An old phonograph in the room was playing a piece of opera that the dark prince had grown fond of over the last few decades. At that moment Akio was feeling on top of the world. After thousands of years of waiting and planning, he was finally about to gain his hands on the power sleeping in Seibal, the power he had lost long ago. For Akio, the next two duels in the game were merely a formality.
As Akio took another sip from his wine glass, Anthy entered the room. "Good day, brother."
"Ah! Anthy. I was wondering when you would get here," Akio responded. "Come closer."
Anthy seemed to hesitate for a moment before walking over to stand before the couch.
"Have a seat," Akio spoke as he patted a spot on the couch next to him. Anthy remained rooted to the floor where she stood. "I said sit down!"
After another moment, Anthy relented and sat down next to her brother.
Akio put an arm around Anthy and pulled her close. "Just think Anthy. Very soon this will all be behind us. Once the game finally comes to an end, we'll at last have back our old lives."
"If you say so, brother."
Akio put down his wine glass and took Anthy's chin, turning her face towards him. "Come now Anthy. You should be more excited about this!"
"I am, brother," Anthy replied, though there was no trace of excitement on her face or in her voice.
Akio began to untie the ribbon of Anthy's uniform. "Seems like you're having a little trouble getting into the spirit of the occasion. Let me help you with that."
With that, Akio pinned Anthy beneath him on the couch. Anthy's eyes went totally dead as Akio began kissing her neck.
Rex was on a little stroll near the campus chapel as he saw Utena approaching in the distance. The silver-haired priest couldn't help but smile a bit as the pink-haired tomboy walked up. Rex was a little surprised that Utena hadn't actually shown up sooner.
"Hello child," Rex greeted as Utena came near. "Lovely weather we're having today, isn't it? What exactly brings you out my way?"
"I had a very interesting talk with your brother, Rudger last night," Utena responded.
Rex chuckled. "Ah yes. I heard that you defeated the Skeleton Knight. Though I had no idea that you and he spoke after the duel. Just what did my former brother say about me anyway?"
"He told me about how you killed him. I always found you to be pretty sketchy for a priest, especially after I found out you were involved with this game, but I had no idea what kind of monster you really were."
"Everything I did back then and have done since then has all been in the name of a greater good. Sacrifices had to be made in order to get this far."
"And was Touga going to be one of those sacrifices of yours?"
Here Rex's smile vanished. "It was regrettable I had to use the boy in that way, but it had to be done…for him most of all. The atrocities that Touga went through during his childhood are one of the many reasons why this power must be obtained."
"So what? You plan to use the power in Seibal to bring Touga back to life, along with your brother and Ish?"
"…I gave up on such plans long ago. I live for the future now, not for the past. The life I had with my brother and Ish can no longer be. No, what the power of Seibal must be used for is the removal of wickedness in this world! It is that wickedness that took Ish away from my brother and I, and caused us to start our lives as slaves! And that very wickedness is more prominent today than ever in the way this city is divided! I will use that power to put an end to all this evil and create a brand new world!"
"And I'm guessing that Anthy would end up being another sacrifice for this new world you're trying to create?"
"Of course, but you already knew that. It's pointless trying to have a conversation about our conflicting ideals, so why don't you do what you came here to do?"
"Alright then. Rex Goodwin, I challenge you to a duel as the King of Earth's Lock!"
Rex smirked and nodded. "And as the King of Sky's Lock, I accept. You have no idea how long I've waited for this day. Granted, I would've preferred a different opponent, but I'm confident the end result of our battle will be the same. We will hold our duel tomorrow morning! I suggest you use the rest of this day to prepare your soul for defeat."
It was still fairly early in the afternoon as Utena headed for the rose garden to meet with Anthy. By the time the pinkette reached the tower she saw Akio standing in front of the elevator door. The sight of the handsome acting chairman of the academy caused Utena to freeze in her tracks. Ever since that day when Akio had come onto Utena up in his office, Utena had been rather apprehensive about being alone with him. In the end though, Utena put her apprehension aside and continued for the elevator.
"Hello there," Akio greeted as Utena came near.
"Hi," Utena responded. "What brings you here?"
