Disclaimer: Once more, I do not own Utena, or Aladdin. They are simply some of the things I enjoy.

Author's Note: What? Three chapters up already, and 2 in one day? This is unheard of, right? Nah, it's probably pretty common. But while I have the time and the energy, I really want to complete this story. And then maybe I'll post another chapter tonight to the other one, we'll see. Thank you all for sticking by me and being so patient and reading my things, it means a lot to me.

Hopefully this one turns out to your liking like the others have. So let's get to the action, enough rambling!

Away we go!

—

Utena: The Chosen of the Lamp

Chapter 3:Anthy

The next morning…

I had been so tired last night that I passed out as soon as I got back to the dorm. I told that weird girl to make herself comfortable and get in the spare bed for the night, so she could sleep; I don't know if she took my advice or not. But, it was another morning, another day and I needed to get up.

I yawned and stretched, sitting up and placing my legs over the edge of my mattress. Since I slept in the bottom bunk, they touched the floor, and when I opened my eyes, I saw that the girl was already awake and dressed in her uniform. She had made tea for herself and a left a cup sitting there for me, Chu chu was, of course, on the table, eating away a cracker.

I was surprised to see her up, and a little scared that she had managed to do all this before I woke up, and so silently too.

"Good morning Miss Utena." Was all she said.

"Good morning…" I started slowly. I stood up, and it was only then that I realized the whole room had been cleaned and looked pretty spotless too. It looked like new top to bottom, not like the run down old place that I was sleeping in last night. Did she do this? And if so, how?

"I hope you don't mind, I cleaned up a bit around here. It looked like it could use some tidying up." She took a sip of her tea.

"No… of course I don't, it's just… so you did… how did you do all this? When, did you do all this?" I questioned, walking over to the table, and sitting down at the cup set up for me.

"When you were sleeping." She spoke, placing her cup down gently.

"You mean were able to clean this whole room while I was sleeping and not once did you even wake me?" I was a little more than shocked.

"You are a heavy sleeper." She remarked back, in almost a sing song voice.

"I guess I must be." I sat back, taking that in.

"And the tea kettle? How did it not wake me?" I asked, pointing to the cups of tea on the table.

"Hurry Miss Utena, if you don't drink your tea, it will get cold." She avoided my question entirely. My finger drooped and I thought for a moment more, before looking down at the cup, the steam rising up to my face. It was warm.

"Look.." I started and looked at her. I was so tired, I couldn't remember her name. But thankfully, she provided it for me.

"Anthy." She smiled softly, even just a little one curving her lips.

"Anthy." I nodded. "I appreciate that you want to show me some respect, but, could you please.. stop with all the 'Miss Utena' stuff? It's a little weird, you can just call me Utena, okay?" I smiled.

"Yes, Miss Utena." I sighed.

"Guess not." I then fixed the tea just the way I liked it. I took a sip, and then set it down, feeling the soothing, warm feeling go down my throat.

"So.. why are you doing all this? I mean, you could have left earlier this morning when you got up. You didn't have to do all this for me." I said.

"I wanted to." She answered. "So I did it." She added. "Is it not to your liking?" She asked, though it didn't seem like she was concerned too much whether it was or not. She was almost like a robot, of sorts, I mean, if I told her to do something, she'd do it, probably. But… I can't think of her that way. I mean, that's wrong - she's a human being. And treating her like a robot would just be plain cruel.

"Well okay, thanks." I smiled once again and took a sip of my tea, then setting it down. "So… sorry I was so tired last night, otherwise I would have stayed up and talked to get to know more about you." I rubbed the back of my head apologetically.

"It's alright." She said, without missing a beat.

"Well, if you're sure it's okay." I went along with it, moving to my next question. "So.. I haven't seen you around school before, are you new, maybe?" I posed.

"Why would you ask something like that, Miss Utena?" She asked calmly, taking another sip of her tea. She wasn't even making eye contact with me.

"Well it's just… that… you're wearing the girls' uniform of the school I attend, is all." I looked at her outfit.

"I like this." She again, cryptically said.

"Really?" I asked. I was about to continue my thought before, she, surprisingly, interjected.

"Yes -." She was looking at my uniform hanging on a coat hanger. "Why do you wear a boys' uniform, Miss Utena?" She questioned, taking another sip of the tea in her hands.

"Well… uh… because I like to, I guess." I could almost feel the metaphorical sweat drop rolling down the side of my face, and that awkward smile posted all over my expression.

