A/N: I just read the reviews for this story and I feel renewed so here I am, trying to give you more. The Usagi/? Relationship is going to remain a '?' for reasons I choose not to explain, but everyone will find out, eventually. Happy reading
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Title: The Eternity Bride
Chapter Two
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0 Two Days Before Serenity's Capture 0
The clouds had been shifting all night, concealing its stars and beautiful moon. A large, dark cloud floated away, allowing moonlight to stream through the gauzy curtains of an apartment window. The world felt so ungodly large to her right now. She was infinitesimal in the grand design. No direction, no niche, no memory.
That was probably the worst part.
Where did her memories scurry too? What happened before she landed in this city? Did she choose this to happen? Did it happen to her alone? Had she always been alone?
The woman shook her pink hair in frustration, pulling her blankets close. No, the nagging was the worst part. There was a feeling deep in her stomach, and her heart, that she had not been alone. Someone was out there, waiting…maybe searching, for her. It could just be her anxiety from the confusion and all the new things happening in this city but the feeling would not leave her alone.
"What the hell? Does it matter anyways, right in this moment? Because I am alone…and I have to be to work in the morning."
The woman's pink head thumped to the pillow and a sigh escaped her lips. Her eyes fell shut and she fell to sleep without another thought, while once again a woman with purple hair smiled in her dreams.
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Anthy had spent nearly two years searching for her prince after leaving her brother's world. It had taken awhile for her to lock on to Utena's force. Her brother had nearly permanently stunted her instincts. He had wanted her to live only for him and be his toy while he played his game. And so finally had come the day when Anthy had felt where her prince had run away to, a place far from the school and the duels.
A place where she could even hide from her memories.
The largest hardship to overcome was realizing that Utena was not even in their world anymore. It was a shock to realize that she could feel through the curtains of dimensions and find the hole where Utena slipped through. Whether it had been on purpose that Utena had left or an accident, the action of leaving their world had severed Utena's memories.
Anthy prayed her presence would rejoin the two.
Or she might never have her prince again.
Now the purple haired girl had found herself in a new city, one very much like her own. The energy was different, however, magical. Anthy could feel the energy course through her body, almost like the power of Dios…but she was not chained this time, not restricted.
It was very late as Anthy started her way out of an alley she had landed in and down a random street. She would find Utena in the morning and start their lives in the daylight.
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The shop was a horribly filthy place filled with noxious fumes and metal on metal banging, clanking, and drilling. She found she quite liked it. Wherever she got the knowledge for working on cars, she was grateful.
Something about taking them apart was satisfying.
Either way, it was work she could do and for a woman with no memory or past…or name. The skill meant a lot and had gone a ways in helping her settle. With that in mind, she got back to work. Her current job was to fix the ball bearings on a yellow Camaro. She chose it to work on even though it was an arrogant car. The hood had a particular symbol painted on it in dark blue and staring at it, decided the car was meant for her to fix.
She was still in the tearing apart phase, she figured she would see how she felt when putting the new parts on.
Mr. Jigoro was the owner of the shop and had been since he tore the ACL in his knee one too many times. Currently, he was sitting at his desk in the room behind his receptionist staring at hourly detail logs of each of the jobs his mechanics. His ears perked up at the sound of his receptionist getting excited out in the waiting area. It was her squeaky excitement sound.
He sighed.
That meant he was probably going to have to shoo her boyfriend out again. He dragged himself up from his comfortable chair and lumbered out to the front. His young receptionist was talking excitedly with an equally young woman on the other side of the desk.
"Ayumi, what is going on out here?" His voice came out gravely. Ayumi turned to her boss, startled.
"Mr. Jigoro, I am sooo sorry!" She squeaked and looked down, ready for another lecture.
"It's fine, Ayumi. What's the matter?" Mr. Jigoro eyed the young woman behind the desk.
"Oh! Yes! This woman is looking for someone. She said they might be here!"
Mr. Jigoro turned his attention for the first time to the woman on the other side of the desk. A woman! Never mind, he really was looking at a child. No older than his college aged daughter. Who could she possibly be looking for? The older man thought about it for a moment and remembered who he had working for him and nodded.
"You say you're looking for someone? Mind describing them?" Mr. Jigoro took in the age and state of the woman in front of him. She looked clean…didn't mean he was going to upset a worker by throwing random people at them.
"Of course, sir." The woman spoke softly but confidently. "Her name is Utena, very tall, slim…here, I have a picture." The young woman handed over a picture with worn edges. Two women were sitting next to each other in uniforms with a small mouse in their laps.
"I'll be right back." He said after he looked over the photo for a moment. The young woman took it back, holding the photo to her chest. A hopeful expression lit her face as he went through a door marked 'employees only'.
