Chapter 6: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, and Back Again
"I know! I didn't think she was that good. It's obvious what she said was true. She's been racing motorcycles since she was 12 or 13." Julius looked ashamed that he hadn't been able to keep up.
"We must find out how she knows of our races and of the Revolutionary Driver," Touga said gravely, "If others know of this, it changes the whole thing."
"What about HIM? Will her knowing of the races affect him?" Seiya asked and the others nodded, wanting to know the answer also.
"The Revolutionary Driver? He will still come to us and he will participate in these races. He has a great chance of being the one to win the game," Touga said and looked at each of them. "Don't tell anyone about this, like I said before. Julius, you and I will talk to your sister tomorrow at the academy. I want to know why she has the necklace and how she knows about all this."
Julius nodded. Miki listened as they made plans to talk to Utena. He looked out into the night sky, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against his car. 'Utena, who are you really?' he asked into the gentle wind.
The next day.
"Julius, where's your sister?" Touga asked, coming up to Julius in the halls of the main building. All the students were outside or in classrooms eating lunch.
"I don't know. I haven't seen her all morning. Let me go ask Mina and her group." Julius led the Student Council president out of the school building into the sunny courtyard where Utena's new friends were all sitting in a group, along with Seiya, Taiki, Yaten, and Miki.
"Hey Julius. Come sit with us!" Mina shouted from her seat next to Yaten. She was trying to get Yaten to eat a piece of her bento lunch. Yaten, meanwhile, was trying to push the fork away from his face and was leaning back to try to get away from her, supposedly.
"Oh no thanks. I just wanted to ask you guys something. Have any of you seen Utena today?" Julius asked them, careful not to look at Miki who was watching him.
"Uh, no, I don't think any of us have," Ami said, after looking at the others who were all shaking their heads.
"Oh ok. Thanks anyway. See you around." Julius waved to them and returned to Touga who was standing at the door to the school building. He said to Touga, "They haven't seen her. I don't think she went to her classes today."
"I'll have Kelly check out her dorm since girls are only allowed in her dorm wing," Touga said and put his hands into his pockets. "Until then, just keep an eye out for her. I'll go talk to Kelly and then all send a letter to Utena's dorm just in case she was here this whole time without anyone knowing."
"Okay," Julius nodded and headed back out to the courtyard.
Touga went the opposite way, to the Student Council rooms. 'I have to find her. She might be the key to this whole puzzle.'
Several days later.
Miki was making his way down the hall, through the streams of students going to their classes when he spotted his best friend at his locker, retrieving his class books.
"Hey Julius. Still no sign of her?" Miki said in a low voice when he reached Julius.
Julius sighed and ran a shaking hand through his hair. "No, I haven't heard anything or even seen a note. She just disappeared. The only thing we know is that she is planning on returning to the school, she didn't withdraw her transcripts from the school office," Julius said in a tired voice. He looked worse than he had a few days before and was constantly acting impatient.
"Julius, don't stress yourself. She'll be back soon. After all, she said she's taken care of herself for the past few years. What's a few more days?" Miki said calmly, trying to soothe Julius's anxiety.
Julius ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. "It's not that easy to not worry about her. I worry about her every minute of the day, even when I'm sleeping. She's the only tie I have to my family after my dad died and my mom supposedly ditched. I just can't believe my mom would leave Utena to fend for herself." Julius cursed under his breath and said, "Maybe my mom wasn't the greatest after all."
Two weeks later.11 o'clock at night
A lone motorcyclist rode through the gates of Ohtori and pulled up behind the East Hall. The motorcycle made only a low rumbling noise so the rider wasn't afraid that anyone would hear her. She hid her motorcycle in a tiny clearing that was surrounded by tall bushes and was only big enough to fit her motorcycle. Placing the helmet under her arm, she silently made her way to the back door of the hall and slipped in, undetected.
After a few moments, a light came on in a second floor bedroom window. The glass door that led to the balcony opened and the girl, now dressed in navy blue pajama pants and an identical top stepped out into the cool night once more. She went over to the railing and leaned on it as she seemed to be thinking. The teenage girl sighed once and then looked up at the starry sky. As she turned to go back into her room, the wind carried her soft- spoken word, "Why?"
