"Fractured Tales of the Rose Bride"
All your base are now belong to Chu-chu.
Catch 22: The Upside-Down Emerald City
It was a perfectly normal day in Ohtori Academy—well, scratch that. It was a truly bizarre day, actually, because nothing strange was happening. Elephants weren't running loose, nobody was switching personalities thanks to explosive curry, Kozue wasn't hitting on her brother, and nobody was having swords drawn from their bodies. In short, it was perhaps the weirdest day at Ohtori ever, and Wakaba Shinohara was feeling it.
She was just walking back to her dorm after visiting Juri, her secret lover. Miss Arisugawa had come down with a bad cold, and as always, Wakaba was willing to help. The only reason she didn't stick around was because she didn't want to catch the fever herself—plus, she had volunteered to take care of Chu-chu and now it was time to return him to his mistress. The wind began to pick up as she strolled down the sidewalk, and trees quivered and bowed in her presence, as if she were a terrifying deity and they were worshipping her. Naturally, the breeze teased at her skirt, flipping it playfully for all to see. Wakaba shrieked and tried making herself decent, cursing the wind under her breath.
"We'd better get going!" she said to her tiny companion. "If we're not careful, we could get blown away!" She plucked Chu-chu from the sidewalk and stuffed him in her parcel, then sprinted home before the wind could become any more violent. She wasn't so fast, though: her hair became undone and her underwear was on full display as the gust tore through the school (though to be fair, she wasn't the only one experiencing involuntary exposure). She just barely made it inside her dorm and let out a sigh of relief as the wind howled after her. Well, so much for an abnormal day…
Suddenly, the entire dorm shook, and Wakaba was thrown to the floor. She landed with a painful thud and groaned from the immediate shock of pain. The world felt wobbly and unstable to her, like she had been drinking or spinning around or was on some carnival ride. She just managed to climb up and look out her window, and gasped as she saw, of all things, a tornado tearing through her beloved academy. No words sufficed for her surprise; she hunkered down and decided to bear the brunt of nature's wrath underneath her bed, taking Chu-chu with her.
It seemed to take a considerable length of time before things calmed down again. Wakaba peeked out from under her bed, wondering if an earthquake had joined the disastrous party at the last minute. That would've accounted for the rumbling (and it would've bumped the day's conditions to "normal" again), but she doubted two natural disasters would team up like that. Gingerly, she crept from her room, morbidly curious about the condition of the outside world. Was everything askew? Were there gaping cracks in the ground? Had everything shifted around, resulting in a catastrophic new look for the school? Was anybody hurt? She panicked as she thought of Juri and her illness, and tried calling her. There was no answer.
She bravely stormed outside, heedless of any potential dangers, but was suddenly paralyzed as she opened the door. The world that greeted her now was a transformed one, all right, but it was so radically different from Ohtori that at first, Wakaba couldn't believe her eyes. The land was bright and brimming with color, shining emerald with flashing lavender, deep rich reds and rolling blues, like beholding the swan song of a master painter. She pinched herself and bit her tongue—nope, everything here was perfectly real; she even touched and smelled it. The scent was wild but serene, and it made her head tingle and her toes curl.
"Chu-chu," she murmured, "I don't think we're in Ohtori Academy anymore."
……
She explored this vibrant new world tentatively. It felt like she was placing herself on forbidden ground: everything was so striking and quiet that she wondered if she was even supposed to be there! But she had to make sure Juri was okay, and if this was the only path available to her, then she'd just have to walk it. After wandering around the lush garden with Chu-chu perched atop her shoulder, she began hearing noises and wondered what else was there in that utopia with her. A young boy emerged from the bushes; he himself appeared just as green and alive as the flora he emerged from, and Wakaba wondered if he was a fairy of some kind.
"Hello," she greeted. He seemed quite a peaceful lad and even waved back.
"Oh, hello! You're the one, aren't you? You killed the Wicked Bitch of the East!"
"I what?"
"The Bitch of the East—you killed her!" Wakaba's face became as colorful as her surroundings, blue and green and red and even purple washing over her. She gasped, her heart thudding wildly.
"I WHAAAAT? I killed somebody?"
"Well, your house did. Look! The Bitch's head is directly underneath!" She whirled around and almost screamed. There, resting painfully underneath the weight of her dorm room, was a woman's head, vaguely reminiscent of Kozue Kaoru. The woman's face suddenly winced, and she groaned to life.
