Swords of Revolution

Disclaimer: don't own anything you recognize... do own everything else

Chapter 15 - behind the dark truth

Lia

I was nervous. Today I found in my rooms something I had no wish of finding there.

The goddamned black rose card was innocently lying there, as if it was its rightful place and time.

I knew that I had to do it sometimes, but seeing as the last Duel had nearly lost us two of our friends... yes, friends... I did not know what to expect of my opponent. And that was what made me disoriented.

And I hate to be disoriented. Especially in a Duel.

When you are disoriented in any duel - when you are nervous, with your fingers twitching and palms sweating for no apparent reason, and when you are ready to bolt at any moment from your unknown opponent - you lose the edge of surprise you might have.

You lose the duel.

And if you're serious, if you aren't just dueling for cutting some flowers, you may lose your life.

I instinctively clenched my palms and grabbed the foil I carried only when it was strictly necessary. Of course, my opponent would be armed with a sword, most likely, but just then, I was in no mood in clashing everyone's day.

I do not know what told me to return to my room. It had been during the second period class that I got called out of my lessons, much to my own surprise. I did not share classes with any of my fellow Student Council members, and almost immediately, I realised that something was really wrong.

The familiar by now card with black rose seal confirmed my suspicions.

So, they have finally become mad with worry and fear. So far, except for a near-loss by Alex, who then corrected his mistake, we were nearly undefeatable.

If I'll manage to pull the stunt, we still have a chance. If not, they still have a shot at Revolution, only they will be a member short...

I grasped my foil tightly and swiftly left the room, not leaving any explanation. When the day was over, they will know where to look for me. And if I get really lucky, I will wait for them before they will have to worry.

Amy

'Kaoru-san?' The almost formal voice nearly makes me trip over my feet before I look away from the window where I had been staring for the past few minutes, only to see Miki shoot up in his place.

Luckily for us, we share this really boring history class.

'Kaoru Miki-san, can you leave for a few minutes?'

Miki gives me an uncertain glance before nodding and following the older student outside. Suddenly I realise that my hands are clammy with something I can't identify and I have difficulty breathing. I shake my head and struggle to breathe before excusing myself and following Miki out of the classroom. The small fact that this is the last period of the day is relaxing - I could always talk to the teacher about the subject, and catch up on the homework later.

Much later, I add silently for myself, before hurrying towards the East Hall.

At the entrance, I nearly collide with a worried-looking Eric, who looks as if he was running here the whole distance from his Phys Ed class.

'What is it?' he gasps with worry. 'Why do I have the feeling that something is terribly wrong?'

I shake my head helplessly.

For some reason, I can't help it but feel the same way, and that worries me.

The two of us literally stumble into the dark hall, my eyes automatically searching for a glint of metal, a flash of familiar shock of blue hair, anything - to indicate that someone is still here.

'Miki!' My voice have shattered the stillness of the hall, and Eric jumps slightly before glaring at me.

'In here.'

My Captain's voice is too calm and collected. When he is like that, I realise, something is not right - either with him or with the situation.

The two of us exchange startled glances - his voice comes clearly from Telian's room. But why from there?

'Miki, what is it?' Eric asks, as he carefully steps into the brightly lit room.

Unlike ours, well most of ours - Lia's room is always immaculate. Everything is exactly where it should be. Total perfection. Sometimes, we laughed and lightly teased the girl about being too uptight, but now it worried me slightly.

'I just noticed it,' Miki says softly. 'Doesn't her room seem just a bit too tidy?'

'When did you last see Lia?' Eric demands of the two of us, and my eyes widen with sudden understanding.

'She had been called out of her class during her second pair,' I report. 'It was on the intercom, remember?'

The two boys exchange startled looks, then their eyes narrow.

'Search the room for anything that might be possibly missing,' Miki orders and we split off.

My hands are shaking madly by the time I realise what it is we should be looking for.

'Guys,' I say weakly. 'Telian's foil... and her uniform...'

'Good god...' Eric mutters, while Miki uses the most colourful string of expletives I had ever heard from him.

'Black Roses,' he states the now obvious. 'Let's go... We now have two areas to check out...'

'Only one, actually,' I reply, as the three of us race out of the hall and towards the wood. 'There is only one Arena that can destroy everything and anything and not leave any suspicion about it...'

Miki and Eric exchange wild glances before nodding and we shoot off towards our Arena - the Underground.

When we arrive there, I gasp and my step falters. Telian is still there, but it's obvious that she is tired -- beyond tired -- during the Duel. Her opponent is, once again, someone nobody even suspected. A man, with shoulder-length red hair, and blue eyes, dressed in black uniform of our opposition. His weapon is a shimmering sword against Lia's rapier. A magical weapon against a normal one.

Suddenly, Telian glances at us and smiles lightly. Then, she raises her rapier in a silent salute towards us - the magic sword cuts through her - the flames leap up - and the floor is once again splattered with blood and glass - both real and imagined...

We stand there, too shocked to speak, too numbed to move.

Finally, Miki moves forward and kneels on the floor amidst blood and ashes. He lifts something up in the air, before turning to us with a grim smile.

