Disclaimer: I do not own Revolutionary Girl Utena or Aladdin. All rights go to Disney and the makers of Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Author's Note: Hey sorry guys, I totally fell off track with this story didn't I? But I've decided I need to finish it. I just have a lot of things going on in my life currently and it will only continue to get busier, plus when you have the energy to work on a story you want to work on the one that is more fresh in your mind, which unfortunately, sometimes leaves these types of stories on the back burner. But I am more determined now than ever now that I have reread and reminded myself what needs to be done with this story.

So let's go on with the rest of it, I hope you enjoy. Sorry that the updates took so long, but I never intended this to be a long story to begin with.

—

Utena: The Chosen of the Lamp

Chapter 5: A Friendship, Absent

So today was the big day of the duel. I was up, surprisingly, at 8 am, and Anthy, was up way before me, despite going to bed later that night. I couldn't figure her out; was she a night owl or an early bird? Well, I suppose someone could be both. And that someone if I'd ever seen it was Anthy.

I yawned when I first woke up and decided to head to the shower area to take a quick shower. Once that was done, I dried off and got dressed in my clothes, and walked into the room, drying my hair. It was quite long, so it took a little longer to dry than the rest of me. She smiled softly as I entered the room and as I found eye contact with her, I smiled as well.

"Good morning Miss Utena. How did you sleep?" She asked. I saw her in the kitchen before I left to shower, and now, as I walked in, I saw her walk over to the table in the main room and set down a tray with two cups of tea on it, and some other breakfast items. There was even a little cookie pouch for Chu-Chu as he would be joining us for breakfast soon enough.

"I slept alright, I guess." I answered her causally and took a seat by the table. The smell of the tea permeated the air and I couldn't help but close my eyes a bit to enjoy it. Not only that but the warmth radiated all the way up to the skin on my face and after a shower that always felt nice. I began to fix it with the sugar she had set out and the milk cup she had put milk into as well. Things had really changed since Anthy had been here and this morning routine was something I could really get used to.

Well, being that it had been several months since Anthy first came to live with me, I would say I am quite used to it now. She was always so thoughtful and knew exactly what to do even when I didn't ask her. Oh - she wasn't my servant or anything, but I'd come to think of her as more than just a roommate, definitely.

"Good." She answered me.

"How did you sleep?" I asked. And then I paused for a moment looking at her. "Wait, did you even get to sleep, Anthy?" I asked, curiously.

She nodded, and perhaps this time let a small giggle sneak by. Although it was faintly heard, I caught it and that just made me smile more. The sound of her laugh was something I'd never heard over the time I'd known her and it was a great sound to hear finally. "I did get some sleep. And I slept just fine, thank you." She said so politely. Where was this girl raised, in a palace or something? I was beginning to think she was some kind of classically trained princess. I blinked.

"Well that's good. I don't want you to be all exhausted today if you didn't get any sleep. And besides. it's not healthy to stay up all night." I remarked and she seemed perplexed. I wasn't looking at her because I was busy setting up my breakfast plate to eat but she looked at me doing so, in puzzlement. No one had really ever been worried about her like that before. She founded it strange, a new feeling she'd have to get used to, that someone was actually concerned for her well-being, and though she couldn't understand it, it made her even the slightest bit more relaxed. She felt this warm feel welling up inside her, and though she might not have been able to recognize it on her own, to anyone else it would have been seen as happiness.

Happiness to Anthy was one of those things that she saw happening to other people and just never wondered nor thought it could happen to herself. She knew that there was happiness in the world, that sometimes people experience these sensations of being happy. She knew what happiness was, a feeling, but she could never have pictured herself feeling this way. And furthermore, she would never have felt this way when someone was worrying about her.

She'd been so used to being used. She was so used to being passed around from person to person, and though she usually blocked out her memories of the things that people have made her do, the wishes and desires of others she had made come true for those others she used to 'belong' to, she had never once been worried about and looked after in the manner that I was doing for her, even if I was unaware of what I was doing.

No of all her previous 'masters' she'd been with me currently the longest. And to Anthy that was something special, she was liking the time she was getting outside of her life of servitude to others. She liked the time she was spending with me, just the same as I was liking the time I got to spend with her. And though she was still quite a mystery to me, I knew somewhere deep inside Anthy was happy to be my friend, right?

