A/N: Looks like I'm back. Life has been busy with school, college aps, and all that good stuff. On top of that, my internet connection was being evil…periodically. I'm not too sure about how I handled the Utena cast and hopefully I don't butcher their characters. That and I have no idea where I'm going with this fic. Ah, well, let's just see were it goes.

Also, for plot reason I'm making it so that the HiMEs are able to summon their Elements later on. I got an idea how to do it without making it seem too cliché and unreasonable.

Disclaimer: Mai HiME and Shoujo Kakumei Utena both belong to their rightful companies and in no way do I own them.

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"Mashiro-sama, would you like some more tea?"

"Thank you Fumi-san"

A small hand reaches out to accept what was handed to her. It holds the cup delicately by its thin, elegant handle while the other hand took the small ornate plate. Daintily, the first hand brings the cup to its owner's lips. Light teal eyes close before opening slowly again. These eyes stare to the outside world.

Like a despairing farmer who surveys his once fertile land after a drought, Mashiro saw only ruins. Fuuka was battle-torn and weary, much like an old soldier who had seen too much of war and could not shake the past from his tired shoulders. It was inhabitable to the masses.

In the long run they were safe. Their apocalypse was adverted. The catalyst was destroyed, Kokuyou no Kimi was gone, the HiMEs were freed from their cage, and yet Mashiro knew better then to think that everything was over. Even though the crisis ended, its effects lingered on. The land reeked of pain and destruction. It had to heal before it could bear any fruit again. As of now, seeds could not be re-introduced to the land.

"What are we going to do Fumi-san? There are still two more months left of the school year yet we cannot allow the students back into the academy."

"I do not know," her maid answered, "it would be the best if we could school them somehow."

"It would be the best that they left here, Fumi-san, especially the HiMEs." The wheelchair creaks slightly as it turns and moves closer to the window. Petite, cold hands touch equally cold glass. The Queen of Hell continues to speak in her quite, weak voice.

"Yes, they should go and heal their wounds, their grievances. They all should. That would be for the best."

Silence again laps for a moment longer before a decision was made. Deliberately, Mashiro turned her wheelchair slowly to face her pink haired maid.

"Fumi-san. Please hand me the phone."

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I pass to you my flower,

A symbol of dreams.

You take the flower,

And pluck it to fit your ambitions.

Your boots trample petals as you move on.

Untitled 11/23/05 4:15 P.M.

1st Movement

Prelude

A glass chess board lay out on the table. Clear glass met murky white. All pieces stood proudly in their places. A foot taps in a steady beat like the ticking grandfather clock at the back of the planetarium.

Tick tick…Tap tap

The long legged man glanced from his place behind the lines of the murky white. At the side of the board laid large circular glasses. They seemed to survey, to be the onlooker judge of the match.

Tick tick…Tap tap

He was a beautiful man. He was a powerful man. One could describe him as princely. Just like the kind of man a normal girl would wish to be swept off her feet by and carried off to his white horse.

Yet he was not that man. Not anymore. For once his eyes showed his age. Worry, confusion, and exhaustion resounding in his icy depths. He leaned back into a large couch. His blue-silver crown was tilted back as he stared to the open sky.

"Why," he said. The word seemed to escape his beautiful lips like a sigh of defeat.

He thought he had everything. Everything had been well planned, yet…

There was no such thing as purity in this world. Nothing was supposed to be saved, yet…

Yet, there it was, clear white opposing him. His murky white pieces were outnumbered. His losses were extreme. His queen was gone.

This beautiful, exhausted man leaned forward so he could stare at the glasses.

"Why?" He said again.

He could not understand the raging emotions that rose in him. The world he had once tried to save had destroyed him and then remade him. And now, once he had conformed, his past came forth and bit him for becoming what he was. A part of him yearned to be whole again. Complete.

He decided it was better to be a content fool that knew nothing of the evil of the world than one that was wise in the dealings of the world.

Tick tick…Crash

Murky white fell to the floor. The king was in shatters. His usually neat, tied-back hair was clutched desperately.

"Why!" He cried out.

A phone rang.

Akio stood up and reached for the phone.

"Hello?...yes, this is he."

A small smirk forms across his visage. It looked at home on his face, as if it was made to exist there.

"It's been a while...yes." At that, his smirk falls and Akio's eyes flashed dangerously in anger before it fell again as if it had never been on his face. He continues to speak; his voice ebbed in edged politeness.

"Well…congratulations are in order for your victory. Is there something that you need…ohime-sama? …ah I see…I don't see why not."

Outside, the sky was dark. The white stars shone brightly.

"What an interesting idea. I'm sure we can make some accommodations. We certainly have the room...I look forward to seeing you soon."

With that he hung up. His shoulders were relaxed and Akio sits down, once again staring at the board.

Tick tick…

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Three days pasted since then and he still felt strange. A part of him was gone now, along with what had been left of his innocence that hadn't been taken. He stood, devoid of any energy, lost.

Who was he? Kokuyou no Kimi's vessel? Minagi Reito, brother to Minagi Mikoto? Kanzaki Reito, Vice President of Fuuka Gakuen?

