AN: Here is chapter two. When I read the actual idea for the crossover, it seems actively dumb, but I'm really enjoying writing this. I'm trying to keep the plot fairly evenly balanced between Utena and X-Men. There may be a few odd couples in this story, but I'll try to justify them logically. Anyway: on with the show.
"Glad you made it, welcome to the farm.
Who's your daddy? I'm your daddy now.
I'm here seeking only what I need,
In your mind is where I'll plant my seed.
It's for sure.
Let me keep you in this place,
You'll be better off this way.
I will keep you warm and safe,
You'll be better off this way.
You learn to love the price you pay:
Trust me dear, you're better off this way."
-Guster, "The Airport Song"
"I won't be swayed, Touga," Anthy said, sipping her rose-hip tea in the garden two days later. "The End of the World has been and gone, the revolution has been and gone."
"Akio started at the wrong time, Anthy," Touga insisted, pacing back and forth by the table where Saionji, Juri, Miki and Anthy sat. "The world wasn't ready to be born."
"It was and it has," Anthy replied. "I'm very tired of having this same conversation every day, Touga."
"And what was Utena Tenjou's great revolution? To make you a stubborn wretch," Touga muttered.
"Harsh words for one you once loved," Saionji said coldly. "Perhaps you're merely bitter that Tenjou's revolution was not to please you."
"That was then, this is now. The egg can crack without breaking, and we're still rotting inside."
"What a lovely image," Anthy murmured. Touga shot her a dirty look.
"I think I liked you better when things like sarcasm and dissention didn't occur to you."
"And I think I liked you better when you were playing at princedom to get your baser needs met, Touga."
"There is no more End of the World, Touga," Juri said.
"Akio is gone, Anthy is no longer the Rose Bride, the Sword of Dios broken. How would you propose that Dueling resume?" Saionji added, narrowing his eyes.
"These gifted children who Anthy has drawn here," Touga said. "The world is ending again through their existence."
"There is a difference between evolution and revolution," Miki said gently. "The two are not related. The Chairwoman is merely providing refuge to a disenfranchised group."
"Unless there is something else you wish to discuss, Touga, either sit down and have tea with us or go away," Anthy said evenly. "I won't discuss this further. There will be no more Duels. That time is gone."
Touga turned and walked away, his face composed but his teeth clenched in fury. What sort of revolution changed so little?
Once he was gone, Juri spoke.
"He'll act with or without us."
"How can he, without the Sword of Dios?" Miki replied. Saionji looked across the table at Juri, who met his look in silent agreement.
"I am not convinced that it is destroyed," he said.
"I don't think it can be destroyed," Anthy said. "A sword in two pieces is none the less a sword."
"Do you know where it is?" Miki said, shocked.
"I know where I left it," Anthy replied. "Or part of it."
"Where?" Miki and Saionji said simultaneously. Juri shook her head.
"Where else? With the only one who deserved it."
Saionji's voice dropped to a whisper, lest Touga still be there to hear him.
"Tenjou still has the sword?"
Anthy sighed and set her teacup down.
"She does not know it, but she opened my coffin, she released the piece of the sword trapped within, and it returned to her, its true master. The hilt end was lost."
Her three companions sat in silence, until finally Miki asked,
"What does that mean? Does that mean Utena-sempai is now the rose bride?"
Anthy gave him a gentle smile.
"I am no longer privy to such secrets, Miki. Tomorrow, Utena and I will go to the Dueling arena and we will see what we will see."
Anthy said no more, and simply sipped her tea.
Touga stalked back to Beaudelaire Hall, where he, Kanae, and Kozue all had their residences, as well as a few members of the Student Council, and returned to the parlor where he was awaited.
"Well?" Kozue asked when she heard the door open. Touga slammed the door and came into the parlor, sitting down with an irritable thump.
"Not at all well," he replied sourly. "If that bitch knows where the rest of the sword is, she isn't telling."
"Then we're right back where we started," Kanae sighed. "No Himemiya, no sword; no sword, no revolution."
"And our replacement Rose Bride still isn't cooperating," Kozue added. "Not that she's much good to us with half a sword."