"Anthy mentioned to me that you and she were meeting here today, and I thought this would be a good chance for us to catch up. I wanted to see if the information I gave you on Dr. Nemuro was any help."
Utena nodded. "It was. Was that the only reason why you came here?"
"Partly. But…I also wanted to know if you still felt the same way about me as when we last talked."
"Of course I do. I still think you're a pretty great guy, Akio, but that's as far as it goes. Like I told you, there's someone else I have feelings for."
A bitter smile came to Akio's face. "Ah yes. Your one-sided love. I still think you're kidding yourself, you know. The day when this person finally returns your feelings will likely never come."
"Actually…that day may come pretty soon," Utena revealed, seeming to catch Akio off guard. "In fact it may happen tomorrow. Once I take care of this one thing…I plan to tell this person how I really feel."
"Ah…I see," Akio responded as a small smile returned to his lips. "You're a bold one Utena. You must be sure that this person will actually return your feelings."
"Not at all. To tell you the truth, I'm actually pretty terrified about that moment. Especially since this person once mentioned an old love from the past, someone I'm apparently a lot like in some ways. It seems that this person might be still waiting for this old love to come back."
"So then maybe your love really is hopeless. But it could also be that perhaps this person isn't really your true love."
"Maybe you're right. But I doubt that you're my true love either."
"You know…you remind me of someone I met a very long time ago, back when Anthy and I lived down in the Commons…a girl I rescued from drowning."
Utena couldn't help but gasp slightly at Akio's mention of saving a drowning girl once down in the Commons. After all, she herself had been saved from drowning after jumping into one of the city's irrigation rivers.
"She was a pretty girl, a bit younger than I was," Akio continued. "I found out that she had plunged into the river because she felt she had nothing more to live for. It was understandable really; given how most people living in the Commons have nothing from the day they're born until the day they die. But I encouraged her to keep going and told her that as long as she held onto the strong heart she had, she would eventually find something wonderful to live for."
Akio's story had left Utena totally speechless. What he described was almost exactly like what happened that day Dios rescued her from drowning and gave her the seal ring and the card for Stardust Spark Dragon. Of course Utena could still never clearly remember what happened during that incident. In fact when she did think back to that day, Utena sometimes felt that she was always forgetting some very important detail about what happened.
"I do often wonder about what happened to that girl," Akio continued. "I hope that she finally ended up with the same kind of fortune that Anthy and I have been blessed with. Well, I should be going. I'm sure Anthy's wondering where you are by now, and I have some business to attend to. Until we meet again, Utena."
With that, Akio walked past Utena and left. Utena stood rooted to the ground for a few moments, reeling from Akio's story. It was then that Utena realized just what it was about Akio that she always found so familiar. He looked like Dios, albeit a little older. Utena began to wonder if perhaps Akio and Dios were one and the same, though a part of her still doubted it. Yet she also doubted her memories of that whole event.
After a few moments, Utena shook her head and quickly tried to push the whole conversation she and Akio had just had out of her mind before finally heading into the elevator. She didn't want to keep Anthy waiting for her any longer.
Utena found herself lying on the ground, with her wrists bound together by a heavy black chain staked into the concrete beneath her. She tried to pull the chain free but quickly found that it was impossible. As the pinkette got up, she discovered that she was wearing a long sleeveless dress similar to the one that Anthy wore during the turbo duels; only hers was lavender on color and included a pair of white elbow-high gloves. Utena also found that her hair was as long as it usually was during turbo duels. She felt that something was on her head, and when she reached up with her bound hands to touch it, she realized that it was the same sort of crown that was part of Anthy's Rose Bride outfit.
It wasn't long before Utena realized that she wasn't alone. Standing a few feet away with her back to her was a man with long bluish-white hair, wearing a white military-style dress uniform. His arms were raised upwards towards the air as if waiting to catch someone who was going to jump down to him. Utena felt that she should recognize the man, but for some reason she couldn't place whom it was. The pinkette didn't dwell long on the mystery man's identity though, because she quickly saw something that snatched her full attention.