Whoever he was…that man sat outside the front porch of his family estate and was looking up to see a dark sky unblemished by a huge red star that once hung overhead. Large droplets of water dripped off his face, hair, and body. He paid them no heed. He didn't care.

He had lost something that had been part of him since his childhood. Sometimes, during that time…he felt that it was him that was looking for power to create an ideal world. No, often it was like the two of them, together, looking through the same eyes and speaking the same words. Together their ideals merged into a single entity and purpose.

It had been Reito's knowledge and his planning that had initiated several of the schemes. He knew the players well enough to make them move according to his wishes. He was the mastermind. Reito could tell that some of them knew. Yet they could not accuse him because they were the ones that actually went through with it.

This scared him.

He knew that the Star only contained their power and magnified it. Once they got over their independence and shock, it would be likely that they would soon be able to use some of their power again.

What was he to do?

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"Hey, hey, didja hear?"

"About what? Oh! That. Yes. Doesn't it sound positively exciting? It's going to be so crowed here soon. All those new people."

"Like guys." The other girl giggled. "Do you think that there will be any charming guys in that school?"

"Like anyone could be—

At this point Arisugawa Juri stopped listening and returned her attention to the playing cards arranged on the cafeteria table. Her orange crowned head rested on her left hand as she idly drew cards from the deck. She was playing solitaire.

There was an odd tension that could be felt across the Academy. No one could explain it, yet everyone knew that something was missing. Something important was gone.

The Student Council member glanced at the card she was holding. The Four of Diamonds stared back at her with its dulling plastic surface. One could tell that the cards she was playing with were well used.

Out of sheer boredom, she focused her attention elsewhere while idly toying with the Four of Diamonds in her hand.

"Takagawa-says that she is visited by a ghost in her dreams," a boy informs who Juri presumes to be his friend.

"Really?" The girl next to him asks.

"Un. He says that she dreams she is walking towards the school and she suddenly sees a mysterious person."

"Ooh a mysterious person." The girl comments amusedly.

"Un. And for some reason she says that she is extremely existed to greet this person."

"He must be cute."

"That's the thing. She has no idea what that person even looks like or the gender of the person." He pauses, and Juri could easily tell that he was trying to stress the obscurity of the gender. He was definitely the boyfriend. "Not only that but she says that she felt that the "mysterious person" supposedly sat near her in class."

"Really?"

"She also says that she had this 'dream' for days."

"Hear anything of interest today, Juri?"

The first year high school student turned in her seat to see the smiling form of the Student Council President. At this, the panther only gave a small inclination of her head in acknowledgment.

"Is there something you want?"

At this the red haired student's smile only widened, attempting to give its owner an innocent gaze although it only served to make Touga look even more suspicious looking.

"Who said that I had to want something to spend time with the prettiest girl in Ohtori?"

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Juri remained silent as she watched the President take a seat opposite to her. For some reason, a flight of fancy, the she hid the card she was holding into her uniform's sleeve.

"What do you want," she repeated.

The long haired male spoke, ignoring her question. "Let's play a game."

Juri sighed and allowed herself to sink to his wavelength.

"What do you want to play?"

His smile returned, showing his impressive row of white teeth. Touga leaned forward so that his chin rested on the back of his hand. Strands of his silky red mane cascaded in rows of shining strands that partially covered his face.

"Let's play B.S. We can leave a section of cards off to the side so it won't be too easy…and pointless" He adds, almost as an afterthought.

"Fine." She gathered the cards into a single hand and started to shuffle them. She could feel the card she had hidden fall to her elbow area.

"It's all over Ohtori, Juri. Surely you heard of it." Toga suddenly shot, unsuspectingly.

She raised an eyebrow as she continued to shuffle. Finally she set the cards down and simply replied, "The ghost."

"Yes. It's odd, isn't it? Everyone dreams of the same person that never existed in this school."

"You checked?"

"Of course."

"You believe in this rumor?"

"Don't you?" He said, staring piercingly at her as if he was trying to force the truth to come out of her mouth.

Juri looked up from where she was dealing the cards. She met the older student's gaze with her own unmovable one.

"I would be a fool not to," she simply replied.

"Oh, really?" It was the other's turn to arch his brow.

"Yes, really. Tell me that you can remember all that has happened this year, Touga. All the duels you fought…I go first." She threw two cards onto the table. "Two Aces."

To this the blue-eyed playboy smiled as he off-handily answered, "fair enough. This year is all blur to me. I remember almost nothing of the duels except that something important had happened. What about you? One Two."

"One Three. Me…it is like what you said. I remember nothing of the duels that I participated in. I…I dream that I felt grief and sorrow so strong that it was like someone pulled a sword out of my chest."

"Interesting use of words Juri," his eyes were shining with ambition. "Say for a moment, just for fun, that revolution had been made this year and these are the effects we are experiencing. What if it is still continuing, the revolution; it had only just started. That we still have a chance to break of the worlds shell!" At this he stood up, both hands leaning on the table before he slowly sat back down, running his hand through his hair. "Two Fours."