"The sword of Dios is a living thing which chooses its own master, Kozue. Even broken it is still a powerful thing."
"But if Anthy still controls half that power-" Kanae started.
"Then we will have to fight her for it," Touga replied. "Remember, friends. Few and far between are the revolutions that come without a war. Isn't that right?"
"We couldn't agree more," Jean replied, smiling from her chair with her elbow resting on Scott's shoulder.
"The council is ready to act. Just say the world, Touga."
"I'll check on our replacement Bride during the fencing tournament," Touga said.
"Your absence might be noticed," Jean replied in a wounded voice. Kozue rolled her eyes.
"Touga-san has seen much better fencing in his time than yours, Jean Grey, believe me, he won't be missing out."
Jean bristled, but Scott put his hand over hers and she held back.
"Of course, the business of the End of the World is more important. We await your instructions, Touga. If there is no other business that needs discussing, we'll head to bed."
Jean and Scott left the table arm in arm, and the rest of the table sat in silence until they heard the door of the bedroom the two shared clicked shut.
"I don't trust them," Kozue said in a low growl.
"And they don't trust you," Touga sighed.
"It's probably for the best," Kanae said. "I don't think any of us are very trustworthy anymore, if we ever were."
"Go to bed," Touga sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'll handle it."
Kanae and Kozue stood and looked at his coolly.
"Remember Touga-san," Kanae began.
"We don't trust you either," Kozue finished.
Tuesday and Wednesday went by without incident, though some of the other students looked at Kitty with awe after having seen her come to dinner on Monday with Professor Arisugawa herself. That was overshadowed by the buzz about the fencing tournament. Professor Kaoru was coaching the team, and everyone was convinced, even though the first competition wasn't until seven that evening, that Ohtori would take the championship.
"Hey, Kit, where you going?" Lily called after Kitty as she veered away from the crowd heading from the banquet hall towards the stadium.
"I have to go take care of something, I'll be a little late!" Kitty called back, hurrying away before Lily could pry or argue. She walked along the path between buildings to go around behind the stadium, approaching the hill where Flandreau Hall loomed in the darkness. She swallowed hard as she stepped into complete darkness among the trees.
"Hi again," a familiar voice said from a few yards away, causing Kitty to shriek and leap into the air. She turned to see the pink haired tomboy with her hands in her pockets smiling sheepishly.
"Sorry about that," the girl said. "How come you're not in the stadium with the rest of the world?"
"I was gonna go, but I don't really think fencing's my thing," Kitty replied. For some reason this made the other girl smile broadly and almost laugh.
"Are you headed home?" she asked Kitty.
"I'm gonna try to visit a friend first," Kitty answered.
"Would you mind if I walked you?" the girl said. "It's kind of late to be out by yourself."
"Sure," Kitty said without thinking. It was too dark and too scary in the trees, the sun had set early for September, and she didn't want to be alone. "What's your name, anyway?" she asked.
"Utena," the girl answered. "And yours?"
"Kitty Pryde," Kitty said. A breeze rustled the trees and Kitty shivered involuntarily. The other girl unbuttoned the black and white jacket of the uniform she wore and handed it to Kitty.
"Won't you be cold?"
"Nah," the girl replied, though all she wore underneath was a black tank top. "Besides, we can't have new students freezing their first week."
Utena and Kitty began the slow walk up the path of stairs which wound up the hill to Flandreau Hall.
"Do you work at the school?" Kitty asked her. Utena smiled and shrugged.
"Not really. I'm just one of the concerned alumni, really. I went to school at the Ohtori academy in Tokyo with most of the board."
"Really?" Kitty said. "Professor Kaoru seems really nice."
Utena smiled.
"You'd be very hard pressed to find anyone nicer."
"I like Professor Arisugawa too, even if she is kind of intimidating."
At this, Utena laughed outright.
"That's about the mildest term I've ever heard used to describe Juri, that's for sure. You're pretty brave."
"Not really," Kitty shrugged.
"What about Professor Kiryuu? Does he teach freshmen as well?"
"No, I haven't gotten to meet him."
Utena had stopped walking and turned to peer back down the way they'd come.