"Precisely." She smiled at me, and then set her teacup down.

There were a few moments of silence before, I decided to ask another question.

"So, um, why were you wandering out there alone at night?" I was a little concerned; You never know what might happen at night and I only wanted her to be safe.

"Why were you?" She threw back at me.

"Well I was just coming from a duel. I don't even wanna think about that anymore." I rolled my eyes, thinking back to it some, and just how weird it really was. "I was glad to be done with it, and was walking my way home, back to the dorm." I answered her question.

"I see." She said.

"So what were you doing outside at that time of night?" I asked again, leaning in a little closer. After a moment, she softly said…

"Mysteries."

"Mysteries? Wha- you mean you don't even know?" I sat back and crossed my arms in disbelief. Was she messing around with me? No, but, she seemed so sincere. Ah well, might as well get to know more about her then.

"So Anthy, are you going to attend Ohtori Academy from now on?" I asked kindly.

"Yes." She answered rather quickly.

"Okay, and where are you going to stay?" I asked.

"Here." She answered again, rather quickly.

"Here?" I asked, a little surprised. "Wait, what do you mean? I'm assigned to live here by myself." I looked at her, confused.

"I think it's best if I am around you, while I am here, which means I will be living with you too. From yesterday on I belong to you, Miss Utena, so it would be silly if I didn't live with you." She was just so… mysterious.

"Right.. Anthy…" I said a little uneasily. Belong to me? No, that's ridiculous, no one human being belonged to another human being. "You don't belong to me. But if you want to live here, then I suppose I don't have objections. It could be kinda fun. I bet we could even be friends." I smiled and she looked at me, perhaps a bit perplexed.

"Friends?" She asked.

"Yes, friends. I think it'd be nice to get along while you stay with me, don't you think?" I laughed a little. And for once, the smile grew a little more than she intended on her face. And though it was quickly growing, she was able to stop it, once her lips visibly curved just a bit.

"Yes, I think that would be nice." She answered back, almost answering my question with the same wording in a statement. She was a puzzle, that I didn't ever intend to figure out - but as long as I am stuck with her, the least I could do was show her what friendship was like. She didn't seem to know what it was the way she looked at me, and I doubt, if I hadn't seen her around school, no one had, and that means she wouldn't know anyone. Well, that just means I'll have to stick by her and make her feel comfortable is all.

"Okay, so what grade are you in Anthy?" I asked.

"Same as you." She answered.

"That means we're the same age. We probably have a lot of classes together." I thought.

"Yes." She agreed.

"I should probably get ready for school." I took one final sip of my tea, and then stood up to get my uniform on. Almost on cue, she took the teacups into the kitchen and began to wash them, poured the rest of the hot water down the sink, and set the kettle back on the stovetop. That gave me just enough time to get my uniform on, and grab my bag full of books and the lamp. Anthy grabbed her bag, and we were out the door and on our way to school.

—

At school…

As we were walking into school, it was rather quiet. I couldn't think of anything to say to her, and she, I guess, couldn't think of anything to say to me. So there was no conversation, and for a moment I was able to enjoy some peace. I had slept well, so I didn't feel tired, just well rested. She followed close behind me, which made me just a tad uneasy. I had hoped she'd walk right next to me.

But suddenly…

"Utena!" I heard a voice cry out, and before I could turn around to see who had called me, she leaped into the air and onto my back. I smiled.

"HI Wakaba." I muttered under her weight.

"I knew you were my true love!" She exclaimed.

"What did I do this time?" I asked.

"What? The whole school is talking about it. They all say that they heard you beat Saionji in a duel. That's unheard of. Saionji is the Vice President of the Student Council and Captain of the Kendo Team here at Ohtori, and no one has ever beat him in a duel before. But now you have. And you did it all for me! Utena!" She cried and hugged me tighter.

"Ah… it was nothing, I guess. To tell you the truth, I was just settling the score with him, I don't even know how I won." I smiled. "But I'm glad I did, and I'm glad I made you feel better." That was all that mattered. Suddenly, Wakaba quieted and let go, pointing a curious finger at the girl, now, standing next to me.

"Who's your friend, Utena?" She asked.

"Wakaba, this is Anthy Himemiya. Anthy, this is my best friend Wakaba." I introduced them.

"Hello." Anthy said.

"Nice to meet you." Wakaba said back. "So, where did she come from?" Was her next question.

"Well uh, she sorta found her way into the school and needed a place to stay. So I thought she could stay with me because you know my room has an extra bed and I don't have a roommate." I laughed nervously. I needed to come up with something or Wakaba might get all suspicious.

