Chapter 1

"Chuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!"

Chu Chu bounced on top of Utena's stomach, trying to get her to wake up. Utena snatched the little blue monkey out of the air before he could bounce again,

"None of that!"

She sat up, her long hair sticking out in places as she glared at her little friend, who cowered. Anthy sat up and smiled a little, rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning,Miss Utena."

Utena smiled and poked her dusky companion on the nose. "Good morning, Himemiya."

She jumped down from the top bunk and passed Anthy her glasses. She thanked Utena and climbed down from the top bunk, putting on her glasses with one hand. Ever since that first night of sleeping in the top bunk with Utena, Anthy had spent every night up there, just sleeping next to Utena. It had been that way for only a month. She pulled her night cap off as she headed towards the bath room, and Utena gasped at seeing Anthy's long purple hair cascade down her shoulders and back in waves.

"Himemiya! Your hair is so...so...-beautiful-! Why don't you wear it like that all the time?"

Anthy's dark cheeks reddened a bit as she blushed and looked away.

"Well, I try not to draw attention to myself,Miss Utena, and my hair could do that. Not many people have hair as long as mine...It might attract...unwanted attention."

Utena smiled a little and nodded. "I understand. But please where it down today for school? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

Anthy giggled and nodded. "All right, Miss Utena. For today, then. For you."

Utena grinned then grabbed a clean uniform jacket and her red spandex shorts then went into the bathroom to change. Anthy smiled and changed into her school uniform, then brushed her hair out, helping it shimmer and shine. She looked in the mirror before putting her glasses on, then taking them off again. She folded them and put them in her pocket, looking in the mirror and smiling a little. She ran her hand through her hair and waited for Utena to come out of the bathroom.

When she did, she had a towel on her head, hiding most of her face and all of her hair.

"Himemiya? You'd never laugh at me...wouldja?"

Anthy smiled at her.

"I promise not to laugh at you if you do not laugh at me, Miss Utena."

Utena took a deep breath before then dropped the towel, revealing her hair cut short to shoulder length. Anthy raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"I like it, Miss Utena, but why did you cut it?"

She stepped forward and ran her fingers through Utena's hair, seeing how it looked. Utena blushed a little at the feel of Anthy's gentle fingers going through her hair, and felt the closeness of Anthy's body as she stood on tip toe and examined the work that Utena did on her hair.

"W-well, I just thought that if you were going to change, even a little, for me, then I should change too!"

Anthy giggled a little, and Utena felt a smile play across her lips.

"Oh Miss Utena...here, let me fix it for you."

She pushed Utena into a chair in front of the mirror and began cutting away, making Utena's light pink hair shorter and shorter, until it was just as short as Miki's. Utena looked at herself in the mirror as Anthy brushed Utena's bangs away, so that they fell in front of her face more, so the cowlicks were gone and they just fell in front of her eyes. Utena couldn't see, but then Anthy cut them away so they were able to be down but not in her eyes.

"Oh Anthy....I love it..."

Utena liked how it felt, the cool air on her neck. Anthy brushed the cut hair off of Utena's shoulders and front, then let her hands rest on her shoulders. Utena reached back and felt the back of her neck, how it felt to have short hair. Her fingers brushed against Anthy's for a moment,before she let her hand rest on the back of her neck.

Anthy put her hand over Utena's, resting it there and smiling at Utena through the mirror. Utena smiled back and stood, grabbing hre book bad and heading for the door. Anthy followed, smiling as Utena waited for her, holding the door open for them.

"Come on, Himemiya! We can't keep our public waiting, now can we?"

She grinned, holding her arm out for Anthy to slip hers through. They looked like a noble couple as they walked along, Utena's fangirls crowding around. They all gasped in seeming awe of how beautiful Anthy looked today, and how good looking Utena was with her new hair. They followed along as Anthy and Utena walked towards their first class, oo-ing and aww-ing and making the rumor mill go like crazy at how much like a couple Utena and Anthy looked.