"Shhh…" she said softly. "I think I hear footsteps."
Sure enough, a figure slowly revealed itself, rising like the sun up the hill, and Utena's eyes narrowed further.
"Go on without me, Kitty," Utena said firmly. "Go see your friend. If anyone knocks, don't answer. Get going."
Kitty found herself pounding up the stairs still wearing Utena's jacket as the older girl remained to face whatever was coming.
"Touga Kiryuu," Utena said. Touga stopped on the stairs to stare up at her.
"I was not aware you were on campus," he said finally.
"Now you know," she answered. "What are you doing here?"
Touga smiled and tossed his head.
"Why Utena, I work here. I teach poetry and literature to romantic high schoolers, and I advise the student council. It's all perfectly innocent."
"Don't try to make a fool of me, Touga Kiryuu. None of us is as young as they used to be," she snapped.
"I have business up that hill," he said, crossing his arms. Utena saw that between his fingers hung an envelope sealed shut with blood-red wax, pressed with the impression of a rose.
"We won't let you, Touga," she said fervently. "Anthy and I. We won't let anyone toy with children the way you and Akio toyed with us, never again."
"I have business up that hill," Touga said again, blithely ignoring Utena's heated statement.
"And I have business down it," Utena replied, walking down the stairs, knocking Touga's shoulder as she brushed past him. Touga laughed out loud, his voice ringing through the early evening.
"Tell me, Utena Tenjou," he said, looking over his shoulder at her as she descended. "Are you wiser as well as older?"
She didn't answer him or turn around and kept walking.
Touga smiled and continued up the hill.
Kitty reached up and lifted the iron knocker, pounding on the door three times.
"Hello?" she called quietly. She tried the latch, but it was locked. Doors had never been much of a barrier to Kitty, however. She hadn't used her powers on purpose all summer, there had been no need. In spite of this, she slipped through the solid oak without difficulty.
"Hello?" she called again. She heard some rustling, someone was definitely there. "Maigo?"
She yelped as a ceramic vase hurtled across the room and shattered against the wall near her.
"That's not my name, I don't have a name, now GET OUT!" a voice roared from the darkness. Kitty would have run, if she didn't know that voice. She groped against the wall and found the light switch and flipped it, but the building must've had no electricity.
"Rogue?" Kitty called out. "It's Kitty. I'm sorry I called you that, they told me that was your name now…"
She listened carefully to the direction from which the ragged laughter emerged.
"They did, huh? Who's they? Kiryuu? Scott and Jean? They can go to hell. All of them. I may not have a name, but I'm not lost, I'm not a shell, I won't take any name of theirs…"
Kitty walked carefully towards the voice as Rogue ranted. The moon had risen a bit, enough to throw some light into the room, and Kitty saw Rogue in the corner. She was wearing the same sort of uniform as Kitty, and all the gothic makeup was gone, but she looked horrible. Her hair was matted, her clothes ripped, and her face dirty, her fingernails ragged.
"Oh my god, Rogue."
When Rogue saw what Kitty wore, she sighed with relief.
"I thought for sure you were with them. I thought I was the only one left. Oh god, Kitty, I don't… why would anyone come here?"
As the room got brighter, Kitty saw that there were letters, unopened, strewn all across the floor, white envelopes sealed shut by blood red wax pressed with a rose-shaped signet. Kitty was about to open her mouth to speak when another letter came through the slot in the door.
"Maigo, the council has lost patience with you," a rich voice said from outside the door. "Tomorrow we will bring you out if we have to drag you, and you will start acting in a manner befitting the Rose Bride. This can be as simple or as unpleasant as you choose, Maigo. The council does not take well to inconvenience, and we have a long memory."
Kitty stood as still as she could for what felt like forever, looking into Rogue's terrified and furious eyes.
"Kill you, Kiryuu, kill you, Kiryuu," she droned over and over under her breath. Kitty phased through the wall of the house and saw no one, then returned.
"Come on," she said to Rogue, who was still rocking back and forth and chanting her incoherent curse on the . "We're leaving."
Rogue shook her head violently.
"No. It's safer here."
