Noir

By spheeris1

Pairing: Utena/Anthy [others implied]

Warnings/notes: See 'Teaser' & 'Ichi'

~~~

'Night is a candle…' she whispers out into the darkness.

'You must burn it down, watch it melt at the touch of real fire…I am fire and you are wax. I've come to burn you down.'

And you beg to be reduced to hard white upon the floor.

~

And Utena sees him sitting at the bar. Everyone who comes there ends up staying there…in the end.

He is incredibly young for such a serious job as tending to the dead.

His eyes seem so lost, so sad and old.

Utena does not do sympathy.

But she also never does what she did last night…with a client…with someone who is openly lying…

So, maybe Utena is the one lying now.

All those things she says she won't do are the very things she ends up doing.

Utena is a detective. Not a psychologist.

She won't dig too deep…or at least that is what she tries to believe.

'Still no sign of her?' Utena asks.

'I get letters. From her, from her new…lover…ignoring them is getting hard. How about you? Still got the ring?'

Utena shoves past the personal question, sticking to this guy and his story.

'So at least she is alive then. Your sister is lucky.' Utena states, grabbing a small handful of stale pretzels.

'Lucky. Sure. And you didn't answer me…about the ring.'

Utena sighs. 'Why so curious?'

'I went to that school.'

Utena feels her stomach tighten for no reason. She can feel the air move against her face. She can smell the dirt past the spilled beer and sweat--she can smell a garden. She can smell roses.

'Imagine that.' Utena says quietly, her head spinning.

'We've all gone there at some point. Some of us failed…most of us failed…' At that he chuckles, letting his hair flop down into his eyes.

'And you? Where did you go to school?'

Utena struggles to answer. Struggles to form the words and make them breach the line of her mouth.

'Didn't. Been on my own for years now.' Utena replies in an audible gasp.

'So the ring sought you out, not the other way around.'

Utena forces her eyes to see past the pain throbbing in her skull.

'What the hell are you on about?' she asks.

And he laughs again, this time looking genuinely amused. He pushes away from the bar and offers his hand. Utena takes it and feels everything settle again.

No garden.

No pain.

'I don't think I told you my name before. I'm Kaoru Miki…and if you ever need my help, I don't mind going back. I could see Kozue again…'

Utena sits silent. The sound of baseball on the television is muted. And she watches the young man pull away, his lips moving quietly and speaking without volume.

'Eternity has chosen you.'

~

You used to blame her for your pain.

You used to hate her for leaving you.

You used to cherish an ideal, you used to give your faith to idols.

All of that has fallen away with your new eyes.

Now you see the true beauty in the unknown and the uncaring.

Life is about living, not about dreaming.

Living is about growing up, not about remaining a child.

You used to run from the world…until she gave you a reason to stand still.

You are standing still.

You are standing…still…

You have survived. You are the one to make it. You are alive.

Heaven above and Hell below, you are still alive…

Everyone else is clinging to the sides. Everyone else failed.

And you…you are the chosen one.

She chose you.

And all you have to do is choose her back, all you have to do is…is…

…believe…

~

'Who got your brother? Who do you think killed him?' Utena questions.

Call it foolish. Call it pointless.

But a detective, at least one worth carrying the title, never stops until the case is solved. And Utena is feeling very determined now.

'Princess' looks so angry and put-out.

'I told you that this matter is closed for you, Tenjou. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am late for a meeting.'

'Sorry, but I can't 'excuse' you--I want answers. Don't you? Don't you want to catch the people responsible?'

'Princess' lets the telephone ring for a full minute before answering it. Her face lights up and her lips form a deadly smirk. Utena leans back into her seat.

'That was the Kiryuu lawyer. She has a few questions for you, so you can talk to her all you want…I'm already late as it is.'

'Princess' smiles sweetly, like a viper. Utena watches her walk out of the modern-style office.

All the talk was that she took over quick enough to make your head spin. Dear brother hadn't even been found yet and she was named head of his holdings…maybe she killed him.

Or hired someone to kill him. Utena glances at the desk.

A nice photograph of the happy siblings. Arm in arm. 'Princess' looks so pleased with herself and he looks so bored. The rich and the useless…

'As the only relative still living in the Kiryuu family, Kiryuu Nanami has quite a bit on her plate these days. An interfering private investigator is not welcomed…especially one paid so handsomely for their services.' A cold and pitch-perfect voice echoes from behind.

Utena has no time to react as a hand is thrust into her face. She follows the pinstriped tailored suit arm to piercing turquoise eyes.

'Arisugawa Juri. And I have some issues to take up with you concerning a missing item that should have been on Kiryuu Touga's person.'

With that, this Arisugawa Juri jerked Utena's hand up and focused on the ring.

~~~

TBC