Disclaimer: I do not own anything copyrighted by Chito Saito and Be-Papas, characters, Ohtori Academy, but I do own Varari, Yamato, Midori, Riki, Izumo, H-ko and I-ko. BTW the Shadow Girl's interlude's are so funny, so I'm gonna give them a try. Don't laugh please.
"Wondering, wondering, do you know the things I'm always wondering?"
Around the school, television screen seemed to suddenly turn themselves on within the empty hallways. Static was all that was displayed at first before a painted backdrop of a forest surrounding a castle appeared. A penny flute's mischievous music was suddenly heard when two string puppets were suddenly lowered into view. They seemed to resemble two black silhouettes of female students, one with waist length hair full of curls with H-ko written on the head area, and the other with two pigtails and I-ko written on its head. The strings further manipulated their actions as the voices began to speak again.
"A friend I know saw two stranger's making out in the school and I was suddenly reminded of her ex-boyfriend, but she didn't seem to realize it!" H-ko declared.
"You mean the ex that went and tore her heart apart by trying to control her every movement?" I-ko asked, dancing around as only a string puppet could.
"Of course!" H-ko twirled around slowly, still talking as she did so. "And now that she's older and after I told her EXACTLY what it reminded me of, she told me she's going to try and save the girl by telling him what he may do to her!"
"It sounds like she wants to try and act like some hot-shot prince and save a princess in distress!"
"Oh but beware, brave lady! Sometimes sticking your nose into the business of others may throw you into scenario's you can't even begin to imagine!"
"But didn't this entire thing happen once before?" I-ko stood in a pondering stance for a moment, but then started twirling around with her fellow string puppet. "Oh well, maybe the story can end differently this time!"
"We wonder, we wonder . . ." H-ko and I-ko continued to speak and twirl about, despite being pulled upward and off the television screen. The scenery then faded out to black. "Oh the things we seem to wonder . . ."
The morning bells rang from the tall tower, echoing throughout the entire academy. It was the first day of the new school year at Ohtori Academy and there were mixed reactions everywhere one looked. Students flocked from all over the town toward the old school buildings, some new to the area, others who were around longer, or even those who seemed to drastically change.
"ANTHY HIMEMIYA!"
Stopping at the gates to the academy courtyard, Anthy turned around to face the approaching guidance counselor who was walking as fast as she could. Despite the advanced knowledge that this would happen from spending time with Utena in the previous school year, Anthy found herself unable to quickly think of any way to defend her uniform choice. When the counselor stopped, she took a moment to catch her breath before shaking her index finger at the violet haired student.
"Anthy Himemiya, I am very surprised at your sudden behavior." she declared as her face tightened with anger. She let out a frustrated growl as she pointed toward the white and red uniform. "What make you think you can suddenly show up at the beginning of a new school year wearing that . . .that . . .THING?!"
"You mean my uniform?"
It seemed as if steam was going to shoot out of her ears. "DO YOU SEE ANYONE ELSE SPORTING SUCH A MONSTROSITY?!"
"Well what about the Student Council?" Anthy smiled, putting her weight on the left side as her hand clutched the school bag tightly. She hoped that by following Utena's example would help get escape the situation. "Their uniform is similar to mine. Besides I'm trying to honor my best friend by wearing this! She disappeared without a trace and now everyone's forgotten about her!"
There was a pause of silence between the two for a few moments, each looking at the other as the guidance counselor analyzed the statement made by the violet haired student. Finally she let out a frustrated sigh as she shook her finger again at Anthy. "Very well Miss Himemiya, you may wear the uniform for now, but I still plan to bring this up with the Academy Board, we wouldn't be able to expel you considering the orders of your late brother. Now get to class."
"Thank you ma'am."
Anthy turned around and began to walk toward the main building of the academy, soon disappearing from the guidance counselor's line of sight. When she was completely gone, she let out a frustrated scream as she began jumping out and down on a random crack in the pavement.
"Great, first that Tenjou girl dresses like a boy, and now she's influenced the quietest and most well behaved student at Ohtori Academy! What is the sudden obsession with a girl wearing a boy's uniform?!"
Fortunately for Anthy, the first period of the day was a workshop for the newcomers to Ohtori Academy. No matter what grade they were entering, if they had just registered for the first time, they were required to go. Anthy enjoyed her free time at the beginning of every year, she could enjoy some quiet time to herself. Today, she planned on spending it in the music room. It had been so long since she had played the piano, and she longed to hear the music filling the classroom once more.
As she walked through the hall, many familiar sounds reached her ears, yet at the same time they were new for her. Many of the females of the student body were starting to comment about her new uniform, mainly how it was something completely neat. Anthy quickly remembered how she would walk to school with Utena when they were "engaged", and the entire female population would admire her.