"Don't worry about me, Miss Utena." She said in her usual way. "I will be just fine. Did you get enough sleep?" She asked in return. I don't know if that was her way of saying she was worried about me or if she was just making conversation. I could never really tell with Anthy. She was always so nonchalant and cordial… it was hard enough to decipher the look on her face that hardly ever changed too much. But I had every faith that Anthy returned the same feelings to me, that I felt for her right?

"Yeah, I got enough sleep, thanks Anthy. And thanks for this amazing breakfast and tea. After eating this, there's no way I won't be able to stand up to Touga." I chuckled a bit, trying to pump myself up for this battle. It wasn't something I was looking forward to, that's for sure. I was trying my best to think about this from any perspective I could; why in the world would Touga want to fight me? It seemed so random and it just didn't make any sense. But I knew that there was no getting out of it; if it's one thing about the President that I know, it's that when his mind is made up, it's made up. He's determined, for certain.

Anthy blinked as she watched me think really hard about this. She decided to chime in to make sure I was okay. "Miss Utena?" She began.

"Yes?" I answered snapping back to reality.

"Are you alright?" She asked. "You seem worried." She said quietly taking a sip of her tea.

"I'm fine. It's just Touga… I can't see why he would suddenly approach me and wager a battle against me like that. He doesn't seem like the type to fight for no reason, so there must be something he wants. But I can't put my finger on it." I tapped my chin in thought. She suggested something out of the blue.

"Perhaps… he wants possession of you." She said.

I blinked and my eyes went a little wide. "Say what? He wants possession of me?" I pointed to myself almost falling over. Chu-Chu was climbing the leg of the table now to reach the cookies set out for him.

"Yes." She continued calmly. "Perhaps he wishes to possess you as his own, and that is why he wishes to battle you. It's the same with any other thing is it not?" Anthy continued and I just listened to what she was saying. "When two swordsman battle for an object, the winner takes the object. So perhaps that object is you." She spoke. I think this is the longest I've ever heard her speak at once. I blinked.

"You mean he's dueling for my freedom? But Touga isn't that type of guy…" I thought out loud. A pause and then. "Is he…?"

Anthy didn't even miss a beat with this answer. "Who's to say?" She said calmly. "It is only a suggestion, Miss Utena. It doesn't have to be the truth. I was merely thinking about what his motive could be, since you seem to wish to think about it." Anthy stated as she took a bite of a piece of her toast on her plate.

"Yeah, I was just trying to make sense of it Anthy… but that doesn't mean that you have to think about it. You can sit here and enjoy breakfast, read one of your magazines. I don't want you stressing out about this too. After all, it is my duel. He did challenge me." I rubbed the back of my head, saying kindly. Man, she was really extreme wasn't she? You say one thing and she does the thing, but to its most extreme extent. I could feel a sweat drop forming if this conversation continued.

"If you wish me to stop, then I'll stop. It is awfully kind of you to consider my well-being Miss Utena, but really, I was only trying to help." She spoke calmly. And she was back to being cryptic. You'd think knowing her for a few months would at least help you out when she says these weird things, but no, it doesn't.

"Okay then." Was the only thing I could come up with.

But then I thought: What if Anthy's right? What if Touga is dueling me to have possession of me… well wait, you can't possess another human being so does that mean he's after my hand…? That must be it! He's always hovering around me, and kissing my hand, I bet he's after dating me. That jerk. He's just the same as Saionji sometimes, I swear. Well, no matter, I'll try my best to win so that I won't become his. Because if I lose, it's all over…

I looked a little worried as I munched on a piece of my toast and stared at the table. Anthy smiled and said softly…

"Don't worry Miss Utena, I wish you luck." She said. "You'll do great, I know you will." Anthy was giving me a vote of confidence. Which I suppose I was thankful for, but still, even this for her seemed a bit out of her character. Could it have been that since she and I had been spending so much time around one another for so long she was finally beginning to come out of her shell a bit? Could it be she was finally showing me what she was like on the inside beside the pleasant guard she put up for herself?

Well, maybe I could try this now that it had been a while of being together…

"Thanks." There was another pause before I rubbed my arm awkwardly and started. "Hey… Anthy." I said. She answered me just as slowly, the only sound in the room was Chu-Chu munching on his cookies loudly.

"Yes, Miss Utena?" She answered.

"We've been together for quite a while now…" I trailed and she picked up on my thought.

"Yes, that's right, we have, Miss Utena." She nodded, confirming that.