Mr. Jigoro felt a slight lump in his throat. He was not saying this moment was touching. He was a man, after all. The girl he had elected to employ on a whim had been working here for almost two years. She had no memory of her past at the time and especially, no papers. Mr. Jigoro had helped her get a name and a legal way to work. He hoped this did not make her leave. She was an excellent worker. Knew her stuff.
"NINA!" He bellowed over the noise. All worked stopped and a pink head with backwards baseball cap popped up by a Camaro. Large blue eyes looked at him questioningly. He waved for her to follow.
She caught up quickly and met him in a quiet hallway that led to the lobby.
"Yes, sir?" Her blue eyes stared at him on an equal level. She was quite tall.
"Nina…" Mr. Jigoro clapped a hand down on her shoulder, "There's a lady in the lobby…she's got a picture of you."
Blue eyes widened in surprise. She went for the door in the hallway. She heard him say 'good luck' as the lobby light hit her eyes.
She looked straight ahead of her as she stepped into the lobby. A woman in a summer dress stood before her and smiled softly. Her purple hair was long and flowing. Green eyes glinted with hope. She was beautiful.
The mechanic had a sudden urge to protect her, to fight for her.
She had always imagined her memories were locked in a vault in her head. Now, it felt like that vault had opened. Just enough for a name to poke out. Along with an image and a feeling.
"Anthy." She watched the green eyes brighten at the sound of her name. Anthy clutched the photo tighter.
"Utena." Anthy said her name with relief. "Utena Tenjou."
"I…" Utena tried to speak but found her voice stuck in her throat. Her blue eyes swiveled to look at her boss. Mr. Jigoro tried to hide a smile.
"Go, take the rest of the day. Finish your work tomorrow. I'm sure there's a lot to figure out."
"Ok. Thank you." Utena ran out of the room to clock out and then left with Anthy.
Mr. Jigoro watched them go through the window and smiled.
"Would you like a tissue? I know I need one…"
Her response was a grumble and a thudding of his office door.
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Utena stared at Anthy from across the table. Images were flying in her mind. There was the two of them in her rose garden. Another time in their shared room. Walking together to classes. The strongest one of standing next to Anthy in the Arena, ready to fight for her freedom.
She could feel Anthy's lips on hers.
Utena also remembered the sword in her back.
"Utena? Are you ok? I am so sorry…" Anthy was referring to the sword. Utena clutched her cup.
"No, Anthy. I'm sorry."
"What? I drove a sword into you, how can you be sorry?" Anthy reached for her hand across the table. She was craving to touch the other woman and the entire walk to Utena's apartment had been silent.
"I failed you, Anthy. You were right there and finally awake…and I failed you." Utena shook her head a little and stared into her coffee cup. She was a failure of a friend and a failure of a prince. Yet, the drawers in her vault kept opening one at a time. Some memories made her happy. Utena chanced a look at Anthy.
"Utena…please, I let my brother control me. I let myself hurt and betray you. How can you forgive me and blame yourself all in one breath?" Anthy's green eyes pleaded with her blue ones and Utena had to look away.
Some memories just ached. She remembered what Anthy went through while they were in school together. The other duelers were cruel and possessive.
"I just…I know that wasn't you, Anthy…when you stabbed me…I knew it wasn't the same girl who made me feel whole and wanted…and loved." The pink haired woman looked up again, this time meeting Anthy with the same look. Her heart was pounding as she remembered her childhood, sad and without her parents. The random day she had met the vilest person she could ever meet, Akio. None of that could touch the last drawer that slid open in her vault.
It held all her love and passion for Anthy.
"Utena…"Anthy held her breathe after speaking Utena's name. She felt light headed at hearing that word come out of her mouth. When she fell from the coffin, Anthy could see it in Utena's eyes. Something they had never discussed but had always known tied them together.
Anthy loved Utena. It was the reason she left her brother's world.
Utena stood from the table and walked over to stand in front of Anthy. Green eyes stared up at her in wonder. Her most beloved fantasy was coming true. Utena extended her hand and Anthy took it, standing up to have little more than an inch between them.
"Anthy, we're in a whole new world. We're both clean and new and no one has ever sullied us." Utena brought a hand up to Anthy's face. Her skin sent waves of pleasure through her body from the light touch. Anthy responded immediately by leaning into her hand and looking up into the blue eyes she had searched for over two years to see again.
"I love you, Anthy. I never told you but I do."
"And I love you, Utena. More than anyone."
Anthy slid her eyes closed as Utena's lips met hers for their first true kiss. She reveled in the feel of Utena's softness, the sudden passion welling up from time separated and past regrets. Utena tightened her arms around her, never wanting to let go of Anthy's gentle curves. Her long fingers delved into the cascade of soft, purple strands. Her body was heating up quickly as Anthy clutched at her back, needing to be closer. There was only one way to fix that.
Kissing became their mode of transportation and Utena was vaguely aware of clothing being pulled off. Suddenly, there was much, much more of Anthy to explore. Utena was aware that her soft mattress had come up to cradle both of them.