"I guess this is how Utena felt back then . . ." she thought, continuing to make her way down the hall. "They must really admire people who choose to stand out."
Looking up ahead of her, Anthy suddenly noticed a girl with long, wavy black hair leaning against the wall as a taller male wearing a uniform consisting of black pants, boots, and jacket with orange lining. He had shoulder length orange hair, and light blue eyes. He was leaning against his arm placed against the wall and above the girl's head as the two had what seemed to be a quiet conversation.
"I've never seen those two before . . ." she thought to herself. "I wonder who they are . . .are they new students? Or maybe they're in a different grade. That guy's wearing a Student Council uniform, so it can't be his first year at the academy . . ."
"Himemiya! How have you been?!"
With the voice catching her off guard, Anthy suddenly jumped a foot off the floor before she turned around face the ever so familiar orange haired female of Juri Arisugawa, now wearing her assigned sailor blouse instead of the old student council uniform she sported the year before. She had also gone and changed her looks, mainly cutting her hair to a much shorter length than people were accustomed to. She had also lost some of her confidence, and she was not as fearful as she had been made out to be the year before.
"Juri-sempai!" Anthy smiled at the sight of her old friend and the two exchanged a quick friendly hug. "I've been well. How have you been though?"
"Well," Juri frowned, resting her hands on the window sill so she could lean back against it. She stared at her shoes while continuing to speak. "Still on the road to recovering from last year's events. I mean, to get that far and find out we had all been used in Akio Ohtori's twisted scheme . . .how pathetic we were."
"We had no way of knowing though . . .that's the thing."
"But we should have figured it out . . .maybe we could have all escaped . . ." Juri looked up at Anthy, letting a depressed exhale escape her. "Maybe Utena would still be hanging around with us."
"Yeah . . .by the way, Juri-sempai,"
"You don't have to use sempai anymore, Anthy. We're all equal now."
"Right . . .but who are those two down the hall, over there?" Pointing to the orange haired male and the black haired female, Juri looked for a minute, studying their appearances carefully. She had an idea who they were as she searched her memories for the names. Finally thinking of them, she turned back to Anthy.
"From what I remember, the guy in the black uniform is Yamato Airou, grade 10. He's a member of the Student Council chosen for this year. He's got a bad reputation with women, mainly because he doesn't treat them properly. Rumors even go so far as to say he's even abuse toward them, but there hasn't been any proof to make that true at all."
"And the girl?" Anthy was curiously watching the girl, wondering what about her seemed ever so familiar in her mind. "Who's she?"
"The girl with him is in the 9th grade like you. She's very quiet and doesn't talk to a lot of people, especially due to fact that she arrived two months before the end of the last school. However it seems she's skilled in archery. She's even won a few tournaments for the old school she used to attend before transferring here. Name wise, I think it's Varari Nobara."
"Varari Nobara?"
"Yeah, sound's right."
Anthy continued to watch the girl, who seemed to be only half paying attention to the conversation she was involved in despite the attempt she made to make it seem like she was indeed hanging onto every word Yamato Airou was telling her.
"What seems so familiar about that scene . . ." she thought to herself.
"Yes, it seems Yamato's not taking the Rose Bride seriously."
Sitting on the stairs which led to the forbidden grounds of the Dueling Forest, a girl with shoulder length red hair, violet eyes, and wearing a uniform of black pants, boots, and a yellow jacket held a cell phone to her ear as she laid back and watched the clouds slowly roll by. Her arm rested behind her head to support it, and one leg was crossed over the other as she allowed herself to completely relax while conversing.
"What makes you say that, Shiori Takatsuki?"
"It's his attitude in general." Shiori sighed in frustration, reaching over toward the grass to pull out a few random blades. "He doesn't give her the respect someone with the Taune power should receive. He constantly abuses her and it is beginning to show when she arrives at the arena to play her role. She's so pale that you can see the cuts and bruises on her skin."
The voice on the phone sighed in a similar fashion, wondering just what would get through to their orange haired Duelist Champion. Shiori wondered just how she could have lost to such a person who seemed to lose his temper at the wink of an eye, then she wondered just what allowed him to meet the qualifications of a chosen duelist.
"Unfortunately no one, not you or the other student council members can really do anything. The letters I sent all of you, have you received them?"
"The one that speaks of the new duelist arriving soon?" The redhead chuckled to herself, remembering all the reactions of the news. "Yamato dismissed it. He feels no one is capable of defeating him. He claims it was an easy victory to snatch the Rose Bride from my possession. Though I don't welcome the idea of a complete stranger entering the duels, I kind of hope they shall wipe that smirk off of Yamato's face."
"Do not worry." The voice chuckled, then calmed down just as quickly. "I have a feeling the new duelist will leave quite an impression, not only on Yamato, but all of you and including themself."
