Swords of Revolution
Disclamer: don't own anything you recognize; do own everything else
A/N: Been searching to put in something peaceful in-between the Duels, but ran out of the ideas before I remembered that I have entered the new SC sidekick without introducing him; this chapter introduces Eric Wilson, one of the three non-members of the SC in this story
Eleven: Eric
Obviously, this is not my first year at Ohtori Academy - rather, it's my last. I went here at about the same time Miki did, but while he was busy with the Student Council and strange events that occured here, I led a life of a simple school kid, busying myself with the fencing club, reading, and studying.
I'll admit that I do not remember much about my seventh grade. The only noticeable thing was a mighty earthquake around the campus but it was all that anyone had noticed. I have seen them, the Student Council members and everyone's idols, strolling around the campus, occasionally in company of two girls - one of them with pink hair and baby blue eyes and another with darker skin, emerald green eyes and tightly bound violet hair. Only later would I learn the girls' names - the 'Prince', Tenjou Utena, and Himemiya Anthy.
Considering how popular Tenjou-san was with nearly everybody, I was surprised to find that almost all of them forgot her so quickly, when she disappeared, a victim to that earthquake and wild rumours for the first time of her disappearance.
The rest of the Student Council members for a long time acted as if nothing happened and they seemed to be in daze of some sort. I could not understand them at first, but then they began leaving one by one. All of us knew them by name.
The first two to leave, straight one after another, were Himemiya Anthy and Kiryii Touga. Nobody noticed it when Anthy left, but they were surprised and slightly saddened by Touga's leave. The former President of then-Student Council said he had some matters to attend to that could not wait. Soon they forgot about him, too.
Kyoichi Saionji and a chatterbox named Wakaba left about a week later. Once again, the student body barely noticed their leave, although they were sad to see Saionji go. The student body now turned for guidance to the remaining Student Council members.
Out of that group, Arigusawa Juri soon left, taking Kaoru Kozue and Shiori with her. Something about a miracle or other such thing. The others did not quite care about that small leave - Argusawa-sempai could be quite scary when she chose to be so. Most of the people just secretly applauded her leave. After all, it meant that the rigid school rules which Arigusawa-sempai enforced whenever she could, could be slightly relaxed.
Thus, the count of the Student Council - or rather, the one that we knew about - slowly fell apart until only Kaoru Miki and Kiryii Nanami stayed. None had any idea as to why, but the year after that, after being a member of the Student Council herself, Nanami-san also moved from Ohtori. Miki stayed on as a regular student, having apparently refused the position in the Student Council for the consecutive four years.
I remember thinking Miki a fool for refusing to keep to such a prestigious position. It never even went into my little head that there could be more to the Student Council of Ohtori than simple chit-chats during their occasional meeting. Well, nobody really knows what's going on inside the school government anymore, and now I believe it was with a good reason. A castle in the sky, swords growing from people's chests, Duels in the middle of the night - no sane person would believe this whole thing.
So when I received a letter with a rose seal - my first letter from End of the World that came at about the same time that Miki's did - I kept my ring, simply because it intrigued me. The letter itself went into a trash bin and the ring into my pocket, where it was least possible to attract attention.
However, I have decided to investigate the forest with the sign 'KEEP OUT'. So one late evening, I snuck past the gate and went through the forest. Imagine my surprise when I found my way being blocked by a huge granite stone in the form of incricately carved rose. I remember thinking dimly that the giant stone rose matched my own.
'Eric? What are you doing here?'
I had snapped to attention, wheeling around sharply to confront Miki and a pink-haired girl I did not know standing behind me with worried expressions on their slightly pale faces.
'I could ask the same of you, Miki,' I retorted, slightly recovering from the shock he managed to give me. 'Well?'
'The two of us are both a part of the Student Council, so we're allowed through,' Miki explained through gritted teeth. 'Now, go. You know you are not allowed here.' Then, his blue eyes softened slightly as he and the girl exchanged small smiles. 'You really don't want to stay here.'
All I remember after that is staring dumly at the retreating forms of a girl dressed like a guy and my friend Kaoru Miki, who apparently were at the same league at the time. Or so they seemed to be.
I could not remember the details of that night clearly. Now when I think back on that night, I think I saw Miki slightly raise a hand to push his blue hair away from his eyes, and something flashed on his finger. I can easily tell that it was the Duelist ring, similar to my own. The only difference would be the colour - Miki's was blue, that girl's - pink, and mine was - and still is - yellow. All three engraved with the same pattern of the Rose Signet.
The only exception was that I did not accept the letter at the time. Some sense of foreboding hung over my head when my fingers so much as touched the paper. To avoid the trouble, I put the letter into trash and tried to ignore the Student Council of the time.
However, I kept the ring. At the moment, I did not know the rules, nor did I know how did I manage to fall for such cheap thing. What I realised in a few days was a small fact that I subonsiously tried to avoid those who wore the ring. How were they to know that I was one of them? I questioned myself quietly. How were they to challenge me without knowing that I was also a Duelist like themselves?
