Swords of Revolution

A/N: This chapter is a prelude of sorts... I've been sort of dividing things. The interlude before signalled the beginning of part two of the story for those who have missed it at the beginning, and the interlude at the beginning of the story set up (I hope) the general stage for the whole story. This prelude is a set up for the Duels of this chapter, letting the readers know... oh, well, you try to guess. I'll give you a hint: the Student Council at Ohtori does not know any of what is happening behind the school's walls... That is also one of the reasons I will leave everything in this chapter in italics. On with the Prelude

Prelude: Reality

'Have you seen Juri-Sempai lately?'

'Huh?'

The answer came from a rather stupefied young girl, whose blue short hair stood up on its ends. The girl put up a finger before turning back to the speaker. The girl was sitting in a chair beside a roaring fireplace, with her legs tucked up under her. She was watching the fire sleepily when the first speaker entered the living room of a two-story house which most of the former Duelists' group occupied ever since leaving Ohtori Academy.

'Now to think of it, I haven't seen her for a long time.'

'Thanks, Kozue-chan.'

'Why do you ask, Utena?'

The pink-haired Prince shrugged slightly.

'I don't know. It's just I have a bad thing about this whole affair.' The girl fingered her rose signet she was wearing now on the chain around her neck. 'It's like all those half-tried Duels have come and gone, and now it seems that I'm sort of... being pulled back there.'

'Back there?' Kozue sounded alarmed, as she glanced with worry at the other girl. 'You think Juri-Sempai will know something about it?'

'Know about it?' Utena gave a small giggle. 'Full-blown participation is more like it. You think that the Panther of Ohtori will accept defeat gracefully?'

'Nope.' Kozue grinned. 'Yet, I don't honestly know what's holding her there.'

'What holding whom where?'

A soft voice behind the two girls made the two of them jump. Utena grinned with relief, as the speaker turned out to be a dark-skinned girl with loose violet hair flowing down her back, dressed in blue jeans and pink t-shirt. Three young men behind the girl were also smiling.

'So, who holding what back where?' The young man with white short hair and black eyes asked calmly. 'What were you two talking about?'

'The Duels back there,' Utena replied shortly, giving the boy a hug. 'I'm afraid things became slightly heated out there.'

The redhead shrugged.

'You do realise that as long as Akio is there, those Duels are not going to stop?' he asked, showing the girls his red signet. 'I don't know why, but I felt... quite compelled to put it back on,' he confessed.

'You're not the only one, Touga.' His green-haired companion showed the others his own green signet, as Utena demonstrated her pink one and the boy next to her his white. Kozue shrugged.

'I thank whoever those higher powers are that that black ring disappeared after my duel,' she confessed with a light grin.

'Did you have one, Himemiya?'

The violet-haired girl with green eyes shook her head.

'No, I did not. But I was the Rose Bride, remember?' She smiled, glancing at Utena and the boy next to her. 'Though I'm glad that is over, Onii-chan.'

'Do you know what's going on in there, Dios?' Touga asked, as the boys took their places around the living room, which suddenly became crowded.

Himemiya's brother shook his head regretfully, pushing a hand through his white hair.

'We were cut off from the Academy the minute we left it,' he reminded the redhead gently. 'But we could try to contact them. Is there anyone left whom we knew?'

'Mikki is still there,' Kozue volunteered. 'I was rather surprised when he decided to stay on. You know, with his genius, he would have been able to graduate the year we left, and yet...'

'There's nothing strange about that.' Dios glanced at the others. 'It is quite possible that the youngest members of Ohtori had their memories of that year automatically erased... shut off, you might say. Probably, Miki-kun became one of those many with closed memories.'

'But if it affected Miki, why didn't it affect me?' Kozue asked quietly. 'We're twins, right? So, would it not affect us both rather than one?'

'Perhaps the small fact that you already were a Black Rose at the time, and had the memory about the Duels erased right after you lost to Utena there,' Saionji suggested. 'And Miki did not. But then, you're right, it is quite strange.'

'I think it is coming to an end now,' Dios theorised in his mild voice. 'So something told Miki to stay for the final round.'

'Yeah, but why Mikki?' Kozue pouted slightly as the others grinned at her. 'Why just him?'

Glancing at each other, the former Duelists shrugged at her, and the girl turned her nose into the air.

'Oh, what-ever...'

'Hi, there.' The familiar greeting turned the group's heads around, as they met with the young woman with bright orange hair ornately arranged around her face. She was wearing familiar, white uniform with orange tassels, the only difference being she did not have a sword tucked into the belt of her uniform.

'Juri.' Touga's cautious voice broke the growing silence. 'Where have you been?'

'School business.' The young woman tossed the recently-added to her uniform white cloak onto the chair before elegantly sitting into it herself. 'Did you know that Miki was chosen to be both the SC President and the Fencing club Captain this year?'

'Way to go, bro,' Kozue cheered slightly. The others exchanged glances of unease and grimaces.

'Any word of strange events of Ohtori?' Saionji asked lightly before the others could say anything.

'Well, nothing interesting this year,' Juri smiled easily. 'Except for a small fire in the Nemuro Memorial Hall, nothing exiting happened for this half a year.'

Again, the group shot each other tense looks.

(She's definitely lying,) Anthy thought, clasping Utena's hand tightly.

'And the rose garden?' Dios asked lightly. 'There was such a lovely garden out there...'

'Oh, yes, it's still there,' Juri assured him. 'And I heard there were roses growing inside the Nemuro Hall, too.'

(Roses in the Nemuro Hall after there was a 'small' fire?) Utena thought with growing alarm.

'How unnatural,' Kozue remarked, trying to sound casual. 'Whatever could be the cause?'

Juri gave a small, elegant shrug, gracefully standing up and gathering her cloak in her hands.

'It's just rumours, I haven't been to the Hall since five years ago.'

(Oh, no...) Kozue paled slightly, gazing at Utena and Anthy in alarm. (Roses in the Nemuro Hall? I swear those are Black Roses, damn them!)

'Uh... that's... nice...' Utena managed to say. 'What are you up to now?'

'Huh?' Juri blinked for a second, and then gave an easy smile that didn't seem to be forced. 'Oh, a friend invited me to a supper. Don't know when I'll be back - probably spend a few nights there.'

With that, Juri left the house, leaving an effectively stunned audience behind her.

'Oh, no,' Kozue finally managed to stutter. 'Not those monstorous black roses again!'

'Does anyone else feel like Juri-Sempai was possibly lying?' Anthy asked timidly, receiving a round of nods all over the place.

'A small fire and a rose bush in the Nemuro Memorial Hall?' Utena asked. 'If you ask me, it smells like trouble for Miki-kun and whatever friends he managed to gather...'

'Worse than that,' Dios remarked from his place, as the others glanced at him.'I don't know what it is, and we can't go there and help them, because it will pull us back into the game. Unless you want to...?'

The others vehemently shook their heads.

'Not unless it's a dire emergency, I'm not going back,' Anthy said with feeling. The rest of the former Duelists echoed her whole-heartedly.

'So you're saying that we'll just have to wait and see?' Kozue pouted. 'That's my twin you're talking about!'

'He'll be fine, Kozue-chan. You'll see.' Utena tried to sound reassuring, but she herself glanced back at Dios. 'Won't he?'

'We'll see.'

The small group of former Duelists stared at the fire, slowly trailing off to silence. Uneasiness they could not explain soon surrounded them and they subconciously moved closer to the fire and to each other.

For a moment, a flickering fire rose in bright flames, showing them two figures shrouded in flames crossing swords, but that was all.

The room soon plunged into darkness and silence, filled with uneasiness and hope.