"So I was wondering if I could ask you a question." I continued and slowly looked up to meet her gaze. Her eyes were just as empty as they always were and she took a pause, as usual, before she answered me. Though her green eyes were gleaming in the sunlight coming through the window, they never shined in the manner that anyone else's I've seen would. Why? I stared at them for a moment before her expression changed and she said, softly:

"Why of course. You can ask me anything, Miss." She said.

"Okay. If you say so." I started and she could see I was uneasy. Still, she remained unmoving and I just found it within myself to continue. "Well, some people have told me that you don't have a will of your own. I never brought it up because I didn't know how to tell you and I didn't want to hurt your feelings. But, I guess what I'm asking is…" I tried to phrase it right, the way I wanted to phrase it. I couldn't believe I was actually having this conversation with her right now, especially when I was the one who believed she had to be a regular, normal teenage girl like me.

"If they're right?" She completed the question for me. I looked at her, my eyes had gleams of surprise and shock in them all the same. They were moving a little in a bit of a panic; I'd hate to think that I just upset her or ruined what we have over a simple question like that. Then again, I could see how it might hurt her feelings. But Anthy wasn't the type to show her feelings to anyone, really, not even me, right? So then…

"No, well. I guess what I am asking is if things bother you. You know? Doesn't when someone destroys flowers make you angry? Or when someone says things about you make you hurt or sad? They're always telling me how you don't have a will of your own and you listen to the person you're attached to or living with, but I always think they're wrong. I tell them they have to be wrong. I mean, what a thing to say about someone who is a human being. I mean, I believe you have feelings and thoughts and a will of your own. You have to. You're a human being Anthy and you don't belong to me. The only person you belong to is yourself." I crossed my arms, she had to hear me and know that. She had to know what I felt.

I don't know why I was taking such a stance on this matter, as if it bothered me so passionately when it never had before, but I suppose now it was bothering me just that much. Anthy had become closer to my heart no doubt, she was my friend, so that's why I was so willing to protect her. She looked at me for a moment, and for a minute there I thought I saw surprise in her eyes, but within the next minute they changed back to how they usually looked and she sighed and said…

"If you say so, Miss Utena." She totally didn't address anything I just said. "People will say what people say, we do an awful lot of talking, don't we?" She said so causally as if this was some sort of joke. I stood up a little flustered.

"Yeah but Anthy!" My hands were drawn into my chest in little fists and my arms were at my torso to my form. She watched me do this. "Don't you care about what they're saying about you? I mean, you have to care about it. It's not right. I'll always stand up for you, but sometimes you need to stand up for yourself. After all, you have a will of your own. You're just a regular girl like me, I know that behind that face you put on there has to be a will there. There has to be feelings there, I know things make you unhappy or upset. I know things make you angry. I just know it." I stood there for a minute and she looked at me for another minute. Several beats of time had passed before she took a sip of her tea and Chu-Chu fell onto the table, having finished all his cookies. She gently reached down to rub his stomach with one of her fingers and he relaxed.

For a moment she didn't say anything, but then she said:

"A regular girl, just like you." I supposed I was hearing her thoughts out loud. But it wasn't an answer still. So I sighed and sat back down to finish eating my breakfast before I had to really get ready to go in a few hours. And after another moment of silence between I said:

"I care about you Anthy. You make me happy, than anyone has ever made me." I told her what I thought was true. "You're my best friend, so yes you're a person who I would love to continue to get to know." I took another bite of another piece of toast on my plate, although cold now. I chewed and she looked up at me, saying slowly:

"Friend?" She said it like a question. "We're best friends?" She said again.

I nodded.

"I see." She said cryptically. "Thank you Miss Utena." And just as I was about to ask for what, she continued: "For being my friend." She smiled, a full smile for once.

Anthy…

I thought and slowly a smile formed on my face as well. My heart may have skipped a beat in that moment watching her smile like that. I couldn't explain but I knew I wanted to keep her around here, having tea and breakfast with her forever. As long as we attended Ohtori Academy, we weren't ever going to be apart. I wanted to protect her, just like I wanted to protect my dreams of being a prince.

—

A few hours later, noon at the Dueling Arena…

I showed up to the dueling arena with Anthy by my side and it seemed as I entered Touga was already standing there waiting for me. The wind blew dramatically through his hair and mine as I slowly approached the center of the arena in which we were to be fighting. He had a sheathed sword in his hands, and I had Saionji's with me as well.