"Mitsuru the Munchkin, I'm not dead yet."
"Oh. Well, your house mortally crushed the Bitch of the East!"
"If somebody could just spare me a car jack and lift this thing off, I may have a chance of recovery."
"No Monty Python jokes for you, Nessarose!" came another voice, throaty and rich like a grand bird of paradise. Wakaba noticed a beautiful woman strolling through the garden, followed by people who were all small in stature, roughly Mitsuru's height.
"Hello," Wakaba said, bowing properly. "My name's Wakaba, and this is Chu-chu. I don't really know what's going on—"
"Oh, it's simple," the woman said. "Your house came falling from the sky and smashed the Bitch of the East, thereby ending her reign of sexy terror. You are now in the land of Oy, and these little ones are the Munchkins, who have been freed from the Bitch's sexy evil. I am Galinda, the Bitch of the North."
"You look like Shiori," Wakaba indicated.
"Well, I'm not," snarled Galinda, whacking Wakaba with her plastic wand.
"Ow, geez, okay, you're not. Say Shio—uh, I mean, Galinda—do you know how I can get to Juri's house from here? It's very important; I need to see if she's okay."
"Who is Juri?" Wakaba blushed from embarrassment. She had never publicly admitted her feelings before, not even to Utena…but now she felt like she owed her lover that distinction.
"Juri is…my girlfriend. She's very special to me! Please help me find her!"
"Oh, so you're in a same-sex relationship? No problem!" Galinda chirped. "After all, Oy is the land that's 'over the rainbow'."
There is an awkward pause.
"If you know what I mean."
"Yeah, thanks," Wakaba deadpanned. Galinda waved her wand towards the horizon, indicating an invisible goal for Wakaba to aim for.
"In the center of Oy lies an upside-down Emerald City, where the magnificent Wizard resides. There you may ask of him to take you straight to your beloved's door. However, first you must travel down the Yellow Brick Road."
"Can't I take a bus?"
"No, buses stopped coming after the Vinkus went on strike. You also can't fly since that's the business of the Quadlings, and who'd ever want to talk with them?"
"(They never discussed this in the movie,)" Wakaba muttered under her breath.
"Fourth wall!" coughed Mitsuru. Someone had to do it since Miki wasn't around!
"Anyway, if you want to see the Wizard, you'll have to go down this brick road. But be careful! Elphaba, the Wicked Bitch of the West, will have her eye on you! That's her sister you crushed, so she'll want revenge!"
"Actually, I'm Galinda's girlfriend," said Nessarose, who was still alive. "Elphaba will probably be pleased that I'm dead and Galinda's miserable. She and Galinda used to be an item, but they had a falling out and now—"
"No talking, Smashy McSmashton!" Galinda shrieked as she blasted Nessarose's head—and that was the end of her. "So now you're off! Mitsuru the Munchkin and I will be waiting to hear from you! Good luck!" Wakaba didn't appreciate being shoved onto the Yellow Brick Road, but she figured it was better to get away from Galinda before things got really weird—or really normal, who knows.
……
A journey is a good way to clear one's mind. At first, thoughts of Juri's well-being started to gnaw at Wakaba's moral foundation, and being in a foreign (albeit beautiful) world didn't help evacuate her concerns. But after a few minutes, when sweat began trickling down her skin and her legs began to loosen up from the exercise, her doubts and fears slowly melted away, until only a serene state of mind remained, clouding her and comforting her in this hour of need. The weather was perfect and the wind kissed her face with gentleness; the song of hundreds of birds broke the tranquil silence and Chu-chu's squeaking ensured that she'd never feel completely isolated. It was a very spiritual experience, but when she came upon a divergence, everything seemed to pause and hold its breath for her.
"Hmm, a fork in the road," she pondered. Noticing a stick lying on the ground, Wakaba asked herself the same question any fangirl would pose in that position: What Would Toshiro Mifune Do? Why, he'd throw the stick into the air and follow whichever path it chose for him. Since she was quite the samurai film buff, she decided to test this theory and let the twig fly. It sailed well, but landed atop a scarecrow, tapping him awake.
"Who's there?" muttered the straw-stuffed man. Since Wakaba lived in Ohtori, a talking sack of hay was the least surprising thing she had seen, and in fact she regarded this as very mundane. He actually looked familiar, this Voodoo figurine, and if she squinted right, she could see traced of her old flame, Saionji, in his cornmeal face.