"I know! I didn't think she was that good. It's obvious what she said was true. She's been racing motorcycles since she was 12 or 13." Julius looked ashamed that he hadn't been able to keep up.
"We must find out how she knows of our races and of the Revolutionary Driver," Touga said gravely, "If others know of this, it changes the whole thing."
"What about HIM? Will her knowing of the races affect him?" Seiya asked and the others nodded, wanting to know the answer also.
"The Revolutionary Driver? He will still come to us and he will participate in these races. He has a great chance of being the one to win the game," Touga said and looked at each of them. "Don't tell anyone about this, like I said before. Julius, you and I will talk to your sister tomorrow at the academy. I want to know why she has the necklace and how she knows about all this."
Julius nodded. Miki listened as they made plans to talk to Utena. He looked out into the night sky, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against his car. 'Utena, who are you really?' he asked into the gentle wind.
The next day.
"Julius, where's your sister?" Touga asked, coming up to Julius in the halls of the main building. All the students were outside or in classrooms eating lunch.
"I don't know. I haven't seen her all morning. Let me go ask Mina and her group." Julius led the Student Council president out of the school building into the sunny courtyard where Utena's new friends were all sitting in a group, along with Seiya, Taiki, Yaten, and Miki.
"Hey Julius. Come sit with us!" Mina shouted from her seat next to Yaten. She was trying to get Yaten to eat a piece of her bento lunch. Yaten, meanwhile, was trying to push the fork away from his face and was leaning back to try to get away from her, supposedly.
"Oh no thanks. I just wanted to ask you guys something. Have any of you seen Utena today?" Julius asked them, careful not to look at Miki who was watching him.
"Uh, no, I don't think any of us have," Ami said, after looking at the others who were all shaking their heads.
"Oh ok. Thanks anyway. See you around." Julius waved to them and returned to Touga who was standing at the door to the school building. He said to Touga, "They haven't seen her. I don't think she went to her classes today."
"I'll have Kelly check out her dorm since girls are only allowed in her dorm wing," Touga said and put his hands into his pockets. "Until then, just keep an eye out for her. I'll go talk to Kelly and then all send a letter to Utena's dorm just in case she was here this whole time without anyone knowing."
"Okay," Julius nodded and headed back out to the courtyard.
Touga went the opposite way, to the Student Council rooms. 'I have to find her. She might be the key to this whole puzzle.'
Several days later.
Miki was making his way down the hall, through the streams of students going to their classes when he spotted his best friend at his locker, retrieving his class books.
"Hey Julius. Still no sign of her?" Miki said in a low voice when he reached Julius.
Julius sighed and ran a shaking hand through his hair. "No, I haven't heard anything or even seen a note. She just disappeared. The only thing we know is that she is planning on returning to the school, she didn't withdraw her transcripts from the school office," Julius said in a tired voice. He looked worse than he had a few days before and was constantly acting impatient.
"Julius, don't stress yourself. She'll be back soon. After all, she said she's taken care of herself for the past few years. What's a few more days?" Miki said calmly, trying to soothe Julius's anxiety.
Julius ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. "It's not that easy to not worry about her. I worry about her every minute of the day, even when I'm sleeping. She's the only tie I have to my family after my dad died and my mom supposedly ditched. I just can't believe my mom would leave Utena to fend for herself." Julius cursed under his breath and said, "Maybe my mom wasn't the greatest after all."
Two weeks later.11 o'clock at night
A lone motorcyclist rode through the gates of Ohtori and pulled up behind the East Hall. The motorcycle made only a low rumbling noise so the rider wasn't afraid that anyone would hear her. She hid her motorcycle in a tiny clearing that was surrounded by tall bushes and was only big enough to fit her motorcycle. Placing the helmet under her arm, she silently made her way to the back door of the hall and slipped in, undetected.
After a few moments, a light came on in a second floor bedroom window. The glass door that led to the balcony opened and the girl, now dressed in navy blue pajama pants and an identical top stepped out into the cool night once more. She went over to the railing and leaned on it as she seemed to be thinking. The teenage girl sighed once and then looked up at the starry sky. As she turned to go back into her room, the wind carried her soft- spoken word, "Why?"