Bara no Scarlet
Chapter 25
Confessions
The four people that sat at the round table looked at each other. There was silence in the room, and only at length did the blonde male speak.
"Nanami Kiryuu failed. She didn't accomplish her goal; she lost the duel. Chairman Ohtori has asked that she not be expelled from the school, but she will be removed from all social activities and social standings.
"It's sad. I've heard that she's in a coma and hasn't woken since she lost. Her brother had them move her from the sick ward here to the hospital in town. The doctors say it was some sort of cranial trauma that must have caused it," Rika said thoughtfully.
"Anshii Himemiya didn't even so much as touch her," Keuske commented, looking down at the empty teacup in front of him.
Mariko rolled her eyes and flipped a red bang out of her face. "Whatever she did, it's of little consequence. I'll challenge her and win. Even Juri is hard pressed to win against me now, I shouldn't have any trouble with Himemiya."
Izumi nodded. "Very well, Mariko, you have one week to issue the challenge."
The four members of the Rose Council picked up empty teacups and saluted each other, then drank air from the cups.
When Anshii heard the question that Ayomi had asked, she didn't know how to answer it. Instead, she tilted her head and sighed at the young woman standing in the doorway. "I. I wish I knew. I think, perhaps, that the answers may be here at Ohtori." She stood, walking to her dresser and opened a drawer, pulling out the photograph that she treasured. Silently, she offered it to Ayomi, eyes downcast.
Ayomi took the photograph and looked at it. There were two people in the photograph, one of them clearly Anshii Himemiya. But the other. the other looked like herself. She touched the face in the photograph, looking up at Anshii. "I don't understand. Who.?" Her voice trailed off.
"That picture was taken two years ago, here at Ohtori, when I was still a student. My friend, Utena Tenjou is beside me. She was a Duelist. the one who had been chosen. But something happened. and she disappeared. I've spent the last two years of my life looking for her, but I haven't found her." Anshii spoke quietly, looking at her hands the entire time. She didn't dare look to the other woman in the room, didn't dare see whatever was reflected in those blue eyes.
"Is this. me.?" Ayomi wondered quietly. "Miss Anshii. please. you have to help me find out who I am, and what really happened to me." The towel slipped off of long pink hair, falling to the floor.
Anshii sighed again and looked at Ayomi. "I'll do whatever I can to find the truth."
Ayomi offered the photograph, and after Anshii took it back, turned to her dresser. "I'll. get dressed. Are we still going to ride horses?" She pulled out a white sleeveless turtleneck and dark blue jeans, things that Anshii had never seen Utena wear.
The simple question broke Anshii out of her daze, and she nodded. "Yes. they should be ready when we get to the barn. "
Closing the drawer and setting the clothing on the top of the dresser, Ayomi smiled to her companion. "This should be fun. Should I put my hair up?"
Anshii nodded. "A ponytail is probably a good idea. horses tend to bounce a lot. I always braid mine." That reminded her that she had yet to braid her hair, and so she got up from the edge of the bed and walked over to her dresser and started brushing her hair out so that she could braid it smoothly. She was practiced at forcing her long and wavy hair to bind tightly, so it took practically no time at all to braid the length of it and tie it off at the end. When she turned around, Ayomi was dressed, but having trouble with her hair.
"May I.?" Anshii asked, walking over to her frustrated roommate, who turned and looked at her in exasperation.
"Go ahead. If you can make it do anything, I'll be impressed," Ayomi muttered, handing over her hairbrush.
Anshii smiled and started brushing Ayomi's hair. She'd done Utena's hair before. For that ridiculous ball where Nanami had been so cruel. She was reminded of that time as she brushed Ayomi's hair and flipped it back and forth, braiding it tightly. "There!" She stepped back and looked at Ayomi in the mirror.
For her part, Ayomi shook her head. "Wow. Unbelievable. For that, I'm making dinner tonight."
Anshii laughed quietly, remembering another incident with food and walked to the door with Ayomi. "Just. no curry, please."
Ayomi gave Anshii a funny look. "Curry?"
Anshii laughed again. "A very long story. Here, I'll tell you as we walk out to the barn."
