Chapter Three- A Tour, Two letters, and a Kiss (Utena's POV)
Well, he was certainly polite. And charming. And intelligent. And, well, attractive. Yes, fine, he was all of these things. All of these wonderful things wrapped up into one wonderful human who wasn't wrapped up in himself. He had that aura of mystery and sadness that made me want to comfort him. He was, quite simply, unforgettable.
So, every day when I went to lunch, I carefully scanned the surrounding area to see if Mikage was there. I had learned all I could about him. The head of the Mikage seminar, the high school genius, he intrigued me. I had wanted to meet him, but Mikage was surprisingly difficult to find. And then, I had a stroke of luck on that day he came to lunch. It was so wonderful to meet a guy capable of an intelligent conversation. Up until that day, the only other intelligent guy was Miki. Yes, there was Touga, but the problem with Touga was that all of the girls had gone to his head. His idea of interesting conversation was talking about himself. for hours.
I worked up the nerve (was I too forward?) and visited the Mikage Seminar two days later. It was impressive to say the least. There was his office, filled with books and articles (some written by him), and the library, populated by quiet serious students all debating with each other in hushed tones. That is where I found him. Was it just my imagination, or did he seem happy to see me?
"Tenjou Utena, I am glad that you decided to accept my invitation and visit us at the seminar. Have you seen all of it or shall I give you the long (and sometimes boring) tour?" I felt as if this offer of a tour was as valuable as the gifts of the magi.
My reply sprang instantly to my lips. "I have been shown part of the building by an obliging member of your seminar, Mr. Mikage, but I would enjoy a tour very much. I have heard all kinds of frightening rumors about what you do here. I would very much like to see if these tales are true." Good lord, was I actually teasing him? Did I have the nerve?
"Oh, I promise you, all of the horror stories are completely true. We at the seminar have control over the entire Japanese government and when we have finished with our studies, we turn into werewolves and eat babies. It is quite amusing." How was he so funny? Just the way he said it, the quirk of his eyebrow, the unexpected half-smile. I wished the tour could last forever.
Unfortunately, it didn't. We talked the entire time as he walked me back to my dorm. I was extremely reluctant to leave, but I had homework (math.erg!). As I turned to go, he caught my eye. I lifted my face to his and he gently leaned down and, feather-light, brushed his lips against mine. It was my second kiss, and indescribably different from Touga's. Whereas my stolen first kiss had been expertly given and sudden, this was clumsy and sweeter than any sugar. Mikage, intelligent and knowledgeable in all things, was as shy and inexperienced in love as I. Murmuring a goodbye, I flew up to my room, floating on clouds of gold.
The next day I received two notes. The first was from Mikage.
"Dear Utena -may I call you Utena?- I write to apologize profusely for my behavior last night. I should have asked your permission before I kissed you. I will understand if you no longer wish to speak with me. Please write and tell me your feelings on this subject. If you wish I will no longer seek your company. My hopes are that I may remain at least your friend -and possibly something more?-
Yours Eternally, Mikage Souji
P.S. My letter may seem awkward or overly formal, but please understand that I have not had much practice writing love-letters and was unable to adequately express myself in writing. If it is agreeable, I would ask you to attend the next school ball on this Friday night."
I was amazed. I had never thought to get a letter like this from anyone, much less Mikage Souji. To be truthful, I had dreamed about this in the past week. A letter from Mikage, I felt as if I was walking in a paradise of warmth and sunlight. The next letter threw a bucket of ice water on my dreams.
"Tenjou Utena, I have heard of your suitor and have written to say that I do not approve. To put this in plain terms- I burn for you, and seeing another man kiss you makes me very angry. It would be better for both you and your 'lover' if you did not see each other. As you are both duelists, I can challenge you or Mikage at any time I so choose. I feel it necessary to tell you that I have never lost a duel and that accidents do happen at the dueling arena. Swords can be sharp enough to kill. Be mine, and Mikage need not fear.
Awaiting your answer, Kiryuu Touga
P.S. I expect you to accompany me to the next school ball- this Friday night. I will send you another dress if you wish."
=^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^=
Wow. I really didn't expect it to turn out that way. Honestly, when I started writing this, I had no idea what was going to happen. I am really, really, really sorry that I have put this off so long. I do have an excuse (it was production week for the play- we were at school until 8 o'clock every night) but now I am on vacation and will be writing more.. I like this more now. -oh, little note, I really do love Touga, but I needed a bad guy, and this just seemed to work- Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Thank you sooo much to everyone who reviewed-
Dulce Ambrosia- thanks for the suggestion- as you see, this chapter was Utena's POV
Well, he was certainly polite. And charming. And intelligent. And, well, attractive. Yes, fine, he was all of these things. All of these wonderful things wrapped up into one wonderful human who wasn't wrapped up in himself. He had that aura of mystery and sadness that made me want to comfort him. He was, quite simply, unforgettable.