Anthy felt light headed then as she saw a strange vision flash before her eyes. She was in a ballroom full of people, dancing with a woman in a military dress uniform. It was Utena, but they were older, and a sense of nobility and royalty was about the both of them as they danced. Anthy herself was in a beautiful white gown, her neck and ears bedecked with rare jewels.

Everything began to swirl together and Anthy fell into darkness, blood seeping from her nose, but she felt strong,gentle arms catch her. When she woke, it was to Utena's urgent,almost scared sounding voice.

"Himemiya?! Himemiya,wake up! Please, Himemiya!"

She felt gentle hands patting her cheek and her eyes flutterd open. Above her, the worried faces of Utena and Wakaba Shinohara,Utena's best friend, were there. Worry creased poor Wakaba's innocent features and fear was in her big brown eyes. Utena held Anthy's head in her lap, her own robin's egg blue eyes awash with worry. "Are you all right, Himemiya? You really had us worried."

She smiled a little, petting Anthy's cheek.

"At least you're all right, what happened?"

Anthy blinked up at the two girls above her, then sat up, holding her head.

"I'm so sorry,Miss Utena,fainting like that! I'm sorry..."

She stood and bowed to her two companions. "Forgive me."

Utena smiled and shook her head. "There's nothing to forgive, right Wakaba?"

Wakaba bobbed her head up and down, her ponytail dancing as it went. "Sure! But are you sure you're okay, Anthy?"

Anthy straightened and smiled. "Oh,I'm fine, thank you. I just had a dizzy spell. I'll be fine now. Thank you for your concern, Wakaba, but you needn't have worried."

Utena tilted her head a bit as they began to walk again, now her attention was on Anthy as she just gave idle waves to the fangirls that greeted them. "Okay..but take it easy today, okay? Tell someone if you get dizzy again, okay Himemiya?"

Anthy nodded with a small smile that made Utena's cheeks redden a little. "Yes,Miss Utena."

A sigh. "Please,Himemiya, please stop calling me 'Miss' Utena? Please?"

Anthy tilted her head. "But Miss Utena, I am eng-MMPH!"

Utena grabbed Anthy around the shoulders with one arm and covered her mouth with the other, bringing her lips right up next to Anthy's ear, making the dark girl shiver and warm up a little ...'downstairs.'

"Wakaba doesn't know about the rules, remember? You can't say you're engaged to me in front of her."

Anthy nodded and Utena released her. Wakaba tilted her head at the other girls, then pouted.

"Heeeey! You're hiding something from me, Utena! What is it! Tell meeee!"

She jumped on Utena's back, taking the advantage of her now exposed neck to bury her face in it. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!!!!"

Utena staggered around, trying to get her balance.

"Wakabaaaaa! You're HEAVY!! Really! There isn't anything to tell! AAAIIIYYEEEEOWWICH!"

Wakaba also took the opportunity of Utena's exposed neck to bite down on it. Hard. Utena stopped dead and let out another scream. Anthy gasped, along with moset of Utena's fangirls, some of them breaking out into giggles. Utena had one eye shut almost all the way while the other eye was as wide as it could be.

Wakaba gnawed at her neck until she felt strong yet gentle hands pull her off.Wakaba turned around to see who had pulled her off when she came face to face with a pale girl with deep brown eyes and blue waist length hair. Her eyes showed no emotion as she looked into Wakaba's eyes, asking in a silky soft yet dangerous voice.

"Is there a problem here?"

Wakaba shook her head and retreated to Utena, who was rubbing the red bite mark on her neck, and pulled away from the girl's grip.She leveled her icy gaze first on Wakaba,then Utena, then Anthy, and that is where her gaze stayed until Utena's voice broke the silence.

"Who are you?" Was all she could manage when the girl turned her eyes on her.

"Heime. Heime Sakuya. You must be Utena Tenjou, the 'hero' of the junior high class."