The day of the final Duel, the Duel of Revolution, left me breathless and shaking. I cannot clearly remember what happened then with the Student Council, but I could see briefly the events of the final duel.
I saw as the girl - Utena - was given the choice to refuse the duel, and yet accepted it; I saw how she dueled with Akio for Himemiya; I saw how Himemyia run the sword of Dios through her partner; how the injured Utena reached the sealed doors and how - temporarliy - Akio's power was sealed by those swords of hate; then, everything goes blank for me, as if the recording device someone was using in that room had stopped automatically.
Why?
I still do not know.
I was discovered as a Duelist by none other than Ruka, one of my best friends before he ditched me and others for the company of Juri and Shiori, in the middle of that fateful year.
'Next!'
At the time, Ruka still was the Captain of the fencing club, and Juri Arigusawa only was its best fencer. I stepped up for my turn, as we dueled. For the training sessions such as this onne, I moved the Signet from my pockets onto my neck - I did not want it to drop and to announce my status to everyone in the room.
This time, I was lucky. There were three people left in the room - myself, Shiori, and Ruka. Juri excused herself, saying something about trouble in the hallways, but then, where there wasn't one.
During the duel, Ruka accidentally swiped open my collar and the Rose Signet glittered in the light.
I stepped back automatically, awaiting their reaction. Thankfully, Shiori just was confused, but Ruka's eyes flashed with recognition.
It was from his knowing dark eyes that I recoiled.
'Your're one of us, aren't you?' he asked quietly.
'So?' I demanded hotly. 'I don't want to be thrown head over heels into that unknown business.'
Ruka shook his head smiling slightly.
'It's too late for that, Eric. You're already in, no matter if you like it or not.' He slightly turned his right hand, so that I could see.
A blue Rose Signet ring shone on his finger, blinking at mine.
'You do realise that I can easily challenge yo to a Duel, don't you, Eric?' Ruka's voice was somewhat civil and slightly frosty. 'However, I am impressed by you.'
'Impressed?' I cautiously asked. 'By what, if I may ask?'
'By the simple fact that you managed to hide this,' Ruka slightly touched the ring on my neck, 'without being detected and thrown into this mess for so long. You really have a powerful will, Eric.' Pushing his hair back from his face, he smiled somewhat coldly. 'However, you may ran from it now, it will catch up with you sooner or later.'
I shook my head in denial.
'I have no clue about what you're yammering about, Ruka,' I replied, as calmly as I could. 'And honestly, I don't care'
Ruka shrugged slightly, that grin still on his face.
'You'll understand it in time, Eric. Just remember that you can't run from it forever, it will catch up with you.'
It seemed that Ruka was right that day. At the beginning of my last year here at Ohtori, unintentionally by me, the yellow Rose Signet had moved from its chain I wore around my neck onto the fourth finger of my right hand, where all the other Duelists wore them. And that was when I ran into Miki for the first time since I was in the forest that night.
Through still in his simple student uniform instead of the glamorous blue and white shift of the Student Council one, Miki recognized me as a Duelist immediately. He did not say anything about it however, except by reminding me that I had basically no choice on the matter. He himself still wore his own Signet - which was of warm blue colour.
'You do realise that were we still in power, I'd challenge you to a Duel immediately?' he whispered with a grin.
I groaned and told him to shut up. Then I told him about the lecture on the Duels and their rules I received from Ruka four years ago. Miki nodded with a small grin.
'The latest Student Council was just dissolved,' he told me quietly. 'I'm thinking of taking the position of the President for the upcoming year.' With a light frown he added, 'It's time to end this mess they call Revolution.'
I agreed with his sentiment. Although I declined the offer to become one of the Student Council members, I told him that I will support him and the others from the sidelines, along with those few Duelists who, like me, won't be a part of Student Council, but rather ther allies. I also told him to go for the position.
'If you accept, I'm completely behind you,' I assured him. 'If you don't accept, I'm still behind you.'
'What's this, the Utena Club?' Miki had joked then. 'Gathering Duelists on the sidelines instead of insiders?'
The rest of that evening was spent in light chatter...
Now, it is evening after Michael's duel. I know now that I will face a shadow, and perhaps, a fellow Duelist during the upcoming battles. Of the latter, I try not to think. No, I still not am the part of the Student Council, but I cannot hide from the Duels forever.
This time, it's final.
And it will be all of us put together who will bring the Revolution - the true Revolution Finale - into this world.
A/N: I told you I'm on the roll... I have half of the part II written, it goes through the edit as of now. This chapter, as you have seen, introduced Eric Wilson - at rather a late date, might I add; first time you see him is in chapter... 4, I think? But from now on, Eric is one of the main characters that are on the 'sidelines of the Student Council' - the others I let you guess... cheers