"Just me," she said, stepping forth to identify herself. "Sorry about that. I don't know which path to follow."
"What's a path?" he wondered.
"Uh…I have to follow the Yellow Brick Road to get to the Wizard."
"What's a road? What's a Wizard? What's a follow?" Wakaba scratched her head. This was a most perplexing situation she was in.
"You know, even for a scarecrow, you're pretty brainless!"
"Well, my head is filled with straw," he replied stiffly. She decided to change her tactics and asked him another question.
"Well, have you spotted many other travelers on this road?"
"Yes, quite a number of them."
"Which path did most of them take?" He pointed to his left.
"Half of them went over there…and the other half went there," he added, indicating the right—"I think. Maybe. I saw about a third of them heading in the direction you just came from, I'm sure."
"Oh, forget this!" she shouted, stamping her feet. "I'll just throw the stick again and see where it leads me."
"Oh, splendid! May I come along?"
"What for?" she wondered. "A brainless scarecrow is no use to me."
"Yes, but you see, if I came along with you, the Wizard could make me smarter. Besides, it's sort of a continuity issue, and we have to be marginally faithful to the original, at least."
"Fourth wall!" shouted Utena as she popped up from the cornfield. The pink-haired heroine blushed and jerked her finger to the right. "Uh, sorry to interrupt, but since Miki's not here… Anyway, go in that direction."
"Really? The right?"
"Yeah. And take Saionji—I mean, 'Brainless' here with you."
"Fine," she huffed as she lifted him off the stake. "But I just want you to know that I no longer have a thing for him. He's had his chance, and like all girls that were scorned by the man of their dreams, I've turned to women to satisfy my needs!!"
There is an awkward pause.
"We should leave," Saionji suggested, since nobody knew how else to emerge from that frigid stagnancy. Wakaba agreed, and so the two became three! And no, there will be no songs here, thank goodness. Even Shiori will behave herself.
……
Brainless, Wakaba, and Chu-chu discovered that the path they had taken was not an entirely pleasant one. The sweetness of the air and the gentle lull of the wind abandoned them a few miles down the road, and the dark embrace of a forest swallowed them whole, until even the slimmest slivers of sky and sun vanished, conquered by the canopy. It was not quite so frightening yet—our heroine had a dull-witted shield that could never be killed except through incineration (imagine how fun it would be to set Saionji on fire! Wheeeee!), plus a brave little monkey-creature with an insatiable appetite—but it was still a haunting place to be.
"Do you think there will be lions in this wood?" she wondered.
"Oh, possibly," Brainless answered nonchalantly. "By the way, what's a lion? And what are woods?"
"Never mind," she deadpanned. "I guess asking about tigers and bears is moot."
"Probably, although I have heard of Kalidahs in this region. Most unsettling beasts, the Kalidahs: half tiger and half bear. I have nothing to fear from them, but you, my dear, would—"
"All right, that's enough!" she roared. "Sheesh, you're really annoying. Maybe the Wizard should give you a better personality first."
"I can't help it," Brainless sighed. "Being a dumbass is a part of who I am."
"Ya got that right," she muttered. Suddenly, they ran into a robot!!
"Ow!" No, not like that!
"Hey look! It's a cute female android!" Wakaba gushed. Now that's more like it! Discovering an attractive mechanical humanoid creation in the middle of the forest is not something that happens every day, so their exuberance can be excused. Wakaba and Brainless surrounded the stiffened android and wondered if they could get it running again. Chu-chu walked up to it and took a bite, but started to cry when he realized that metal was too hard to chew. Silly boy.
"Maybe we should rub hot oil over her body," Brainless suggested. "Of course, that would help us out a lot if I knew what oil was."
"Ahuh," our heroine snorted. Of course, she didn't buy it at all, especially with the words "rub hot oil on her body" in the mix. "Listen, if you think I'm turning this into an R-rated sexual escapade, you've got the wrong girl, buster! Boy, are you ever stupid!"
"Well duh," he shrugged coyly. They drew straws for it anyway, but since Brainless was so stupid, he lost no matter which of his straws he pulled out. In no time at all, the android was animated again—and they realized what a big mistake this was.
"It took you long enough!" she snapped. "I must've been standing in that position for over five minutes! Honestly, is everyone so lazy around here that they can't even help someone in need? What are you two gawking at? Fetch my things! Bring me a palanquin so I don't have to walk! I need food and water immediately! Some fans to keep me cool and an umbrella for my skin would be nice as well. Well what are you waiting for?"
