Bara no Scarlet Chapter 52 Homecoming
It was after the dinner, and the current students were still drafting plans with Dios for the school. Dios had shown an amazing aptitude for assuming roles, and Anshii watched happily.
Juri touched Anshii on the arm and the dark-skinned girl turned to her. "Yes?"
"Is that really...? Dios?" She pointed upwards, as if to the castle. "Him?"
Anshii nodded. "It is. He defeated Akio and took his place. Akio's gone, Juri. He'll never hurt anyone again." Her voice was odd, a little hollow, and Juri frowned at Anshii.
"Anshii...?"
She shook her head. "He wasn't a good person, Juri. All those people paid the price because I shut all of the goodness out of his heart. Kanae... Mariko... their deaths may as well have been caused by my own hands."
"Anshii... you can't be responsible for the actions someone else takes. Regardless of good or evil, Akio made conscious decisions. Don't vilify yourself. Akio did enough of that for you. You and Utena are both free of him." Juri spoke quietly, and leaned in to kiss Anshii on the cheek. When Anshii turned in surprise, Juri smiled a little mysterious smile and walked over to meet Miki at the door. "Dios...?" She called back. "Miki and I have early classes tomorrow, so we'll take our leave. Do join us for lunch tomorrow?"
Dios looked over and nodded. "I'd like that. Good night, Juri. Miki."
The oddest couple in Ohtori walked out into the foyer, and Anshii wondered where another couple had gotten off to. Utena and Touga had slipped away sometime during discussions.
Utena had escaped the dining room after dinner, slipping through the darkened hallways that seemed so familiarly alien to her. She'd walked these halls as herself and as Ayomi... It all seemed like a lifetime ago.
She wandered into what had been the projection room and leaned against a window. The stars were lovely, and the trees below seemed to sparkle in reply to the twinkle of the stars.
It was raining.
"I missed you," a voice said simply.
Utena's shoulders slumped slightly. Touga had followed her. She turned to see him standing there in the doorway, looking lost. She offered him a weak smile, then turned back to look out the window again. "How do you know when a nightmare is finally over?"
There were footsteps as he approached and brushed a lock of her hair off of her shoulder. "When you meet the prince." There was a pause. "I'm assuming that Dios is your prince." His voice was tinged with a light regret, as if he was forcing himself to accept that.
"Yes..." she said quietly. "He's the one who saved my life. He showed me someone who needed help when I was little... and I grew up wanting to help her. I just didn't remember everything."
"You were so small in that coffin," Touga said, surprising her. "And it was raining then too."
Utena turned to look at him. "You were there? Why didn't I see you?" Her eyes narrowed.
Touga's eyes were focused on another time as he spoke. "You were asleep in the coffin. People all over town were asking about a missing girl. Saionji and I wondered if you might be the one they were looking for. We left you there to sleep, and I rode my bicycle all the way back from the church to tell someone where you were."
Utena shook her head slowly. "Touga... that was all so long ago... I-"He held up his hand.
"It was a long time ago. And yet, I just wanted you to know." His voice was quiet, as if he was afraid to speak too loudly. She heard his footsteps as he turned away. "I... wish you both the best."
She turned, as if afraid, and blurted out the words. "Touga... It's not like that. He... I... no..."
He looked back at her, not daring to hope. She turned away, mistaking the hidden emotion for something else. "I'm... sorry." She leaned against the window and looked back out over the trees.
His footsteps were quiet, and she jumped when his arm came up around her. "I'm sorry too. Forgive me...?"
She turned around into his embrace.
Any answer that Utena might have given Touga was unheard by the two in the far doorway. Dios looked to Anshii and smiled. "Let's give them time. We have all the time in the world now."
Anshii turned and walked into the open hallway and Dios closed the door quietly behind them.
It was after the dinner, and the current students were still drafting plans with Dios for the school. Dios had shown an amazing aptitude for assuming roles, and Anshii watched happily.
Juri touched Anshii on the arm and the dark-skinned girl turned to her. "Yes?"
"Is that really...? Dios?" She pointed upwards, as if to the castle. "Him?"
Anshii nodded. "It is. He defeated Akio and took his place. Akio's gone, Juri. He'll never hurt anyone again." Her voice was odd, a little hollow, and Juri frowned at Anshii.
"Anshii...?"
She shook her head. "He wasn't a good person, Juri. All those people paid the price because I shut all of the goodness out of his heart. Kanae... Mariko... their deaths may as well have been caused by my own hands."
"Anshii... you can't be responsible for the actions someone else takes. Regardless of good or evil, Akio made conscious decisions. Don't vilify yourself. Akio did enough of that for you. You and Utena are both free of him." Juri spoke quietly, and leaned in to kiss Anshii on the cheek. When Anshii turned in surprise, Juri smiled a little mysterious smile and walked over to meet Miki at the door. "Dios...?" She called back. "Miki and I have early classes tomorrow, so we'll take our leave. Do join us for lunch tomorrow?"
Dios looked over and nodded. "I'd like that. Good night, Juri. Miki."
The oddest couple in Ohtori walked out into the foyer, and Anshii wondered where another couple had gotten off to. Utena and Touga had slipped away sometime during discussions.
Utena had escaped the dining room after dinner, slipping through the darkened hallways that seemed so familiarly alien to her. She'd walked these halls as herself and as Ayomi... It all seemed like a lifetime ago.
She wandered into what had been the projection room and leaned against a window. The stars were lovely, and the trees below seemed to sparkle in reply to the twinkle of the stars.
It was raining.
"I missed you," a voice said simply.
Utena's shoulders slumped slightly. Touga had followed her. She turned to see him standing there in the doorway, looking lost. She offered him a weak smile, then turned back to look out the window again. "How do you know when a nightmare is finally over?"
There were footsteps as he approached and brushed a lock of her hair off of her shoulder. "When you meet the prince." There was a pause. "I'm assuming that Dios is your prince." His voice was tinged with a light regret, as if he was forcing himself to accept that.
"Yes..." she said quietly. "He's the one who saved my life. He showed me someone who needed help when I was little... and I grew up wanting to help her. I just didn't remember everything."
"You were so small in that coffin," Touga said, surprising her. "And it was raining then too."
Utena turned to look at him. "You were there? Why didn't I see you?" Her eyes narrowed.
Touga's eyes were focused on another time as he spoke. "You were asleep in the coffin. People all over town were asking about a missing girl. Saionji and I wondered if you might be the one they were looking for. We left you there to sleep, and I rode my bicycle all the way back from the church to tell someone where you were."
Utena shook her head slowly. "Touga... that was all so long ago... I-"He held up his hand.
"It was a long time ago. And yet, I just wanted you to know." His voice was quiet, as if he was afraid to speak too loudly. She heard his footsteps as he turned away. "I... wish you both the best."
She turned, as if afraid, and blurted out the words. "Touga... It's not like that. He... I... no..."
He looked back at her, not daring to hope. She turned away, mistaking the hidden emotion for something else. "I'm... sorry." She leaned against the window and looked back out over the trees.
His footsteps were quiet, and she jumped when his arm came up around her. "I'm sorry too. Forgive me...?"
She turned around into his embrace.
Any answer that Utena might have given Touga was unheard by the two in the far doorway. Dios looked to Anshii and smiled. "Let's give them time. We have all the time in the world now."
Anshii turned and walked into the open hallway and Dios closed the door quietly behind them.