I gulp when I realise what exatly it is.

Telian Reine's foil, now blackened and scorched, with a long lock of flaming red hair wrapped around it.

Lia

I cannot hold out much longer, but this time, I know how to act. He is strong, and I don't have much time to complete what I set out to do. This Duel will even out the ods for my friends, if I'll make it right.

Someone skidded on the rubble floor, and I slightly turn my head to look around. They're here - Miki, Amy and Eric look at me with huge eyes, full of shock and disbelief. They are too stunned to do anything, which suits me just fine.

I grin recklessly before ducking to a safe distance so I can perform what I had learned from a friend a long time ago - a sacrifice spell, to destroy the illusion. I know that I will have only one chance at this.

I raise my rapier and salute my friends, silently mouthing the spell. He charges at me.

And then, there is dance of flames and blissful darkness...

Eric

'No way...' I mumble quietly, glaring at the rapier at Miki's hands. All of us are splattered with blood and glass, the typical end for the latest round of duels, and all of us are in equal shock.

Telian... She...

'She lost...' Amy's small voice shocks the two of us back to life.

Miki shakes his head slowly.

'She gave us an extra chance.' His voice is composed for now, but I know that he will break soon. 'She took out one of them with her, perhaps the most powerful they had to offer us...'

If that's true, then we have just won the whole thing, my mind whispers to me gleefuly, but I shake my head, refusing to believe it.

'We were too late,' The hoarse voice speaks up before I recognize it as my own.

The others turn to me and hang their heads.

'We have to leave,' Miki says finally. 'We don't want the others to worry about us, too, right?'

I just nod dumbly as he turns and gently wraps the long rapier into the scraps of material that once was Lia's uniform. We go really slowly, often pausing. Miki's eyes are on the rapier in his hands the whole time.

'DAMN YOU, AKIO!'

I jump with a start, before glancing towards my Captain. He stands there, his eyes are vacant and staring off in one place, as if he wants to outglare the man himself.

'What the heck is your game?' his voice is quiet, and Amy and I instinctively move to him. I take the weapon out of his hands and we guide him towards the Hall.

The rest of our friends have, apparently noticed that we were missing, for all of them dashed towards us.

'What happened?' Ria asks in a small voice.

Miki suddenly begins to laugh.

'Mikki?' Michael slowly steps toards a laughing teen. 'Hey, you okay?'

'Of course, he isn't,' I snap. 'Guys...' My own voice is hitched as I strain to say it. 'We lost Lia.'

I am met with confsed looks.

'What do you mean, we lost her?' Alex cautiously asks.

'Did she move out?' Ria interrupts him.

'She's dead.'

Amy finally allows herself to snap. Her voice is almost as hysterical as Miki's laughter. 'She's dead, at least in this world...'

This time, Amy's declaration is met with a stunned silence...

Real World

The redhead groaned softly, as she came to her senses. Glancing around herself, she sighed. The last thing she could remember was fighting someone in a black uniform...

'You do realise that they'll be shattered,' a soft voice said quietly from her bedside.

Telian grinned weakly at the purple-haired girl.

'I didn't have any choice.' Glancing at a worried group around her, she smiled. 'That copy would have been too strong for either one of them... They were not ready to fight it.'

The redhead sitting towards her left smirked.

'I'll be glad if Miki will decide that he doesn't have to run a sword through me the next time we meet.'

'Shut it, Touga,' Saionji muttered. He was leaning against the wall of the hospital, with Wakaba clinging to his arm. The man had long since given up the fight for the favour of teasing his best friend. 'He'll be too weak to fight you - physically, that is.'

'Oh, he'll call you a few choice names, that much is true,' Utena agreed. The pink-haired Prince had quietly stepped into the room while the others were arguing. 'Those things seem sinister for anyone to lose their minds.'

Telian shook her head softly.

'I just hope they'll forgive me. They can't loosen up now.'

'This is going to be tough...' Dios murmured softly. The others turned to the newcomer. He nodded at them briefly before elaborating, 'They will have to win the final battle, if they are to break away from that place. We can help them from the outside.'

'From the outside?' Touga frowned.'How?'

'I don't know yet,' the teen confessed. 'But we have enough time to come up with something as spectacular as that goddamned castle.'

'Another illusion?' Lia frowned. 'And have they...?'

'Yes, they have realized it was an illusion. But those illusions are too powerful to be easily destroyed, and that last battle only strenghtened the new Arena.' Dios shook his head. 'Whoever'll fight next is in for a rough ride.'

'They'll win it.' Lia gave a decisive nod. 'They can do it, I believe in them.'

'We'll see,' Utena remarked.

Telian sighed. Unfortunately, Utena was right. They could only wait and see if the others, the ones behind the walls of Ohtori, will be successful at destroying the illusion, and ending the game they call Revolution once and for all.

A/N: Well, this is it for now. Telian is another to break away from the illusion, and the others have to cope with it, on both sides. I'll have to redo the few other chapters I have, but so far I've no idea of how to do it. So thanks for the reading, and until next time