Heime's eyes turned back to Anthy's and Anthy realized that the girl knew her too, as the Bride, but knew she wouldn't say so.Anthy could sense something odd about her,and a shiver crept down her spine as she looked into Heime's eyes. Utena gave a small, confident smile and a short bow, which Heime did not return.

"It's nice to meet you, Heime. This is Wakaba Shinohara, and this is Anthy Himemiya. Thanks for pulling Wakaba off of me, she would have started sucking my blood in a few seconds!"

Heime gave a small,humorless smile and nodded,inclining her head a little. Anthy could sense the glimmer of magic surrounding this girl, and took the chance of looking her over. She wore a black school coat with a midnight blue trim, white creased pants, and shined black shoes. Before she could think, Anthy spoke up, asking "Are you a member of the Student Council, Miss Heime?"

Heime's eyes once again lingered on Anthy's and answered,"No, and I've no intention of joining it. I'm new here, anyway."

Utena nodded, a small smile on her face, then she looked at the large clock situated on the wall.

"Uh oh! We're going to be late!"

She gave a short bow to Heime,who again did not return it, then grabbed Wakaba's and Anthy's hands, pulling them along to class as she called to Heime over her shoulder, "It was nice meeting you!"

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"She's weak looking. How can you even think of -her- winning duels?"

Heime lay on a bed with crumpled white sheets, and she wore just about nothing. She didn't bother to cover herself as she sat up, looking at Akio,who sat in a nearby chair, his ruffled shirt open and hils legs crossed over one another. He smiled a soft smile, one that could make a stone melt, but it did nothing to Heime's icy heart. She went over and settled herself in his lap, draping her pale arms over his shoulders.

"Don't underestimate the power of Dios. She wields it,and it helps her. The power is not her own in reality, it can be beaten. All you must do is attack her heart."

"The Rose Bride."

"Yes. Without the bride, Utena Tenjou is nothing. Take Anthy Himemiya from her and you will be unstoppable."

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"AIYEEEEEEE!! KILL IT! KILL IT!!"

Utena was afraid of very few things in this mortal worl, but the thing she was afraid of most, the bane of her existance,was in the room, keeping her huddled on a chair. It was a spider. Anthy ran out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her. When Utena saw her in such a fasion, (since she's never seen the all conservative Anthy in nothing but full clothing or a nightgown...) she blushed bright red and the spider was forced out of her mind.

"Miss Utena! What's the matter?"

Utena shook herself, trying to ignore how she noticed Anthy's towel slipping a little...

"Uh...um...there's a s-spider..."

Anthy's eyebrows went up a little in surprise at Utena being afraid of a spider...when she looked down to see the tarantula moving around on the floor, which was, indeed, one of Anthy's many pets.

"Oh Miss Utena, it's just Zinth, my pet spider! He's nothing to be afraid of,Miss Utena, he doesn't bite."

Utena took a cautious step off the chair but yelped and jumped back on when the big black tarantula scuttled closer. Anthy smiled in amusment,bent over, and scooped the small tarantula up in her gentle hands, which made Utena blush again because she seemed to notice all the more how it made the towel hitch up around Anthy's thighs....she forced herself to avert her gaze, her cheeks deep red. Anthy put Zinth back in his cage and turned just as Utena jumped off the chair, without looking, which made her crash into Anthy. They tumbled to the floor, the impact against the floor jostling the towel open as she landed under Utena.

Their cheeks were crimson and although Utena couldn't -see- anything but Anthy's oh-so-close face, she could feel Anthy's firm breasts pressed against her own.Utena shifted her thigh, trying to help push herself off of Anthy, but that only resulted in her thigh rubbing up against the other girl's, causing a tremor to run up both their bodies. Utena pushed off with her hands, looking away as Anthy got up and re-wrapped the towel around herself.

"I'm so sorry,Miss Utena! I'm so clumsy..."

She hurried into the bathroom to finish her shower and Utena just sighed, the blush going away after a while. Utena had taken a shower before, so she just climbed up into the top bunk and curled up under the blankets, her hands clutching her chest, trying to get her racing heart to calm down. "I like boys..I like boys...I like boys..." She chanted, trying to force the feeling of Anthy under her out of her mind.