"B.S. to everything you just said."

"That is the difference between us, Juri. You only play by the rules that are given to you. You don't search for the revolution, the power. There you sit in your chair, arms and legs crossed, refusing to accept it…"

He flipped two cards over. There it was…Four of Clubs and Four of Diamonds.

Juri leaned forward; she could feel the card she had hidden in her sleeve press against her skin. The card in question surface was glossy and clean like it had only just been opened.

A smug look was on Kiryuu Touga's face.

"…the power to change, to revolutionize the world order and to break away from simple borders."

"Cheater."

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"Shizuru—I'm back."

"Welcome back, Natsuki." Shizuru's clear distinct voice could be heard from the kitchen. The Kyoto-born was dressed in a simple white blouse and long lavender skirt. A purple apron topped off attire.

"I brought what you wanted."

"That's good. Could you come over and help me with dinner?"

"Sure," the younger of the two said as she brought the grocery bad into the kitchen. Natsuki pulled on a matching blue apron earning the appreciative smile from the other.

"My," Shizuru mused out loud, "Natsuki looks so cute." This of course, was earned her a light blush from her friend which she happily noted. "There is some negi in the refrigerator. Could you get them for me?"

"W-What…S-Shizuru…"

"It's for the soup Natsuki," the mischievous girl smiled innocently, "negi is one of the best ingredients to add in order to increase the taste of soup. Why does Natsuki look so startled? What did she think—"

"—Alright, alright. I'll get it." The blue-haired girl struggled to regain what little composure she could muster before retrieving the wanted thing."

"Ookini. Could you wash it and the vegetables you just bought for me too?"

"Fine," Natsuki mechanically started to wash what was asked of her in the fashion she was taught years back by the person standing next to her side.

"I still haven't thanked you for letting me stay here."

"Nonsense. Natsuki is always welcomed to stay," the other easily replied, a gentle smile was on Shizuru's face before she turned her attention back to the soup.

"No. Not just that but for everything. You've given me so much and I—"

"—Natsuki if you are done, can you please cut them. Small pieces are—"

"—Shizuru, I'm trying to say something." Natsuki's eyes were of a hard dark green color. The other girl could see that anger and frustration peaked from the blue haired girl's face. There was steely determination, a jaw locked in aggravation which wished to explode. She could tell the other wanted to say something, something that plagued Natsuki's thoughts for a while.

To this the Shizuru turned once again to look at the well sculpted, almost doll-like face of Natsuki. A gentle, unreadable smile was on her face. It was one that was well perfected through years of training and strain. Natsuki had seen this side of Shizuru before. Often it was when dealing with people that the graceful teenager found trying or wanted to quickly deal with; Natsuki never expected to see her friend give this well practiced, false smile to her. It wounded her.

"You do not have to. I am glad that you allowed me to stay by your side for so long," the red eyed School President said, moving closer to the other girl's side. Shizuru took a spare cutting board and knife and started to cut the vegetables. "After all I have done, I am just grateful…"

Natsuki chose not to reply. She could feel that they were standing at a close, dangerous edge. Nothing had been said about what happened almost three days ago. Instead, they chose to act if it had nothing had happened, as if the rift in their friendship had never existed.

Looking at her own knife-work, the younger girl saw how her pieces ended up large, lopsided, and uneven. Shizuru's were small, uniform, and perfect. Her hands were a blur as they quickly went through the vegetables like they were nothing while Natsuki slowly and sluggishly sawed at pieces.

Everything the other girl did was like that: masterful and perfect. Natsuki had barely thought about it before, but now, more than ever, she wondered why Shizuru befriended her. Next to her, Natsuki seemed insignificant.

"Ow." Instinctively she put her hurt finger to her mouth. She had been careless. She looked at her friend apologetically though Natsuki did not see how Shizuru's eyes had widened for a second. "Sorry," she sighed, "I'm not good at this like you."

Blood…

Shizuru suddenly felt sick to her stomach. All power seemed to escape her in all directions. She felt dizzy, nauseous, like the world was shaking around her. The girl saw pools of red, bodies, carved flesh that she had left at the First District.

'No, you are not like me at all…'

"Shizuru!" She felt Natsuki grab her, slowing her descent down. She moved out of the other grasp.

"I-I am fine." She muttered softly, pushing herself up. She forced another false smile onto her face. "Natsuki should see to her wounds. We would not want it to get infected. I will finish here. Everything else is done."

The younger girl stared at her friend incredulously. Hurt was clear on her expression at how the other was acting. Abruptly Natsuki turned, walking out of the room, her long blue hair trailing behind.

Sighing to herself, Shizuru resumed. The sound of the knife easy cutting through substance could be heard as the blade rebounded on the wooden board. The Kyoto born did this quickly and skillfully, her face expressionless as she mercilessly chopped the vegetables into small pieces. She stood, lost in her thoughts, moving mechanically.

There was not a star in the sky that could be blamed for her actions.

…D.S. al Coda

(next chapter)