There was a click, followed by the dial tone which faded from Shiori's sight as she pulled the phone away from her ear. She smirked, putting the phone away and picking up a small stone before tossing it into a nearby creek.
"I wonder if the new duelist wants to bring forth the Revolution . . ."
The end of the day arrived, and once again as they planned to do each and every day, the hundreds of students of Ohtori Academy emptied out of the buildings and made their ways back to their temporary homes. Anthy exited through the main gates and slowly descended down the stairs to the locker rooms to grab her music sheets and head back to her place. The doors swung open as she stepped into the room, observing the countless lockers which belonged to all the students of the Academy. She soon found hers and opened it to grab the sheets, but then something caught her attention and made her heart skip a beat.
"It . . .it cannot be . . ." she was in complete shock. "It cannot be happening again!"
Attached to the inner part of the locker door was a small envelope with a blue rose seal on the flap. Her hands trembled as she raised one to take the envelope from its suspension, but she found it to be so hard. Finally, she pulled it from the door and ran her finger under the flap, breaking the seal and opening the letter. As she pulled out the small note, a metal object reflected the light into her eyes as it fell into her palm. She gasped when she was it resembled the ring that Utena wore when she was a duelist, only instead of a red rose the color was blue.
"A Rose Signet . . ." Anthy gasped, still staring at the ring.
She gathered all of her courage to not drop it to the floor, and decided to hold onto it while she unfolded the note. Another gasp escaped her mouth when she read the words written upon the paper.
Chosen duelist . . .do not try and dismiss what you are reading upon this paper. I know well your situation and I truly want to help you. You know well the world of the Duelists as you were a former Rose Bride, correct? However, it seems the world's shell is becoming harder to crack. You found this out not to long ago. Attempting to find your best friend and all you got was pulled back into this world because of your brother's death. But you still managed to cast aside your old life, and now you strive to become as much like Utena Tenjou, the girl who thought she could become a prince. Anthy Himemiya, you must know this truth and you must know it well. The ring you clutch in your hand is your key to unlocking the gates to the outside world. You must walk the path of a Duelist now, and only by smashing the world's shell can you escape to the outside world forever, to find Utena, and be born . . .
The ring seemed to catch her attention once again, and Anthy allowed the letter to fall away from her grasp to land on the floor. She moved the ring to hold it in her index finger and thumb, wondering just what she should do with it.
But then she realized the truth of the letter's words. Akio's death had indeed pulled her back in and now she was locked within the shell of Ohtori Academy. As much as she wanted to keep her vow true, to never get involved in the duels ever again, she suddenly realized it was a promise she couldn't keep. She knew she would have to bring forth a revolution, she knew it was true as she allowed her hand to slide the ring onto her finger.
"I have to bring a Revolution . . ." she thought.
Suddenly, Anthy turned on her heels as a shrill scream appeared in the atmosphere. She quickly closed her locker and raced toward the source of the cry, finding herself pushing the doors open to the courtyard. A gasp escaped her mouth and her eyes widened at the sight she saw before her.
Varari Nobara was lying on her side, holding a hand to her bruised face as Yamato Airou towered over her with clenched fists. A cynical sneer was pasted across his face and it seemed to only get worse as he raised a foot and kicked her in the jaw. The black haired girl seemed not to retaliate or respond to the blow as she allowed her body to be flung onto her back. Yamato laughed, then began cracking his knuckles.
"You pathetic bitch." He walked toward her again, only slowly to keep Varari guessing as to when he would hit her again. "No will, no opinion of your own. What are you, a human shell without a soul or something?!"
Those words hit Anthy like a speeding vehicle, for she finally remembered what Varari and Yamato reminded her of so clearly; the relationship she had with Saionji Kyouji when she herself was still the Rose Bride. Though he hit her a few times, she realized it was the only way he could express his feelings of love. But at the present moment, when she looked upon the defenseless girl lying on the ground, Anthy knew that any hints of love could not exist. She realized the rumors Juri has passed along were true. Yamato was, indeed, abused women and greatly enjoyed it. Anthy knew she had to do something.
"HEY!" Her fists clenched tightly at both her sides, and her eyes narrowed. Never had be been filled with so much disgust. "What do you think you're doing?!"
Yamato, taking notice of the new voice, looked up from Varari's body and toward the angry face of Anthy Himemiya. He began to laugh when he saw the newcomer was a girl as well, running his fingers through his hair. Anthy suddenly gasped when she saw the hand, for he too was wearing the Blue Rose Signet that she had just put on moments before. Suddenly it all sank in; Yamato was a Duelist, and there was a chance that Varari was the new Rose Bride. Anthy's heart sank, and she asked herself why another must now suffer as she did last year.
"Well look at who we have here, the spineless chick of Ohtori Academy." Yamato laughed some more and his hand quickly shot downward to grab the collar of Varari's uniform. "But what is this? It seems she may have a spine after all! What other explanation could her sudden outburst at me be?"