So, every day when I went to lunch, I carefully scanned the surrounding area to see if Mikage was there. I had learned all I could about him. The head of the Mikage seminar, the high school genius, he intrigued me. I had wanted to meet him, but Mikage was surprisingly difficult to find. And then, I had a stroke of luck on that day he came to lunch. It was so wonderful to meet a guy capable of an intelligent conversation. Up until that day, the only other intelligent guy was Miki. Yes, there was Touga, but the problem with Touga was that all of the girls had gone to his head. His idea of interesting conversation was talking about himself. for hours.
I worked up the nerve (was I too forward?) and visited the Mikage Seminar two days later. It was impressive to say the least. There was his office, filled with books and articles (some written by him), and the library, populated by quiet serious students all debating with each other in hushed tones. That is where I found him. Was it just my imagination, or did he seem happy to see me?
"Tenjou Utena, I am glad that you decided to accept my invitation and visit us at the seminar. Have you seen all of it or shall I give you the long (and sometimes boring) tour?" I felt as if this offer of a tour was as valuable as the gifts of the magi.
My reply sprang instantly to my lips. "I have been shown part of the building by an obliging member of your seminar, Mr. Mikage, but I would enjoy a tour very much. I have heard all kinds of frightening rumors about what you do here. I would very much like to see if these tales are true." Good lord, was I actually teasing him? Did I have the nerve?
"Oh, I promise you, all of the horror stories are completely true. We at the seminar have control over the entire Japanese government and when we have finished with our studies, we turn into werewolves and eat babies. It is quite amusing." How was he so funny? Just the way he said it, the quirk of his eyebrow, the unexpected half-smile. I wished the tour could last forever.
Unfortunately, it didn't. We talked the entire time as he walked me back to my dorm. I was extremely reluctant to leave, but I had homework (math.erg!). As I turned to go, he caught my eye. I lifted my face to his and he gently leaned down and, feather-light, brushed his lips against mine. It was my second kiss, and indescribably different from Touga's. Whereas my stolen first kiss had been expertly given and sudden, this was clumsy and sweeter than any sugar. Mikage, intelligent and knowledgeable in all things, was as shy and inexperienced in love as I. Murmuring a goodbye, I flew up to my room, floating on clouds of gold.
The next day I received two notes. The first was from Mikage.
"Dear Utena -may I call you Utena?- I write to apologize profusely for my behavior last night. I should have asked your permission before I kissed you. I will understand if you no longer wish to speak with me. Please write and tell me your feelings on this subject. If you wish I will no longer seek your company. My hopes are that I may remain at least your friend -and possibly something more?-
Yours Eternally, Mikage Souji
P.S. My letter may seem awkward or overly formal, but please understand that I have not had much practice writing love-letters and was unable to adequately express myself in writing. If it is agreeable, I would ask you to attend the next school ball on this Friday night."
I was amazed. I had never thought to get a letter like this from anyone, much less Mikage Souji. To be truthful, I had dreamed about this in the past week. A letter from Mikage, I felt as if I was walking in a paradise of warmth and sunlight. The next letter threw a bucket of ice water on my dreams.
"Tenjou Utena, I have heard of your suitor and have written to say that I do not approve. To put this in plain terms- I burn for you, and seeing another man kiss you makes me very angry. It would be better for both you and your 'lover' if you did not see each other. As you are both duelists, I can challenge you or Mikage at any time I so choose. I feel it necessary to tell you that I have never lost a duel and that accidents do happen at the dueling arena. Swords can be sharp enough to kill. Be mine, and Mikage need not fear.
Awaiting your answer, Kiryuu Touga
P.S. I expect you to accompany me to the next school ball- this Friday night. I will send you another dress if you wish."
=^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^= ~ =^_^=
Wow. I really didn't expect it to turn out that way. Honestly, when I started writing this, I had no idea what was going to happen. I am really, really, really sorry that I have put this off so long. I do have an excuse (it was production week for the play- we were at school until 8 o'clock every night) but now I am on vacation and will be writing more.. I like this more now. -oh, little note, I really do love Touga, but I needed a bad guy, and this just seemed to work- Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Thank you sooo much to everyone who reviewed-
Dulce Ambrosia- thanks for the suggestion- as you see, this chapter was Utena's POV