Title: Snap, snap!; photograph
Fandom: Revolutionary Girl Utena
Theme: 3. Snap, snap!; photograph

Characters: Utena Tenjo/Anthy Himemiya
Rating: T – Teen

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
Summary: Utena wakes up after the final battle with only a photo to look at. Anthy comes to visit. Some spoilers.

3) Snap snap!; photograph

Utena looked at the photo on her bed side table and smiled. After the final duel she could not remember much only a lot of pain. She lay in the hospital bed with the photo beside her. Always beside her. She smiled whenever she saw it. It gave her a small hope that one day things would go back to the way they had been then. Only without Aiko and not at that school. Utena missed Anthy and Chu-chu a lot. They were her friends. Anthy was more than that. Anthy was more than a sister to her. Whenever she looked at Anthy, both now and then, she had always felt like Anthy was somehow apart of her. That they were somehow connected. Now, lying in the hospital bed, she realised that it was not sisterly bonds that had made her capable of opening the Gate but it was love. Her love for Anthy had made her capable of doing almost everything. Everything except free her from her prison. Utena looked away from the picture and tried to fight back tears. She had been so close to rescuing Anthy but then something had happened. She could not remember everything that happened that night. It was a blur with some parts that were clear. She sighed. She wished Anthy was with her. Maybe the pain would be easier if Anthy was with her.

Utena looked up at the ceiling. She remembered the day the photo was took. Up in Aiko's office. Utena shuddered to think about Aiko. She had even cut him from the picture so it was just her and Anthy and Chu-chu. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She could not move in the bed. Her ribs had suffered some damage and it was even more painful for her to sleep on any other side other than her back. Utena settled down and dreamt of Anthy and the two of them being together.

Utena woke up to a pain in her side. Her ribs were hurting again. She had pressed her arms too hard against her sides during the night. What had she dreamt of again? She remembered Anthy was there, but most dreams she had these days had Anthy in them. She looked around the room. One of the nurses had come in sometime in the morning and opened the curtains. The view from the window was not a very good one. All she could see was the sky. It was beautiful and blue and it made Utena want to go outside. She looked at the photo again. "Morning Anthy." She said to it and smiled to herself. She realised a few days ago what it must seem like for her to talk to the photo but Utena had no one else to talk to. The doctors and nurses were always too busy to talk to her and there was no one else in the room.

A nurse came in then. "Good morning Miss." She said politely. Utena smiled.

"Good morning." Utena replied. The nurse looked at her chart.

"Well everything seems to be going well. You're healing nicely. I'll get the doctor to come and look at you later and talk about when to let you go home." The nurse smiled brightly and walked out the door. Utena sighed and looked at the photo.

"I really wish you were here Anthy." She told the picture. "I miss you a lot." She sighed and fell back to sleep. She woke up hours later and tried to move. "Ow." She said as her ribs hurt as she lay back down.

"Now Miss Utena you really should not move." She heard a voice say. Utena sighed.

"I know Anthy but I can't help. I've been laid up in this bed for days now." She said absent mindedly. She thought that the voice was coming from inside her head but then she heard Chu-chu eating. She looked around the room and saw Anthy standing by the window. "Anthy!" she almost screamed. "What…how did you know where I was?" she asked franticly. Anthy smiled at her.

"Aiko told me when I told him I was no longer going to be the Rose Bride and under his control. I missed you Utena." She said and hung her head slightly. Utena looked at the photo by her bed. It was still there and intact. She was not dreaming this time. This time it was real. Utena smiled and tried again to sit up. She wanted to get a better look at Anthy. Anthy came over from the window and gently pushed Utena back down. "Don't worry Utena, I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

It was too much for Utena to bear. She looked into Anthy's eyes and started to cry. Anthy wrapped her arms gently around her and comforted her. "Don't worry; I'll always be here for you. I'll never leave you."