"Oh screw it..."

She sighed and closed her eyes, nuzzling her face into her pillow, and fell asleep, dreaming happy things.

--

Heime observed as Anthy stepped out of the bathroom, dropping her towel. Heime didn't flinch, nor did she blush or look away as Anthy began to change into her light blue nightgown. Anthy stepped and turned towards the window, then stepped forward, opening it and spotted Heime, who didn't bother to try and hide herself, as she was sitting on an uppermost tree branch outside her window. Anthy knew that Utena was asleep, so she whispered in a low voice,

"Hello,Miss Heime Sakuya."

Heime stared into Anthy's bright green eyes as she responded,

"Hello,Anthy Himemiya, the Rose Bride."

Heime gave a small smile at the dark girl bathed in moonilight. She was beautiful, just as Akio had said. Heime had noticed this before, during the day, but Utena had pulled her away so fast that Heime hadn't had the chance to get a good look at her. Heime's voice was very soft as she spoke.

"May I sit on the window? This tree is starting to hurt."

Anthy nodded and stepped back,letting the taller,pale girl jump into the room, landing like a cat. She leaned against the window sill, arms folded below her breasts. She looked Anthy over, then her brown eyes turned cold.

"I am challenging Utena Tenjou tomarrow after classes. Start packing your things now, Himemiya, because I do not intend to lose. All right?"

Anthy nodded, taking in the fact that Utena might just lose against Heime. Heime saw the distress in Anthy's eyes, then whispered to her in a gentle voice.

"Don't worry. If she loses, I won't kill you. I'm not a Black Rose Duelist. I don't tape tacky notes in lockers."

Anthy smiled at the remark and nodded, then she spoke up.

"Then I wish you luck in the duels, Miss Heime."

She bowed, and this time, Heime -did- return the bow,albiet a small one. She took a step forward,cupping Anthy's cheek. "I won't mistreat you either..." She gave Anthy's lips a gentle, icy kiss.Anthy's eyes widened and she stiffened, but before she could react, Heime pulled away and was out the window,down the tree, and gone into the night. Anthy looked out the window, searching for Hime, but she caught herself and shut the window with a snap. She lay down in her bottom bunk tonight, and just like Utena above, curled up under the covers. She fell asleep, wondering why her heart had quickened, and then there was just the night.

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"The Bride looks a lot like you, Akio. Are you two related?"

Again, Heime lay sprawled,naked,on Akio's big bed, the dark man with light lilac hair beside her, ruffled shirt gone, red pants undone and down on his hips. He smiled, his lips curling back, making it look more like a smirk than anything.

"No, the Bride and I aren't related, even if we do look alike. Did you watch her tonight?"

Heime nodded, then told him of what he saw between Anthy and Utena. Akio's brow lowered and he began to hum as he though.

"Well then, we'll have to put a stop to such things from happening, now won't we? Did anything else happen?

Heime nodded again, staring up at the ceiling as she spoke.

"She saw me, and we spoke a bit. I informed her of my challenging Tenjou tomarrow, and she wished me luck in the duel."

She decided to omit the kiss, she knew Akio would just be upset, though she had some feeling that he knew anyway. Akio nodded, then a small smile crossed his lips again.

"She's falling back into the role of the Rose Bride. She could sense your magic and strength, she's accepted the possability of you being her new master. This is good. Soon, Revolution will be yours. The power of Dios, will forever be yours."

Heime just closed her eyes as Akio folded her into his muscular arms again, and though of Anthy, and the kiss she had given her.

Author's Note:FINALLY! 3 days of on and off typing has finally payed off!! CHAPTER ONE! Gimme reviews, people! Good or bad! But only CONSTRUCTIVE criticism! Don't just say "You suck" And leave it at that! Tell me HOW I suck, and where I sucked, and show me how i can stop sucking! Arigatou! Bow bow, cat ears bobbing with her head