"You're the spineless one!" Anthy clenched her fists tighter, advancing toward the male as he picked up the black haired girl and held her above the ground and off her feet. "How dare you treat your girlfriend that way!"
The orange haired male threw his head back and laughed once again, quickly tightening his grasp on Varari's uniform before throwing her to the ground. She landed with a quiet thud, not made no move to flinch at the violent actions inflicted on her. Anthy gasped in horror and ran over to her to see if she was okay.
"It's not wise to butt into other people's business, Himemiya." He brushed some of his hair away from his eyes in a quick, graceful gesture. "Especially since she is not my girlfriend."
Those words seemed to pierce through Anthy like the barrage of sword's the year before as she helped Varari into a sitting position. It was exactly how Utena became involved in the duels, trying to protect someone from bring hurt. Only this time, Anthy didn't even know Varari, who remained silent as she stared downward at the pavement.
"The poor girl . . ."
Anthy squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She wasn't going to allow the violence to go any further. She knew as a Rose Bride, Varari wasn't going to retaliate or defend herself. No, unless she was told to defend herself, she wouldn't. There was only one way to put Yamato in his place and as much as she was afraid to do such an action, Anthy realized it was all she could do.
"Yamato Airou . . ." She climbed to her feet when she knew Varari would be able to sit up on her own. Two sets of eyes narrowed, only Anthy made the first physical movement by raising her right hand in front of her face. "Recognize this?!"
A gasp was suddenly heard, coming directly from the mouth of Yamato as widened eyes found their way to the Blue Rose Signet upon Anthy's ring finger, reflecting the beams of the setting sun off its clear surface. A breeze passed by, picking up and tossing everyone's hair about as the silent atmosphere consumed them. Finally, the orange haired duelist began to laugh once more, but it only made Anthy more aggravated.
"You?!?!" Yamato pointed directly at her and clutched his chest. Clearly the news amused him. "Someone as spineless as you just so happens to be the new duelist the letters told us about?!"
"I guess I'm not so spineless anymore. I declare my demand for a challenge. I want to fight you in a sword duel, Yamato Airou! And if I win then you're not to harm Varari Nobara any more! " It felt right to say it, yes. Anthy was confident it was the right thing to say. Utena would have done so to help someone in such a situation. "So tell me, do you accept my challenge?!"
Another laugh was released from Yamato, but not quite as taunting as his previous expression of his humor toward the situation. He walked over to Anthy slowly, stopping only when he seemed to be right in her face. Anthy flinched, being so close to a person as disgusting as he was making himself out to be was. Before she could move back too much further however, Yamato grabbed Anthy by the neck and pushed her back as hard as he could, slamming her back into the nearby wall. She cried out and clenched her teeth, and his eyes seemingly went smaller and much more disturbing. His actions made Saionji's seem like light taps on her skin.
"You've got yourself a challenge." Loosening his grip, Yamato allowed Anthy to be released. He watched slide down onto the ground, rubbing her now sore neck. "Tomorrow at sundown, in the Forest. We'll fight in the Duel Arena located there. Got it?"
Anthy was no where near the point of intimidation. "Bring it on."
A growl was all that was heard from Yamato in response. He turned and walked back toward Varari as she was just climbing back onto her feet. A cry of surprise came from her mouth when the orange haired duelist grabbed her sore arm. He pulled her along while he walked back to his residence, but suddenly decided to stop for a minute. He turned his head sideways enough so he could look at Anthy out of the corner of his eye. She continued to glare at him, getting to her feet and leaning back against the wall.
"Oh by the way, Himemiya . . ." A smile appeared on his face, the kind that showed teeth. It definitely made Anthy shudder a little. "Don't forget to bring a sword, unless you like being sliced and diced."
"Just be prepared to lose!"
"Whatever . . ." Yamato tightened his grip on Varari's arm and she cried out quietly. Her eyes squeezed together tightly and a small stream of tears escaped down the side of her face. "Let's go."
There was no remorse in his voice, nor was there any sign of regret toward the inflicted action. He continued to pull her along, walking away from the confrontation. Anthy simply watched Varari being led like a helpless animal on a short leash. She knew winning tomorrow's duel was going to make the difference between Varari Nobara's safety, or the continuation of the abuse she had no other way of escaping.
"Don't worry Varari . . .you'll be okay. I swear by the Sword of Dios that I'll free you from Yamato's control."
It was time. Anthy must walk the path of the Duelist.
Aren't I so evil, leaving this at a cliffhanger? Mwa ha ha! Good thing I can write these chapters so quickly . . .now if only I could do the same for Project M.I.S.T. Oh well, see you next time, and remember to review! My super deformed Senkyoudens are serious about going after you if you don't, and keep in mind they possess elemental magic. ^-^ See ya next time!