The four people that sat at the round table looked at each other. There was silence in the room, and only at length did the blonde male speak.
"Nanami Kiryuu failed. She didn't accomplish her goal; she lost the duel. Chairman Ohtori has asked that she not be expelled from the school, but she will be removed from all social activities and social standings.
"It's sad. I've heard that she's in a coma and hasn't woken since she lost. Her brother had them move her from the sick ward here to the hospital in town. The doctors say it was some sort of cranial trauma that must have caused it," Rika said thoughtfully.
"Anshii Himemiya didn't even so much as touch her," Keuske commented, looking down at the empty teacup in front of him.
Mariko rolled her eyes and flipped a red bang out of her face. "Whatever she did, it's of little consequence. I'll challenge her and win. Even Juri is hard pressed to win against me now, I shouldn't have any trouble with Himemiya."
Izumi nodded. "Very well, Mariko, you have one week to issue the challenge."
The four members of the Rose Council picked up empty teacups and saluted each other, then drank air from the cups.
When Anshii heard the question that Ayomi had asked, she didn't know how to answer it. Instead, she tilted her head and sighed at the young woman standing in the doorway. "I. I wish I knew. I think, perhaps, that the answers may be here at Ohtori." She stood, walking to her dresser and opened a drawer, pulling out the photograph that she treasured. Silently, she offered it to Ayomi, eyes downcast.
Ayomi took the photograph and looked at it. There were two people in the photograph, one of them clearly Anshii Himemiya. But the other. the other looked like herself. She touched the face in the photograph, looking up at Anshii. "I don't understand. Who.?" Her voice trailed off.
"That picture was taken two years ago, here at Ohtori, when I was still a student. My friend, Utena Tenjou is beside me. She was a Duelist. the one who had been chosen. But something happened. and she disappeared. I've spent the last two years of my life looking for her, but I haven't found her." Anshii spoke quietly, looking at her hands the entire time. She didn't dare look to the other woman in the room, didn't dare see whatever was reflected in those blue eyes.
"Is this. me.?" Ayomi wondered quietly. "Miss Anshii. please. you have to help me find out who I am, and what really happened to me." The towel slipped off of long pink hair, falling to the floor.
Anshii sighed again and looked at Ayomi. "I'll do whatever I can to find the truth."
Ayomi offered the photograph, and after Anshii took it back, turned to her dresser. "I'll. get dressed. Are we still going to ride horses?" She pulled out a white sleeveless turtleneck and dark blue jeans, things that Anshii had never seen Utena wear.
The simple question broke Anshii out of her daze, and she nodded. "Yes. they should be ready when we get to the barn. "
Closing the drawer and setting the clothing on the top of the dresser, Ayomi smiled to her companion. "This should be fun. Should I put my hair up?"
Anshii nodded. "A ponytail is probably a good idea. horses tend to bounce a lot. I always braid mine." That reminded her that she had yet to braid her hair, and so she got up from the edge of the bed and walked over to her dresser and started brushing her hair out so that she could braid it smoothly. She was practiced at forcing her long and wavy hair to bind tightly, so it took practically no time at all to braid the length of it and tie it off at the end. When she turned around, Ayomi was dressed, but having trouble with her hair.
"May I.?" Anshii asked, walking over to her frustrated roommate, who turned and looked at her in exasperation.
"Go ahead. If you can make it do anything, I'll be impressed," Ayomi muttered, handing over her hairbrush.
Anshii smiled and started brushing Ayomi's hair. She'd done Utena's hair before. For that ridiculous ball where Nanami had been so cruel. She was reminded of that time as she brushed Ayomi's hair and flipped it back and forth, braiding it tightly. "There!" She stepped back and looked at Ayomi in the mirror.
For her part, Ayomi shook her head. "Wow. Unbelievable. For that, I'm making dinner tonight."
Anshii laughed quietly, remembering another incident with food and walked to the door with Ayomi. "Just. no curry, please."
Ayomi gave Anshii a funny look. "Curry?"
Anshii laughed again. "A very long story. Here, I'll tell you as we walk out to the barn."