Bara no Scarlet
Chapter 5
Duelist
The instant that Anshii put the ring on her finger, she understood. This was the real ring, not a simple bit of metal crafted to look like the Ring of Dios and infused with enough power to open the Gate. This was the ring that held the key to everything, the powers that she herself had sealed away. This was the ring that could awaken Dios.
The ring that Dios had given Utena.
As she looked at the ring on her finger, there was a flare of power, and a feeling not unlike when she prepared for a Duel. The scent of roses enveloped her, and for a moment, she was unaware of anything other than that.
As Juri watched, the power flared around Anshii, and she knew that the former Rose Bride was serious now in her desire to learn the sword. She watched, admiring Anshii's courage: courage that she herself could never have. She had so many doubts and misgivings about herself that it was little wonder that she lost to Utena as fast as she had. She only wished she'd had the courage to support Utena after that. She'd heard once, that Anshii had wished Utena luck against Saionji while she was the Rose Bride. She'd wondered why. Now, standing here, watching the power manifest around the once-shy figure, she knew. If you believed in it enough, it was worth fighting for.
"Hey, Anshii… when are we going to have tea again? It's been so long…"
Anshii's eyes snapped open at Utena's voice, but she only saw Juri standing there with her practice sword in hand. Juri, for all her private musings, simply raised an eyebrow and nodded her head to Anshii as if to indicate that Anshii was to begin.
The attack came quickly, practice sword lifting in a swift slice towards Juri's leg. The golden-blonde barely had enough time to move out of the way, a detached part of her mind noting that Anshii was now illustrating some skill with a blade.
"You're better. Good; you stand a chance. Now, remember: it means little to harm your opponent. You only have to knock the rose from their chest."
Anshii nodded, lifting her attack to chest-range, and pressing her advantages as she saw them. Her brow was creased, and she was focused on her attack, so did not see the point of Juri's practice blade slip in from underneath.
Juri smiled grimly as her blade made contact with Anshii just where the rose would have been. "What mistake did you make?"
Anshii looked blankly at the sword-point, then looked to Juri. "I didn't see it coming." Embarrassment flushed across her cheeks. "I was too bent on attacking."
Her instructor nodded. "You have to remain aware of your opponent's blade even as you attack. Had this been a Duel, you would have lost." She lowered the practice blade, looking to the door where Miki was standing with several white bento boxes. "Miki has brought lunch. Shall we?"
The trio ate companionably, which was something that none of them had probably ever considered. Before, Anshii had been nothing more than decoration at meals, a small distraction to say the least. But now, she was sitting there, eating like she was an old friend. They touched on pleasantries, Miki and Juri explaining how they'd become instructors under Akio's insistance. Touga had stayed on as a Counselor, and only Saionji had refused to return. He, according to Juri, had made peace with Wakaba, and they were happily dating and living almost normal lives in the nearby town.
"I am glad that everyone is happy… and yet, it disturbs me that Akio has somehow managed to steal Utena. He calls her Ayomi…" She shivered. "And she reminds me of what I was before… when I was the Rose Bride."
Juri nodded as she swallowed her mouthful of water. "She's a final-year student here… and she does her studies well… but beyond that, she spends her time either in the Rose Tower, or tending the roses in the Rose Garden."
"She's good at anything she does… but it takes a great many people to convince her to do anything at all. In my class, she simply sits and smiles… like a doll that someone's put in a window. Yet… when I call on her to explain a theory, or to illustrate a musical style, her talent with the piano shows. She's even familiar with the old song I wrote."
Anshii pondered. "Which means possibly not all of Utena is sealed away. Perhaps if I could but win a Duel… perhaps that could start breaking the hold Akio has over her. I have to win a Duel. I have to get her out of the Rose Tower. No matter who she becomes… I have to save her from him."
Juri frowned. "Anshii… you think that he is that bad?"
Anshii sighed and set down her teacup. "Juri, Miki… I think we should call Touga in, and possibly Nanami too. I think it's time you truly learned why all of this is happening."