"Oh okay, well that's really nice of you Utena. You're always so kind." She smiled.

"Yes, she is." Anthy agreed. I blushed a bit.

"Well, wherever you came from, I sure hope you like Ohtori. It's big and beautiful, especially all the roses." Wakaba remarked.

"I'm sure I will like it here. Roses are beautiful." She smiled at Wakaba, who smiled back at her.

"Well, thank you Utena, I didn't get a chance to say it to you since you stuck up for me. But hey, I gotta go! I have to be somewhere. So I'll see you later Utena, nice to meet you Anthy!" She waved and ran off.

"She seems nice." Anthy said, after a moment.

"She is. That's Wakaba for you. You never can keep her in one place for too long. She's a really good friend." I smiled, recounting some of the memories in my head of the good times we've had here.

"Okay." Anthy answered in that same almost sing-song tone of voice.

And it was then, without another moment to pass, and without any more conversation, that we made our way to our morning classes.

—

At lunchtime…

The bell rang for lunch and I stretched as I got up from the desk I'd been sitting at too long. I packed my books into my bag and thought for a moment where I'd like to eat lunch today. The spot in the Rose Garden seemed like a good one. Nice and quiet, with no one to disturb me.

Checking that I had packed my lunch that I made the previous night and that it was in my bag, which it was, I closed up my bag and placed it on my back, for my next stop: The Rose Garden. But, as I turned around, I was met by a pair of jade green eyes, and a form a little smaller than me in height. It was Anthy.

"Anthy..?" I seemed a little surprised to see her.

"Hello Miss Utena." She greeted.

"I thought you would already be at lunch or something." I remarked.

"I have my lunch right here." She said. I looked down to her folded hands, which, did have her lunch in them. It was in a box, to keep it fresh. I looked back up, our gazes meeting.

"I see." Was the only thing I could say. "Well… I was just going to the Rose Garden for lunch, if you want you can join me. I mean it's quiet there, and hardly anyone ever comes in to disturb you. It's peaceful, and the best part is, it smells like flowers. I mean, I've never been big on flowers, myself, but the scent of roses always gets to me somehow." I trailed.

"Eating in the Rose Garden sounds lovely." She said awaking me from my daydream.

"Alright, then let's go to the Rose Garden." I smiled and we started to walk over there.

—

We sat on the floor and opened up our lunches, the door closed, the sun coming in through the glass that surrounded us, and the scent of flowers sifting in the air. It was serene.

I took a bite of the sandwich I had made for myself, and began to talk.

"I really don't know that much about you." I said, mouth half full of food.

She began to set up her lunch and answered back, "What would you like to know, Miss Utena?" She said kindly.

"Well, let's see… I know your name. We're the same age. In the same classes. You're living with me now.. hm.. where are you from?" I asked, thinking of what I could ask her, having swallowed the piece of food that was in my mouth.

"Not too far." She said vaguely. Well I suppose I wasn't really going to get to know her until time passed and did its think. You can't force a friendship after all. So I sighed and thought of something, more out of the ordinary to ask her. I looked at my open bag and saw the lamp, that's it!

"Hey Anthy." I started.

"Yes?" She answered.

"If you were given a magical lamp with a genie inside, what would you wish for?" I asked creatively.

"What?" She looked at me, perhaps a little confused.

"I said, if you were given a magical lamp, with a genie inside of it that could grant you any three wishes, what would you wish for?" I asked again.

"Well.. I…" She took a moment, tapped her chin, and looked around the Rose Garden to think. Had I finally stumped her? Then she looked back down and finished unpacking her lunch, closing the lunchbox she had it in. "I suppose whatever you could think of is fine. I think you have some lovely ideas." She said softly.

"What? But, Anthy… it's not up to me. It's your choice, your decision, your… wish. I can't make that for you, it just wouldn't be right." I pleaded. I looked at her, and she finally looked up at me and caught my gaze. After a moment of her eyes twinkling, I finally saw her start to move her lips to answer me.

But instead, what came out was.. "It wouldn't be right?" She asked.

"No, it wouldn't be right." I stated. "You can't make your mind up for someone else. You have to let them decide. When you wish for something, it's because you want it to come true, not anyone else. So think of something you want more than anything else in this entire world, and tell me, what would you wish for?" I asked, curious.

She took a moment and looked down, mumbling: "Freedom." She said even more softly than she normally would speak.

