Dead Roses:
Shoujo Kakumei Utena
"In the sunlit garden,
We both joined our hands.
Drawing close for comfort,
We both swore:
Never again would
We ever fall in love.
I see that photo of us smiling,
Standing cheek to cheek.
I look at it and a bit of
Loneliness starts to fill in me."*
Part Two:
"I
Anthy's coffin looked the same as the ones her mother and father had lain in when she was young. She had laid in one too, in an effort to shake off life and to be closer to her dead parents. Now, she almost felt like hiding in one again. Touga stood near her, almost as if to say, "don't try it". Utena clenched her fists. No, she thought. I must be strong for Himemiya's sake. But how…?
Utena walked forward and dropped her white rose onto the coffin. Then she stood aside for the next person. She watched as one by one, the only people who remembered Himemiya dropped their own roses and said their final good-byes. Miki almost broke down. Juri had to take him away. The last person came. It was Ohtori Akio: Anthy's brother. He dropped a dark purple rose onto the coffin. It landed noiselessly. Utena watched as he stared at the coffin for a few moments, and then walked silently away from the graveyard. "Where is he going?" Utena wondered. She knew she shouldn't, but she followed him.
He went to the arena, naturally. Utena didn't follow any further, though she did wonder what he was going there for. She felt her stomach and mind protest at the thought of going back to place where she had found Himemiya. Where Anthy was killed…
She did not go back to her room either. That reminded her too much of Himemiya. She headed back to the rose garden.
"Tenjou Utena!" called Touga. Utena stopped. She felt his arms slowly wrap around her. She wanted to slap them away, but she was too weary. Besides, there was something vaguely comforting about having him there. It almost made her want to cry. The way she had to the prince when she was little.
"You should come and meet the knew Rose Bride." Touga said.
"No."
"You have to."
"I'll have no part of it anymore. Because of this dueling game, this 'Rose Bride' thing, Himemiya is dead!" Utena said and whirled around to face him. Somehow he managed to still keep his arms around her.
"Calm down. Didn't you always say that she hated to be the Rose Bride? Well now she isn't."
"Why, you!" Utena finally got away from him.
Before anything else could happen, someone stepped out from the shadows.
"Utena-sama," said the figure. "I am the new Rose Bride, and yours from here on."
Utena gasped. It was Wakaba! "No," Utena murmured. "Never!" Wakaba came up to Utena and bowed. She reached for Utena's hand with her own. Utena slapped it away. "NO! You are not the Rose Bride! Get…get away from me!!!!!!!!!!!!" Utena ran to the rose garden and finally managed to cry.
In the morning, Utena skipped her classes. She had nothing to do.
"Hmmm. I haven't seen Chu-chu in a while. I had better going find him." Utena said and left the garden.
She spotted Chu-chu chasing a bee. "Chu-chu! Get over here. I'm your mistress now, so…hey!" Chu-chu paid her no heed and ran farther away. Utena had no choice but to try and catch him. He ran and she chased, and finally she realized she had followed him to the edge of the forest where the arena was. "Oh, Chu-chu!" Utena called. Then she heard him scream out, "CHUUUUUU!" The sound was coming from the other side of the wall that blocked off the arena.
"Chu-chu!" Utena called. Quickly she opened the door with her ring and ran up the steps. "Chu-chu, where are you!" she called, because the silence was deafening. She remembered being here just two nights ago and finding…
Utena gasped. At the top of the steps, she could see that there was a coffin in the middle of the dueling arena. It was Anthy's. Or was it? She stepped closer to it. Was Anthy inside? Was she really dead?
"Don't open it!"
Utena gasped. She shook herself and then reached for the coffin lid again.
"Please! Don't open it!"
The voice! It was Utena's own voice from when she was a child. From when she had hid in the coffin!
Utena composed herself again. She had to know! She had to open it!
"Don't open it!"
"Chuuuu!?" Chu-chu screamed and came bounding up.
Utena jumped. "Chu-chu, don't you ever scare me like that again!"
"Chuuuu…" Chu-chu moaned, to show that he was sorry.
Utena cast one last glance at the coffin. Then she turned and began to walk down the stairs.
"Come on, Chu-chu. Let's go."
Utena fell asleep that night, wishing she had opened it.
There will be a part three soon. Arigatou.
"Missing truth and forever,
Kissing love and true your heart.
Dakishimete honto no te de.
Asu wo hiraku kagi wa reality
Uso wo kawashi-tsuzuketai.
Kore ijou hanashi wo shite mo
Anata kara nani mo mienai.
Shiritagatte 'ru mei waku na kare
Gokai sarete itai.
Mukashi no hanashi ni sugaru
Otona ni wa iiwake ga niaru.
Erebarenai tenchi-tachi ni hane sae mo iranai.
Missing truth and forever,
Kissing love and true your heart.
Ashita no jibun ga suki to
Shinjite iru no shinjitai kara
Uso ni kirawarete itai…"**
*From Rinbu Revolution.
**Japanese words for Truth.