"You're…a real snob," Wakaba moaned. Of course, since the android bore an uncanny resemblance to Nanami, this really didn't help to change their opinion.
"Downright heartless," Brainless agreed. "Maybe we should take you to the Wizard so he can give you one."
"A heart?" she scoffed. "I don't need a heart! I have the largest heart in the world! I clothe the hungry and feed the naked! I sell Christmas trees to charity and spend the money on home improvement plans and wardrobe repairs! You'll never find in all your travels a more generous person!"
"You're so full of yourself!" Wakaba snapped. "Don't even think about coming along with us. I already have one bumbling idiot with a deficiency, and I don't need another!"
"Ex-cuse me? Who's the bumbling idiot?" Brainless suddenly shot his hand up.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! Pick me, pick me! I know, I know! It's me, isn't it? I'm the bumbling idiot!"
"At least he's honest," Wakaba relented. "Frankly, I wouldn't trust Miss Heartless here with a water bottle! She's either drink it herself or sell it for more than it's worth."
"I'll have you know I get dehydrated very easily!" Heartless retorted. "And the only reason I'd ever sell one of those is so I can buy more."
"This is ridiculous," Wakaba moaned. She protested Heartless's company again and again, but in the end, persistence (and Brainless's sheer stupidity) won out in the end, and a fourth was added to the procession. Personally, Chu-chu feared for his safety and well-being.
……
Even though they were entering into the blackest heart of the forest, Wakaba would've welcomed darkness and doom at this point. On her left was Brainless, ignorant and moronic, full of questions about everything, even the most ridiculous stuff. On her right was Heartless, a cold, soulless piece of machinery that regarded everything around her as a lesser being—much lesser. With Wakaba centered between them, she was ready for the worst the woods had to throw at them, but instead, alas, she got an Anthy look-alike to greet them.
"Good evening, everybody!" she exclaimed merrily. "Welcome to these forests. If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask." Heartless listed off a thousand things at once, and the girl went straight to work without the slightest whisper of protest. Wakaba actually stood slack-jawed as this unassuming woman bent over backwards and arranged the world for Heartless's liking.
"What a spineless coward!" she blurted. "Okay, we need to take her with us to see the Wizard!"
"I heartily agree," said Heartless. "One such as I needs servants for an arduous journey like this, and let's face it—you two are simply not up to snuff. You're not even good enough to shine my shoes!"
"Your shoes are shined, Miss Heartless!" reported the spineless girl.
"No, no, no!" Wakaba screamed. "We need to bring her with us so that the Wizard can give her some courage!"
"Can't I just take her as a concubine?" Brainless wondered. Wakaba punched him hard for that.
"NO!!! Urgh, what did I ever see in you? Juri my love," she swore to the darkening heavens, "if you can hear me, hang on! I'll be there soon—and you'd better appreciate what I'm doing!"
"Who are you talking to, Miss Wakaba?" Spineless asked. "Are you praying to God again?"
Twitch, twitch.
"Uh, sure, 'God'. Yeah…"
And so, Wakaba, Chu-chu, Brainless, Heartless, and Spineless set out for the Wizard of Oy and his magical upside-down Emerald City. You know, just in case you weren't paying attention.
……
The journey to the Emerald City didn't take very long in retrospect, but for Wakaba, it couldn't be finished quickly enough. She was already feeling terrible about Juri, and being in the company of these three stooges only made things worse. They so perfectly personified the flaws they were named after that she wondered if even the Wizard could help them. It was absolutely pointless to describe the Emerald City, its surroundings, or its people by that point—she was too worn out to notice any of it.
She did get a day to rest and consider what she would say to the Wizard once she met him, and that seemed to lighten her mood. But once those doors opened and his grand audience chamber was drawn out before her, she went in storming, brave and just a little bit reckless, like always. The others followed at a considerable distance: Brainless too stupid to realize what was going on, Spineless quite terrified and uncertain, and Heartless, well…she might have upstaged Wakaba's brash behavior if she had been given enough of a chance. All eyes fell on the Wizard, though, as he descended from above.
And even though she was in love with Juri now, Wakaba's eyes bulged with hearts. Even Heartless and Spineless drooled, but who could blame them? The Wizard looked just like Miki!
