Bara no Scarlet
Chapter 54
Shock
Dios looked around at the students and faculty, sad green eyes taking in the open hostility and anger. He hadn't expected anything better, but the stark reality of what Akio had been had never hurt him more. He cleared his throat and offered a feeble smile to Anshii. "Thank you, Anshii."
He turned back to the assembly and sighed. "I understand that my appearance is somewhat... unsettling. But, as my sister told you only moments ago, I am not Akio. I am Dios Himemiya... Akio's... twin." Seeing no change in the eyes that watched him, he shook his head. "You know... I had written a whole speech on these note cards..." he held up the three by five cards and waved them in the air. "But speeches aren't what you need right now. You've had a lot happen. You've had things happen to you that you probably don't even know about. And you deserve answers. Not canned responses that were written in advance."
To almost everyone's shock, he handed Anshii the note cards and sat on the edge of the stage, feet hanging over the edge. "So let me tell you what I know... and then I'll open the floor for you to ask me questions. The only thing I ask is that you be orderly about it, take turns, and wait for someone to call you up." He half turned to glance behind the stage. "Would you three mind giving me a hand?"
Juri, Miki and Touga moved out from behind the curtain and then down the side steps, working their ways into the seated students. As Dios spoke, he watched the students for reactions.
"This is probably going to come across to most of you as something out of a movie. If I hadn't lived it, I know that I'd feel the same way. My brother Akio was as divisive and subversive as they come. There is absolutely no excuse for what he's been doing here at Ohtori."
"For the past several years, Akio has been behind the Student Council, orchestrating their movements within the school. Those rings with the Ohtori Rose on them were symbols of his power. He constructed a secret society here in the campus, a select set of students skilled with a sword, made them the members of the Student Council. With them, he could control the student body. He made them duel for the promise of great power. But all he delivered was pain."
Anshii kept her face carefully straight. She couldn't reveal anything, couldn't show any emotion. Not yet. She'd show them if she had to, she'd call forth everything if it came down to it. But she waited. She'd see what was needed to convince them.
Dios paused, looking around. After a moment, when he saw that no-one looked as if they had a question, he continued. "I was locked away against my will, and if Anshii had gone against his wishes, it was my life that would be at risk. And so it stayed that way for a great many years. Akio dated, and eventually married Kanae simply to gain power within the school. Once he was in power, there seemed to be no hope for anything. I gave up hope as the school that I had loved grew more and more corrupt by the day."
"And then, one day, Akio met his match. A student came to the school that Akio couldn't corrupt. He tried repeatedly, even forcing Anshii to befriend her, to hurt her in ways that were unimaginable. At one point, he told Anshii to kill her, because she couldn't be corrupted."
Gasps rippled through the room, and Anshii looked down at her hands even as Dios continued. "Anshii didn't kill her. Injured her, yes. But, she didn't kill her. Injured, the student found me and I protected her until she was strong enough to stand on her own once more."
Backstage, Utena had frozen in place, causing Wakaba to look at her friend in confusion. "Utena...?"
"I... Wakaba... they have to know," Utena whispered faintly. "For anyone to understand, they have to know the extent of Akio's evil."
Wakaba didn't understand. "Utena? What are you saying?"
To Wakaba's utter surprise, it seemed as if Utena's uniform shifted, a short white skirt rippling over her red shorts, a golden chain shimmering as she squared her shoulders and turned to walk out onto the stage. "I'm the one that Akio couldn't corrupt."
Still backstage and unseen, Wakaba sank to her knees and started to cry.
Dios looked around at the students and faculty, sad green eyes taking in the open hostility and anger. He hadn't expected anything better, but the stark reality of what Akio had been had never hurt him more. He cleared his throat and offered a feeble smile to Anshii. "Thank you, Anshii."
He turned back to the assembly and sighed. "I understand that my appearance is somewhat... unsettling. But, as my sister told you only moments ago, I am not Akio. I am Dios Himemiya... Akio's... twin." Seeing no change in the eyes that watched him, he shook his head. "You know... I had written a whole speech on these note cards..." he held up the three by five cards and waved them in the air. "But speeches aren't what you need right now. You've had a lot happen. You've had things happen to you that you probably don't even know about. And you deserve answers. Not canned responses that were written in advance."
To almost everyone's shock, he handed Anshii the note cards and sat on the edge of the stage, feet hanging over the edge. "So let me tell you what I know... and then I'll open the floor for you to ask me questions. The only thing I ask is that you be orderly about it, take turns, and wait for someone to call you up." He half turned to glance behind the stage. "Would you three mind giving me a hand?"
Juri, Miki and Touga moved out from behind the curtain and then down the side steps, working their ways into the seated students. As Dios spoke, he watched the students for reactions.
"This is probably going to come across to most of you as something out of a movie. If I hadn't lived it, I know that I'd feel the same way. My brother Akio was as divisive and subversive as they come. There is absolutely no excuse for what he's been doing here at Ohtori."
"For the past several years, Akio has been behind the Student Council, orchestrating their movements within the school. Those rings with the Ohtori Rose on them were symbols of his power. He constructed a secret society here in the campus, a select set of students skilled with a sword, made them the members of the Student Council. With them, he could control the student body. He made them duel for the promise of great power. But all he delivered was pain."
Anshii kept her face carefully straight. She couldn't reveal anything, couldn't show any emotion. Not yet. She'd show them if she had to, she'd call forth everything if it came down to it. But she waited. She'd see what was needed to convince them.
Dios paused, looking around. After a moment, when he saw that no-one looked as if they had a question, he continued. "I was locked away against my will, and if Anshii had gone against his wishes, it was my life that would be at risk. And so it stayed that way for a great many years. Akio dated, and eventually married Kanae simply to gain power within the school. Once he was in power, there seemed to be no hope for anything. I gave up hope as the school that I had loved grew more and more corrupt by the day."
"And then, one day, Akio met his match. A student came to the school that Akio couldn't corrupt. He tried repeatedly, even forcing Anshii to befriend her, to hurt her in ways that were unimaginable. At one point, he told Anshii to kill her, because she couldn't be corrupted."
Gasps rippled through the room, and Anshii looked down at her hands even as Dios continued. "Anshii didn't kill her. Injured her, yes. But, she didn't kill her. Injured, the student found me and I protected her until she was strong enough to stand on her own once more."
Backstage, Utena had frozen in place, causing Wakaba to look at her friend in confusion. "Utena...?"
"I... Wakaba... they have to know," Utena whispered faintly. "For anyone to understand, they have to know the extent of Akio's evil."
Wakaba didn't understand. "Utena? What are you saying?"
To Wakaba's utter surprise, it seemed as if Utena's uniform shifted, a short white skirt rippling over her red shorts, a golden chain shimmering as she squared her shoulders and turned to walk out onto the stage. "I'm the one that Akio couldn't corrupt."
Still backstage and unseen, Wakaba sank to her knees and started to cry.