"Utena?" Anthy whispered breathlessly as Utena's sweet ministrations had halted. She gazed up through a curtain of pink strands and tried to read the set of blue eyes staring at her in wonder.
A soft moan escaped her lips as Utena trailed a hand down her side and slid beneath her to cup her rounded backside. Utena used her grip to pull her closer. The joining of their hips made both young women gasp.
"I love you, Anthy Himemiya."
Anthy could not make her own declaration as Utena returned to making her moan in pleasure.
0
The moon was shining through the curtains in Utena's apartment. The day and evening had passed with periods of activity between the young woman as they made up for lost times. Confessions of love exchanged as easy as breathing and conveyed through the strong passion they felt for each other.
The bedroom was fairly silent now except for the quiet breathing of Utena and Anthy, curled into the sheets and each other. Anthy's face scrunched and she turned onto her back. Utena followed, keeping her position with her pink head on Anthy's chest, and an arm over her lover's stomach.
Both of them dreamed of the future. Anthy imagined everyday coming home to Utena. She conjured up ideas of what she would do in this new world. Utena dreamed of Anthy making her life complete, dreamed of them traveling and finding a niche in some comfortable place. A grin was growing on her pink lips as her mind toyed with the future and Utena cuddled closer into Anthy.
Utena's dream shattered.
She woke up gasping for air, her heart beating as quick as a humming bird's. Her blue eyes were wide in shock as an image flashed across her face. A chill ran down her back and her head snapped to look out the window.
"NO!" Anthy cried as she sat bolt upright next to Utena. Green eyes stared in fright out the window. Her hand grabbed at Utena's.
"How, Anthy? Were we followed?"
Purple hair shook furiously.
"No, I promise! I was careful, Utena." Anthy turned to look at her love and felt her thoughts steel over at the resolved look on Utena's features.
"Ok, I'm going." Utena climbed out of bed and grabbed for her clothes. Anthy reached for her, grabbing her wrist.
"Utena, please…He might not even be here for us…this world is different…some people are special here." Green eyes begged her to let it go. To let someone else handle the evil that had invaded their world. Utena sighed but she had decided.
"What do you mean by special?"
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Twenty minutes later, the pair was racing the streets of Tokyo. Utena felt slightly ridiculous but more comfortable than when she was dueling. At the very least, Anthy looked amazing in her outfit. She hazard a look over to her love and whistled inside of her head. Anthy's outfit was likened to the old days, as was her own. The purple haired beauty had a white, thigh length dress with a layered skirt, embroidered with roses stitched in gold. A round, rose engraved pendent sat on her chest at the end of her neck line showing enough cleavage to make Utena think running towards trouble was a waste of her time.
They had turned several corners and were headed towards an industrial area of Tokyo. Each stride took them deeper into what seemed like shipping yards. The unease in Utena's stomach became heavier as they got closer to his location. She took her mind off him for a moment, thinking about what Anthy had told her about this world.
"Some people here are special."
It was insane to think that Utena had been called to this world because of the magic. But how else would either of them have managed to get in? Or why? Anthy said there was a draw. A need for them here. Utena was a protector.
A magical one.
Utena felt her lips purse as she ran. The very idea of her being a protector to anyone beside Anthy was ridiculous. Yet here she was, running into unknown territory with abilities she had not even tested beyond costuming herself for sake of her identity. Utena was comfortable, however, her old uniform transformed into an all white princely suit. Shorts of course, who could possibly fight in pants? She proudly matched Anthy, without the stitching. Her thoughts eventually traveled back to the task at hand.
Finding him.
Utena felt Anthy grab her hand at the edge of a lot that opened into the sea. Sickness overwhelmed the pink haired woman as she spotted him. Standing far away from a group of women was Akio.
Utena felt anger well up at the sight him clutching a very frightened blonde woman. Anthy watched the interaction between the two groups. The women stood struggling to move forward towards who Anthy could only assume was someone of value. Hatred flowed off of them as they tried to reach Akio and the other woman.
Words were being exchanged and only the word 'game' and 'duel' were caught by either Anthy or Utena.
Akio disappeared suddenly and the other eight women flew after them in an unrealistic attempt to capture him.
"Damnit, Akio. What is he doing here?" Utena clenched her fists.
"I think we should follow them, Utena. We need to help." Anthy put a hand on her love's shoulder and looked up with a grim determination.
Utena hung her head.
"Yea, alright. Let's follow them."
Utena chuckled to herself as they ran off into the night. Not twelve hours together and their lives were already upside down, again.
When would they find peace?
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BR: Hey! I came back! Or I'm trying to…it feels rough…we'll see what happens, I guess. Leave a review if you like, the last ones inspired me to come back. So. Anywhos. Utena and Anthy are together, happy, if briefly….what are they going to tell the others? Can they help them? Or is Serenity doomed to be Akio's puppet?...would I leave her in peril…for awhile, atleast… ;)