He smirked as I stopped walking standing a few feet apart from him in the center of the place. And like before, there was that same weird trick of the light again. As I had stopped walking it fell onto us, the dark sky, the stars and the moon above head. I looked up and then back down quickly as to not become distracted by it. Anthy didn't seem fazed.

"So you've come." He said a moment later.

"You challenged me, and said it was necessary. How could I not?" I spoke next. "What is it you want Touga? This doesn't make any sense." I decided to ask him straight out.

"There is something you have that I want, and I know I must duel you for it." He smirked. I saw it though he was trying to keep it down. "We will wager something on this duel just like the last time. What is your wager?" He asked me straight out. The wind continued.

I took down the bag off my shoulder and placed it on the ground. Slowly I stood back up.

"I wager my sword I won off Saionji." I stated bravely to him, never breaking eye contact. Anthy looked at me, surprised, seemingly more surprised than she'd ever been, even though she was standing behind me, and I couldn't see her.

"Quite a bold wager, Utena." He commended me. I wondered what he was going to wager. "I wager my Student Council President title, against your sword. I think that's a fair wager." He stated bravely as well.

"You what?" I was surprised. "You wager your Student Council tile on this battle? Touga, you've always been on the council, that position means everything to you." I made that apparent to him. He closed his eyes for a moment and then reopened them a moment later.

"That's just how serious I am Utena. I'm willing to risk my title on this duel to get what I want." He said next. I couldn't explain why but I felt sad, somewhat, after he said that.

"Well I suppose if you're that serious." I looked off to the side.

"I'll be a good sport and allow you to fight with the sword you wagered. I mean is Saionji can do it, then so can you. And if I don't you'd be defenseless. And despite what this duel may say about me, I really don't want to hurt you Utena." He was telling the truth, but at this moment I didn't know if I could trust he was sincere.

"How kind of you." I remarked, sort of, sarcastically.

"That's just the kind of guy I am." He boasted.

"Enough talk. Let's duel." I said. I just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. I didn't like the idea that I had to fight Touga and more than that I didn't like the idea of waging Saionij's weapon that I'd won off him. It might have come in handy, but, the way I look at it is this: The lamp was a souvenir brought back to me from India and it was a special item that Wakaba wouldn't want me to lose or give away. I had nothing else to my name when I fought Saionji that first time but the lamp, but thankfully I won. At least if I lost the sword, I would still have my lamp which seemed to mean everything to Wakaba, and it meant a lot to me too. I couldn't explain why either but I feel like the lamp needed to be kept safe, just like Anthy. So much so that it reminded me of her, and I wasn't trying to lose Anthy.

He smirked. And with that smirk and the blowing of the wind, so too did the roses appear in our pockets once more and the bells ring signifying the start of the duel. As soon as those bells rang, Touga didn't hang back. He came at me fast and strong. Not that I expected he would hold back at all, but, I wasn't expecting him to be this skilled and so fast either. I always pictured Touga as the intelligent but flirtatious type that only does sword fighting in his spare time, not to be as good as Saionji! But then, I guess things always will surprise you about people, especially at Ohtori Academy.

I was dodging his strikes as they were coming, turning in every position to protect my rose from being cut from my chest. Those were the rules after all, and if I could only manage to get inside his strikes his rose would be mine. But, it was clear now that that wasn't going to be so easy. I know I said I'd win, but I wasn't so sure anymore with the way he was performing.

It went on like this for several minutes. He dashed and jabbed and swiped at me, and I dodged and blocked and parried everything he was throwing onto me. He simply wasn't letting up and I could tell why anyone would have a hard time going up against Touga now. He didn't break his concentration one bit, and for someone who usually loves to talk and say all kinds of things, he was being quiet for once. That's how I knew this battle just got even more serious than it was just before. I couldn't lose.

I started to jump back and dash and jab at him, going on the offensive. He blocked and parried, taking steps back finding it impressive that I had managed to turn the tide and switch up the pace with just some mere footwork. Now he was speaking to me.

"Impressive Utena. I didn't take you to be this skilled with swords. Then again, you beat Saionji, so I suppose you're performing just as expected." He said. I was so concentrated, I didn't let that faze me, and as a result I said nothing. I just continued to come at him, and he continued to do what he needed to do in order to make this into a real challenge for me. He switched it up again and once more he was on the offense. He took a hard jab that would have hit me had I not flipped back in the air to dodge. He missed and watched as I did this, waiting for me to land on my feet. From there, I pushed forward and dashed at him as quick as I could, but as I came into his close quarters, he simply stood still with his sword down as if he were going to drop it. He opened his arms, which threw me off. I wasn't expecting him to do that!