"Hello," he welcomed them shyly. "I am Oy, the great and powerful."
"This is a surprise," Wakaba remarked. "I thought Akio would be the Wizard."
"No, Akio's dead," Oy replied.
"At least it isn't me," Brainless muttered.
"So what can I do for you all?" he asked, so very kind and warmhearted. He stared mostly at Spineless, of course, but soon she became too complacent and distant to be admired.
"Well, I just want to find my girlfriend and see if she's all right," Wakaba indicated. "These three, however, are pretty much hopeless."
"Me need brain," giggled the scarecrow.
"They say I need a heart, but really!" proclaimed the android.
"After I rub your feet, would you prefer your massage or your pedicure first, Miss Heartless?" inquired the rose bride. Oy groaned.
"I see what you mean. Tell you what: I'll give them a chance to prove themselves. Remember Galinda saying something earlier about the Bitch of the West?"
"Yeah."
"Well, we… That is, we…need her removed. If you could do something about that, then I'm sure you'd be worthy of these possessions."
"I guess that sounds fair for them, but what about me?" Wakaba demanded. "How will killing a Bitch get me closer to my one true love?"
"Well, the Bitch does have a go-kart…"
"I'm in! Where is she? I'll smash her skull open and drink the yummy brain juices!"
"Getting a little psycho here," muttered the poor Wizard. Wakaba just cackled, and Chu-chu copied her. Scary!
……
And so, our brave and noble heroine set out to put an end to the Bitch's terrible reign! Really, though, she was wondering if she could ditch her companions or not, maybe bargain their lives for the use of the Bitch's go-kart. She actually shared this plan with Brainless and Spineless, who (respectively) thought it was a brilliant maneuver and guaranteed their unquestioned support. Heartless, being the smartest of the three, was simply told that a lifestyle worthy of her position awaited them once they reached the Bitch's estate. Oh yes, it's that type of evil, folks.
Actually, the Wicked Bitch of the West lived in quite a nice castle, reminiscent of the old Japanese manses that so powerfully graced the Tokugawa era (for more information, just pick any anime that's set during that period. It's fun and educational!). Several of the Vinkus-dwellers marched out to greet them, each one with a kimono or a gi, decorated with spears and swords and grandeur. The Bitch's castle was an aesthetic maze of turns and hallways and empty rooms and bustling guests, but every step was a joy and a wonder, and the apex took one's breath away.
The Bitch herself hardly deserved her crude title, and in fact Wakaba fell in love with her at first sight, since she so closely resembled Juri. She wore a stunning Oriental dress, shaded the color of nectarines, with flower imprints spiraling down its silky length. Her sunset-red hair was tied up with pins, and her eyes conveyed love and wisdom. Her skin was green, but that made her seem even lovelier. She introduced herself as Elphaba, and stated she was quite at everyone's disposal.
Naturally, Brainless screwed everything up. "We were sent here by the Wizard to go stabby you!"
"Maybe we shouldn't," murmured Spineless. Heartless was infuriated that there was someone in the world even lovelier and wealthier than she, and was overcome with rage. As Elphaba stood slowly to greet her guests, even extending her kindness to the unworthy Heartless, the true bitch of the story tackled her and threw her into the rippling pool of a koi pond. Elphaba was soaked from head to toe, and a little bruised thanks to her tumble. The Vinkus-people instantly stormed into the room and surrounded Heartless, and naturally, Brainless just had to go and make things worse.
"Hey everybody! Wow, there are a lot of pointy shiny things pointing at us shiningly! We're here to kill the Bitch! Are you here to help?"
"We never should've come," Spineless sighed drearily. The Vinkus grabbed Heartless and took her down to their prison, where she stayed forever in the darkness with all the nasty grubby filthy creatures of the world—Wakaba's prophecy come true. They didn't approach Brainless since they figured he was stupid enough to do himself in, and in fact he accidentally stumbled into one of the candles that lit the room in their soft glow, even though they were out of reach and difficult to knock over (Elphaba would've never put anyone in danger, and thus her concern for safety). At once the moron was on fire, and shrieked with laugher as the "tickling happy things" devoured him.
Wakaba went over to Elphaba and drew her out of the water, along with the loyal Vinkus. Luckily, she had not melted, and in fact seemed lovelier in spite of the dampness (no mention of how the silk clung tightly around her chest!). Wakaba felt deep sorrow for what had happened, but also couldn't help but extend her love as well. Elphaba smiled sweetly and caressed the face of her new friend.
