Noir

By spheeris1

Pairings: Utena/Anthy [others implied]

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

~~~

'moons and Junes and Ferris-wheels

The dizzy, dancing way you feel

When every fairy tale comes real

I've looked at love that way…'

~

The three of them walked aimlessly for the rest of the day.

Miki stops at every store, his fingers running over silk curtains, his eyes darting to every musical instrument he saw.

Especially pianos. Utena can tell he wants to touch the keys, to create sound…but he always holds back.

It is fear.

She can see the fear like a shadow hovering over his body.

…fear follows you…

Utena watches Juri lean against the wall. That cold mask over her face has slipped a little…the cracks in armor can now be seen. She looks so damn tired, so damn defeated. Utena thinks for a second that she can see through the glassy veneer of Juri's eyes and into the darkness of her soul…

…the war is never over…

Utena looks into the mirror. She studies her eyes, her nose, her mouth, her chin.

And she starts to question things.

How long has she been alive? How long has she worn this skin?

Are the memories living inside of her just stories…? Stories Utena created to not remember another life, another reality, another place in time that she wants to forget…?

But no, that cannot be, Utena tells herself and steps away from the mirror.

She walks toward Juri and stands beside her.

'So, what was that about?' Utena asks quietly. Juri does not answer.

'Seems like Shiori knows you pretty well…and you know her pretty well…' Utena continued. Juri said nothing still.

'Does Nanami know Shiori then?'

Juri looks over at that, those eyes slightly troubled.

'Keep your thoughts to yourself, Tenjou.' A tremble to the voice.

The detective says to exploit it…another voice, from somewhere unknown, says to tread carefully.

Utena decides to heed both.

'I don't want to pry into your personal life, Arisugawa. I just need everyone to be upfront with me since I am going to meet Himemiya Akio…surely you understand?'

A heartbeat passes and Utena closes her eyes. That's when Juri decides to talk.

'Shiori and I used to be friends, a long time ago. It ended badly.'

Utena keeps her eyes closed, her brow knitting up…as if thoughts are shifting in her mind quickly and she is trying to keep up…believe in miracles, black roses, swords and gray gray rain…

'Arisugawa?'

'What?'

'Are you sure…I mean, are you certain that you don't know me? That we don't know each other?'

Another heartbeat in silence.

'I can be certain of nothing, Tenjou. Can you?'

~

'She is coming.' Shiori stated at the dinner-table. She raised her glass of wine in a mock toast.

'To the Revolution.' She chuckled.

Akio fed her a rose petal and slid his gaze over to Anthy who sat at the opposite end. But the former Rose Bride was looking out the window, struggling to see the real world outside…

She could only see Akio's creation.

'You should be excited, Anthy. She is coming for you after all.' Shiori smiled. Akio leaned back and slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

Anthy counted the number of swords shooting through the sky, cutting through the clouds. All that hate and anger…

'Hush now, Shiori…my sister is planning…' Akio whispered and jerked the girl to him, pulling her to sit in his lap.

Anthy heard her giggle.

And she heard beneath it…Anthy heard the desperate need and bone-chilling terror.

'And who will come for you, Shiori?' Anthy asked before leaving the two of them alone.

~

'I talked to him once. A long, long time ago…before I had to lock him away, before I had to create a shell for him to live in…

And he told me the secret to life.

Dios said "Nobility is everything. Sacrifice of yourself is a small price to pay."

Of course, it sounds nice. All things sound nice until they go into practice.

Before fantasy becomes reality.

How I wish I had let him go…let him throw himself to the wheels of time, let him run into the fire, let him die…

The purity would have survived then. Akio would not have taken over, hell-bent on power and eternity.

I would have not felt the chains of guilt and shame claim me.

And you…all of you…would have been left to live your lives.

No dreams trampled. No loves and hates exposed.

The real world would have been there for you…instead of being held back from you.

But openings are wide and deep, Akio knew that…he understood that…

Akio took and I took.

"Nobility is everything."

Oh, Dios…how wrong you are…'

~

The sound of sudden piano music made Utena's eyes open.

Juri pushed away from the wall and ran toward the sound. Utena wanted to follow, but felt her head begin to throb. She dropped to the floor, clutching at her head…covering her ears…

Utena could not block the tune out. Over and over. Endless.

…a birds' nest, numbers and equations, speeding car carrying two brides…

Utena stumbled upward, backing into a rack of clothes and knocking them over. Shoppers backed away and eyed her nervously.

She ran to the bathroom and fell to her knees, dry heaving into the toilet.

…fear follows you…

…and the war is never over…

'One day you will understand.'

Utena backed out slowly, her whole body shaking---then she pressed herself against the wall in irrational horror.

A sword lay on the counter.

~~~

TBC