Had he just given up?

Altogether I had stopped my running and started a slow walk towards him, a little surprised why he would do such a thing. And I had come so close to him with my sword raised at him. If he wasn't going to continue in the sword fight, then what was the point of striking his rose? There was no point to this match in my eyes to begin with, so what would be the point of slashing his rose? He was my friend and to raise a blade against a friend isn't something I would do, I didn't want to do it. Anthy seemed surprised, watching behind me with an expression that only Touga could see at the moment. Though her mouth was closed and the rest of her was unmoving, her eyes contained a little bit of water and were a little wider than usual. She… was worried about me.

Nonetheless I stopped right before him, within his arms. He waited a moment before he wielded his sword and cut the rose from my chest with one stroke. The petals blew in the wind, and the bells rang signifying the end of the duel. He hugged me close and played with a few strands of my hair between his fingers as he said softly:

"Thank you, you've put up a great fight, Utena. But it appears this time I've won." He spoke almost as if it were an intimate conversation no one else was supposed to hear. I would normally have pushed him off me if he were ever this close, but I found I couldn't move, I was frozen. I felt something run through me, something I couldn't describe. Because if I knew Touga, his intentions were never his true ones and I feared what those might actually be.

He let go of me, and I let go of the sword on the ground. He took a few steps back and sheathed his back into its holder and held it in his one hand down by his side. He watched me, frozen and closed his eyes to steady himself before he spoke.

"Utena, I don't want the sword." He said softly. "You can keep it, if you like. I know you're going to need it to defend yourself should anything else happen. And I have every faith that it will, being that you are a duelist." He stated, I just listened. "You wear that ring, that is the real reason I challenged you. In addition you have something I want, but that something I want will not come as easily to me as I would like." He continued, I looked at him slowly, wondering what it was he was talking about.

"What are you saying, Touga?" I managed out of my mouth.

He sighed and said: "Originally, I asked you to come up here to battle me simply because you are a duelist and I figured if I won I could win back the sword you won off Saionji, since he hasn't been the same man since he lost to you in battle. But that wasn't the only reason. I thought we could wager much on this battle that needed to happen. Utena, I want you to be my girlfriend." He stated solemnly. I was able to turn to face him and make eye contact now. What the heck did he just say?

"You what?" I said slowly.

"Well you see… I knew you'd wager your sword on this battle to protect your friend there, and your friend's gift, the lamp. Even if it left you defenseless, you wouldn't care so long as you had your lamp and your best friend to keep you company. But, I don't want the sword, and I have won this battle, so I get to keep my title as Student Council President as well. No Utena, what I want from you, is your word that you will go out with me. This was one roundabout way of thinking I could make you be with me, if I won a battle against since if I asked you'd never intentionally say yes. I still want that, but as I'm beginning to realize, what I pulled here today, it's not going to make that happen. You can't force a beautiful girl such as yourself to be with someone like me, even if I am the most sought after person on campus but all kinds of girls." He thought out loud. I wished he would just get to the point.

"So what is it you want Touga? A date? You want me to be your girlfriend? You want another duel? Just tell me." I said, perhaps a little more desperately than I intended.

"Remember what I told you about the lamp?" He phrased first. "That - all of that I truly believe. I do believe wholeheartedly that it has magical powers. That being said, that's what I want from you, Utena. I want to possess the magic lamp and see what powers it possesses. And even though it was a thoughtful gift from your friend, you don't appreciate what it could do for you as you will never use it. You didn't believe me when we had that conversation and I can see in your eyes you still don't believe it. So, it's your decision to make. You can hand yourself over, and keep the lamp and sword, or you can retain your freedom and give me the lamp in exchange for it." He was giving me an ultimatum, never did I think I'd ever be in this position in my life. He laid it out plain for me, what was I to do?

I thought about it a minute as the winds continued to blow. It was silent besides those gusts and I felt I could hear my heartbeat like drum beats in my ears. They were pounding, as I thought. I knew Touga would be as patient as he could be for this decision. I just was trying to come to terms with the fact that the decision I was thinking of making would inevitably make me feel more disconnected to Anthy than I have ever been.