"Did you truly come here to slay me?" she asked softly.
"Naw! I just came to ditch my friends! I really wanted to look for my lover Juri, but if I never get out of here, I could probably do just as well with you. You remind me of her so much."
"And you remind me of a love I once lost," sighed the angelic lady. Wakaba couldn't restrain herself anymore; the emotions were overpowering. She kissed the good woman and felt invigoration overflowing, as if all of her trials had never happened, and only a lingering sweetness remained, gentle and tender and…and…
"But what about me?" wondered Spineless. Wakaba snapped at her viciously.
"Just marry the Wizard, you coward!"
"Your wish is my command."
As Spineless left the castle to begin her new life in the Upside-Down Emerald City, Elphaba asked that her stouthearted Vinkus protectors leave her alone with her new companion. As soon as she had Wakaba to herself, Elphaba leaned in to cherish her—but realized this was all wrong. Wakaba had another sweetheart elsewhere; she couldn't consort with anyone else, no matter how close the resemblance was. The pure-hearted green-skinned maiden selflessly promised to do everything in her power to unite Wakaba with her true love, even if she had to turn all of Oy on its head. Wakaba gushed out her thanks, but wondered what kind of love Elphaba could expect for her noble deeds.
"It doesn't matter," she replied warmly. "As long as I can make you happy, I'm content. Besides, some people still say I was better off with Galinda, my old roommate in Shiz."
"I guess," she muttered. "So how can I get to Juri's place from here?"
"Well, did you steal my sister's slippers?" Wakaba winced strongly.
"I knew I forgot something. Actually, it wasn't my fault. The house crushed her feet but spared her head. It was really gross."
"I can imagine," Elphaba replied in disgust. It wasn't a big problem in the long run, she assured her—there were other ways.
Fifteen minutes later…"I take it back!!" Wakaba screamed as she was lowered into the catapult. "I don't wanna leave anymore! Take me back, Elphaba! We'd be great together!"
"Farewell, sweet Wakaba," sighed the dear woman, ignoring her friend's cries of help. "Even the angels will feel jealous when they see you soaring through the heavens."
"I don't feel up to this! Maybe we can talk things out! You could at least give me a parachute or somethiiiiiIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"
……
"Whoa!!"
Wakaba Shinohara woke up with a start. Chu-chu was nestled nest to her, snoozing quietly, and beams of sunlight danced across her face, blinding her temporarily. She stirred and tossed, realizing that she was back in her own bed, in her own dorm, in the very heart of Ohtori Academy, and—predictably—it had all been just a dream.
"You're awake," came a familiar voice. Of course it belonged to Juri, who was wearing her nightgown as she hovered over her lover's face. She placed a warm hand on Wakaba's forehead and gave a positive smile. "You fell asleep during that gale we had earlier today. Only you, Wakaba Shinohara, could think of taking a nap while the rest of the school had to put up with that wind!"
"Ugh," she groaned, "I had a really weird dream."
"And fantasizing, too! Is there no end?"
"I was in this awful Wizard of Oz reenactment," she grunted, folding her arm over her face. "You were in there, and Shiori and Kozue were Bitches."
"Are you sure it was a dream?" Juri asked coyly.
"I hope it was," Wakaba muttered. "Mitsuru was a midget, Saionji was a dumbass, Nanami was a cruel snob, Anthy was a wimp, and Miki was a powerful magician." Her face suddenly turned green with illness as she made her final realization. "Juri, it was a dream, wasn't it?"
"Of course, silly," she laughed, kissing her cheek. "Sometimes we see people we're familiar with in our dreams. Was Utena there as well?"
"Yeah… She made a cameo appearance, though."
"And what role did I play?" Wakaba smiled sweetly at Juri, sat up, and kissed her on the nose.
"You just played your same wonderful self. So how are you, now that I've recovered?"
"Oh, the usual," she answered off-hand. "I dreamt that I and three others went into this place called Narnia where we had to help this Lion fight a Witch, but other than that…"
"Easy there," Wakaba murmured. "One fairytale at a time, Juri."
The End!
Stay tuned for the FINAL installment!
It's very shiny!
Note: Elphaba, Galinda, and Nessarose are, of course, the "real" names of the three witches in Gregory Maguire's Wicked, and the musical of the same name.