Floating in the air before the mystery man was a woman bound in black chains to a large steel cross. She was nude save for a tattered red cloth hanging down around her waist, and in a flash Utena recognized that caramel skin and the long purple hair covering her naked breasts; it was Anthy. To Utena's horror, chains were not the only things binding the purple-haired beauty to the cross; thick metal stakes had been pounded through the palms of her hands and her ankles. What was worse though was that Anthy had swords and daggers sticking out from her torso. Little streaks of blood dripped from the corners of Anthy's mouth, and her emerald eyes were totally dead.
The thing that was even more horrible to Utena though was that she felt like she had seen Anthy in this state once before, a very long time ago…but she could not remember where. Utena unfortunately did not have long to recall just how and where she had seen Anthy in that terrible state, for her attention was caught by the wind suddenly picking up as if a storm was starting. It was then that Utena got a good look at her current surroundings. She was in an ancient and ruined city, destroyed by what, she did not know. The sky above was dark, and Utena found that it was because of a total solar eclipse that was beautiful to look at and yet filled her with a dread of something she could not name.
Just then some sort of roar echoed through the sky. Utena looked, and just to the right of the eclipse flashed a speck of crimson light like another star. A few seconds later the star flashed again and then suddenly became bigger. Something from above was headed straight for them. Just when it seemed like the light was about to strike the entire city, there was a blinding flash, and when the light from the flash cleared there was something hovering behind the cross Anthy had been bound to.
That thing was a massive serpentine dragon made of crimson light, with its eyes and the outline of its body shining gold. The dragon let out another roar that echoed through the heavens, and Utena realized that it was about to try and devour Anthy like some sort of sacrificial offering. At this point Utena finally got to her feet, and the mystery man standing before the cross looked back at her, flashing a wicked grin. The dragon of light began to open his jaws, and Utena reached towards the cross with her arms still bound as she called out Anthy's name.
Utena shot up in bed drenched in a cold sweat. A hand touched her shoulder and caused her to let out a startled grasp. When she turned her head though, Utena saw that it was only Anthy and let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you okay Lady Utena?" Anthy asked.
Utena smiled. "Yeah…I'm okay. Just had kind of a nasty dream. What're you doing up though Anthy?"
"I woke up because you were moaning in your sleep. Are you sure you're okay?"
Utena gave Anthy a hug. "I'm fine. C'mon. Let's get back to sleep we have a pretty big day tomorrow."
With that, the two of the laid back down on the bed, with Utena wrapping an arm around Anthy. Utena immediately closed her eyes, but Anthy's remained open.
"…Lady Utena? I…I don't think you should take part in your duel against Father Goodwin," Anthy spoke.
Utena opened her eyes and looked at Anthy with surprise. "Why not?"
"Because…if you defeat Father Goodwin, you'll have to face End of the World next… and End of the World is extremely powerful. As strong as you are, I'm not sure you can win against him, and…and I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"But Anthy, I have to beat End of the World so I can free you from this messed-up game."
"I'm not worth it!" Anthy practically shouted as she lifted her head, catching Utena off guard. "I…I am nothing. The only purpose for my existence is to unlock the power of Seibal. Beyond that, I am worthless."
Utena sat back up and looked Anthy straight in the eye. "Anthy, that just isn't true! You're my dearest friend and much more. I would give everything to bring you happiness and give you the life you deserve. So even though it's dangerous, I'm going to take on End of the World. And I will beat him!"
Anthy looked away from her with a profound sadness in her eyes. "But…you don't know the full truth about me…"
Utena gently took hold of Anthy's chin and turned the purple-haired girl's face back to her. "I know enough Anthy. I don't care what sort of past you have, or why you seem to think that you deserve the shabby treatment that comes with being the Rose Bride. All I need to know is that I care about you more than I've ever cared about anyone else, and that's why I'm going to rescue you form all this. Now c'mon. Let's get some sleep."
After a moment, Anthy finally relented, and the two of them lay back down and closed their eyes. Sleep did not come back easily to either of them though.
Author's Note: So the main purpose of this chapter ended up being just to set up the duel between Utena and Rex, and to do some foreshadowing. Next week's chapter starts the duel between Utena and Rex. So until then, please review and let me know what you think.