But, Wakaba would want me to tell this creep off and retain my freedom. She would say 'what are you kidding? Give away that silly thing, you're my true love Utena!' Or something like that. Wakaba cares too much about me, and I care too much about her. But I suppose I couldn't do anything about the lamp in the future if I was always under his arm as his girlfriend and to be honest the very thought of it disgusted me, even if Touga was somewhat of a nice guy too. I sighed and looked at him with tears welling in my eyes. It seemed silly to get all messed up about a silly item brought back from India, but I felt like that silly item held a key point in mine and Anthy's friendship with one another, and if that were to be taken away, so too would she be.

"Alright… it's yours." I said softly.

"Come again? What was that beautiful?" He said as he placed his hand up by his ear. He didn't hear me.

"I said the lamp… it's yours. You can have it." I looked down with a shadow casting over my eyes from the bangs of my hair. I didn't like this one bit, but it's what I had to do. I couldn't believe I lost to Touga like that. Especially when I said I'd do anything I had to to win.

"Why thank you, Utena. That's very generous of you." He started to walk over to get it, when I stopped him and he stopped in his tracks. I placed a hand to his chest keeping him at bay from me, and with the same shadow over my eyes, I said:

"I'll get it. I want to say goodbye to it." He nodded and waited there for me. I walked over and picked it up in my hands, cradling it softly. Anthy looked at me, worriedly. I suppose she didn't understand.

"Miss Utena?" She asked.

I didn't say anything to her, except this: "Oh Anthy… I just wish there was some way I could have protected this, what this is between us, protected you. I just wish I had the power to change things. But I don't." I sighed and turned and walked it over to Touga placing it softly into his hands. He smiled and started to walk out of the arena.

"Thank you, I will cherish it dearly. Come on Anthy, I think we need to give Utena a moment alone." Anthy nodded and walked with him outside the arena, leaving me alone to feel whatever I was feeling or thinking. But the only thing on my mind was; how could I have lost like that? How could I have lost the symbol of my friendship with Anthy, especially after making her think that I think what everyone says is true. She probably doesn't believe me that I think she has a will, she probably only heard the 'don't have a will part', and now there is nothing I can do to make her see that. I can't rub the lamp and wish for her to see that, I can't do all those things I wanted to do with it, I can't because I've lost.

And that's that.

—

Later on that night in the dorm…

The place felt more empty than usual. Anthy didn't come home tonight which only helped to prove more to me that she was just as upset as I was that I lost. Or that I hurt her feelings indefinitely somehow, something I don't think I ever apologized for, and therefore made her hate me somehow. Or in the very least she must be angry with me.

Chu-Chu was sleeping in the corner of the room, sulking in that dark corner as Anthy hadn't come back with me tonight. I laid out some food for him but he didn't eat it, he hadn't eaten much of anything all day and besides breakfast, I knew how he felt. I didn't feel like eating when I came home to my dorm, I didn't feel like doing anything. I just felt empty, I felt like lying here waiting for Anthy to come through the door with dinner or some new tea brand she wished to try.

I was expecting every time I closed my eyes to hear her voice speaking to me softly, or to be laughing at some silly thing Chu-Chu was doing right in front of her on the table. Or making remarks to me about how I should be taking better care of myself and the likes. But she wasn't here and all I could do was stare up at the top bunk's bottom, thinking she might still be up there. Knowing that she won't, and glancing at my ring, wondering if this ring was doing me good at all or just causing me more trouble.

They said they challenged me because I was a duelist, because I wear this ring. It meant that I would be led back to the prince again, which is why I wear it and treasure it so much. But all it's done since I've come to this school is cause more trouble for me and others than good. I sighed and dropped my hand back down onto the mattress beneath me, it made a plop sound as it hit the bed and I rolled over slowly onto my side facing the wall. I held my hands together and slowly closed my eyes, feeling sleep starting to take me.

'Anthy… I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I'm sorry I lost today and you had to see that, just when you were starting to believe in me, and us… I let you down. I lost the symbol of our friendship, the thing that we bonded over to begin with. The thing that most of our conversations had been about. The talk of our dreams, I've lost the ability to make them come true now. I've lost the ability to set you free, whatever that means…and I've lost you, it feels like…'

I thought as all I could see now was darkness inside my closed eyes. I continued a moment later with a heavy sigh.

'Anthy… please return soon…'

That was my last thought as I felt I couldn't remain conscious anymore.

[End of Chapter 5].