"Freedom?" I just barely caught what she said, she nodded. But why freedom? "Anthy…" I started to say.

"Yes, Miss Utena?" She continued in that same low, soft tone she just had.

I was about to ask why, but looking at her, she seemed to almost be in pain, in some kind of sorrow, or agony. In some kind of thoughtful mood, and if I were to disturb that and ask why then it might make her cry or even more upset than she appeared to be - and I didn't want to do that. She adjusted her gaze at me, and though I felt this aura of sadness coming off of her, in her eyes, she seemed fine, as she always was.

I looked at her and she looked at me, and then I finally said…

"You don't have to tell me." I smiled softly. "Nevermind." I shook my head.

"Okay." She just agreed.

There was a few more moments of silence, where I began to cram the food into my mouth and wash it down with the water bottle drink I brought. And only after finishing my final sip and swallowing all that was in my mouth did she set down her drink and ask me a question.

"Miss Utena." She called.

"What is it?" I answered.

"You mentioned before you were coming from a duel." She stated.

"Yes, last night." I nodded.

"Do you fight these duels often?" She asked.

"No, last night was just something I did for my friend. The friend you met earlier, Wakaba." I said, casually.

"I see, you were fighting for your friend then?" She asked.

"Yes." I said.

"Okay." She said. "Did something happen?" She then continued, slowly.

"Well…" I began. "I guess it could have been spared the fight now that I think about it, but I guess something did happen and at the time it was a pretty big deal to me." I rubbed the back of my head with a small laugh.

"What happened, Miss Utena?" She continued, just a bit curiously.

"Well that guy I was fighting against, his name is Saionji. And he's a real jerk. I mean, you heard Wakaba before, he's the Vice President of the Student Council and the Captain of the Kendo Team, so he thinks he's big stuff, and some of the girls here obviously think he is too." I rolled my eyes. Just thinking about him made me a little bothered.

"I see." She nodded. "And Wakaba?" She continued.

"Wakaba - I think she has feelings for that creep. Well, I think he's a creep, she, for whatever reason, sees something in him that she likes, that I guess I just don't. Anyways, the big jerk broke her heart right in front of me, she ran off crying and I had to do something about it. So I did it the only way I knew he'd understand, with fighting. He's the one who said it was a duel in the first place and told me to meet him in that weird place after school." I explained.

"Weird place?" She asked.

"Yes, there's a dueling arena forest not too far from the school. And I met him up there for the duel like he asked. I brought a kendo stick with me, and he brought his sword, which you saw me carrying last night when we… met." I paused, thinking. "He had us each wager something of importance to us. So he chose his special sword and I chose my lamp." I said.

"Lamp." She stated, but tried to make it seem like it was a question.

"Yeah, this one." I took it out gently from my bag, and it looked a little less dusty than the last I saw it. Her eyes widened. "This is a souvenir that Wakaba got for me when she went to India recently. Everyone keeps telling me that it holds some really powerful genie with magical powers that can grant me any three wishes I want. Kinda strange huh?" I laughed.

"Yes, I suppose it does seem strange." She agreed. "So how did you win the duel?" She asked, bringing me back to the topic of the duel.

"Oh right - uh, actually I don't know. Saionji had managed to split my wooden blade into two pieces and I thought it was all over after that. So I closed my eyes and wished for the power to win the duel, and the next thing I knew I won, even with the two halves of the kendo blade. I guess either luck was on my side, or that was some kind of miracle." I smiled.

"You wished for the power?" She asked, though it seemed more like a statement in some way.

"Yeah, and I guess I must have got it." I was happy that I did, and was able to restore Wakaba's happiness and her honor.

"Yes you did." She said. I looked at her a little puzzled at what she meant. But then she continued, "Miss Utena, there's something I must tell you…" She started.

I listened in, "What is it Anthy?" I asked.

But before she could tell me, the bell rang for lunchtime to be over and our return to classes.

"Shoot there's the bell. I guess you'll just have to wait to tell me after school, sorry Anthy." I apologized and packed up my things and stood up. She did so as well.

"That's quite alright, Miss Utena. I suppose, some other time, then." She stated kindly, as her eyes looked downward. "Are we off to class now?" She asked me, quietly.

"Yeah, we gotta go back now." I nodded and we were to return to classes for the rest of the afternoon. But, what did Anthy want to tell me?

—

Author's Note: Things are getting interesting~. Are they not?

Wanna find out what happens? Then stay tuned for the next installment of this story series.

The absolute destiny apocalypse~. ^-^