"It's not, Rogue, you heard them, they're gonna come and bring you out of here tomorrow, so you'd better not be here when they get here!" Kitty insisted, dropping to her knees and collecting the letters from the floor. "We'll figure this out, they can't do this to anyone. We'll call Professor Xavier."
"They've gotten to him," Rogue said from her corner. "They told him they can change the world if he does what they say, sends them more kids."
"There're people who'll help," Kitty said, stuffing the letters into a pocket of Utena's jacket. "There have to be. Can you walk?" she asked.
"Yeah, but there's no where to go, there's no where-"
"Okay, the pessimism? Not helping. Everyone's at the fencing tournament, no one's gonna see you. My roommate won't rat you out, we'll get you cleaned up and we'll figure out a plan."
She got under Rogue's arm and helped her up.
"God, no offense, but you smell horrible," Kitty said. "You are so taking a shower when we get to my dorm."
"You gotta promise me that you won't tell Jean and Scott where I am…"
"I don't trust those two any further than I can launch them with a pair of rubber bands," Kitty answered, phasing them both through the door.
"Thanks, Kitty. I missed you."
"Don't worry about it. I missed you too."
"You're late," Anthy said, smiling in the moonlight. Utena ran a hand through her hair as she reached the floor of the dueling arena and smiled wearily.
"I'm sorry. I ran into a young friend, who was out far too late to be by herself, so I walked her where she was going. Then I ran into an old friend who was up to no good."
"Touga?"
"The very same," Utena replied, sitting down on the ground and gazing up at the dream-castle in the sky above them. "This would be a great place to stargaze if it weren't for that damn castle."
"Touga is still pursuing the girl?" Anthy said gravely. Utena looked away from the castle.
"Was my revolution so disappointing?" Utena asked her, with a half smile.
"Not to me. Never to me. And not to the world. They just don't remember what they were missing now that they have it."
Utena sighed.
"I suppose you're right. And even if we didn't change anything at all, we can't let another person be enslaved."
"Like I was," Anthy said.
"Like we both were."
Anthy extended her hand down to Utena and helped her up.
"Shall we?" Utena asked. "I've always wondered how this feels…"
"I've always wondered what it's like to do it," Anthy replied.
Utena shut her eyes and spread her arms wide, throwing her head back and holding her breath. She felt a warmth in her chest, like the gentle burn of liquor, and then gasped as the force of the experience caused her to tip backwards. She would've fallen if it weren't for Anthy, who was there with an arm behind Utena's back.
Utena felt so light, so insubstantial and weak as the sword materialized and Anthy drew it out. Anthy gently lowered them both to the ground until Utena could catch her breath.
"That was so odd…" she whispered. "Such a strange feeling."
"Utena… this isn't the sword of Dios," Anthy said, examining the blade and hilt.
"What do you mean?"
"Look," Anthy said. "The broken piece grew back into a complete sword."
"Like a starfish-arm…" Utena said. Anthy nodded.
"The blade looks a lot like the sword of Dios, but look at the hilt. This is a rapier, the sword of Dios was a saber," she pointed out. Indeed, this sword's hilt and pommel were made of deceptively delicate spirals of golden metal. Instead of the blush-colored rose set in the pommel of the sword of Dios, this sword had a beautiful carved ivory flower of true bright white. Anthy shifted the sword, and in the moonlight she saw a word etched so small at the hilt end of the blade.
"Alma," Anthy said. "This is the sword of Alma."
"Who's Alma?" Utena asked. "And what's her sword doing in my chest?"
"Not who, what. Dios meant God. Alma means soul. This is the sword of soul."
Anthy put the sword in Utena's hands and it dissolved. Utena took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Well, I feel like me again," she said. "So if that's the sword of Alma, then what happened to the sword of Dios?"
"It broke in two. If the other half found a place to grow, then the power of Dios could be divided."
"Or doubled," Utena said. "A starfish is a starfish."
"And a sword is a sword," Anthy replied. "Let's leave. The fencing tournament will be over soon, and we don't want to draw a crowd."
"True enough," Utena replied, helping Anthy up.
"By the way, what happened to your jacket?" Anthy asked as they descended the stairs.