[KnM][RGU][MH] Revolutions
Revolutions – Chapter 5 – Relationships and Connections
A Kannazuki no Miko, Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mai Hime X-Over Fanfic
January 20, 2013 – January 23, 2013
Word Count: Approx 8,200
NOTES: The characters from Kannazuki no Miko (KnM), Revolutionary Girl Utena (RGU), and Mai Hime (MH) that appear in this fanfic do not belong to the author and are being used without permission from their owners, who include TNK for KnM, J.C. Staff for RGU, and Bandai for MH.
[MaiHime][KannaMiko][Utena] "Did you hear? Did you hear? Have you heard the news? The revolution has come and gone, and there is a new Prince to amuse!" The Hime and Miko are caught again in the eternal struggles between the Prince, the Eight Headed Demon, and the Obsidian Lord. Bonds of love and friendship are forged and tested between Chikane, Shizuru, Natsuki, Utena and others.
The main story takes place a few weeks after Mai Hime, about 15-16 years after the end of RGU, and about 15-16 years after the end of KnM.
More Author's notes follow at the end. Comments and Criticisms are greatly appreciated!
A month and a half into the first semester of the ninth grade, Okuzaki Akira had her first period. She freaked the hell out. The love of her (young) life and roommate, Tokiha Takumi, had no idea what to do, and called his sister. Mai, not quite sure how to deal with this, but appreciative of the fact that Akira came from a really old-school (shinobi) family, showed up at the boy's dorm, booted her brother out of the room, and presented the horrified ninja girl with some red bean rice and The Talk.
There had been shocked silence, followed by an incredulous, unbelieving wail of "every month?!" followed by one ninja girl fleeing out the third story window, as though she could outrun her menstrual cycle with sheer agility and tenacity. Mai stared after Akira, sweatdrops on the back of her head, when Takumi poked his head back into the room. "Is everything alright, Nee-chan?" Takumi asked timidly.
Mai looked over at her brother. "Oh, Takumi. Um." She rubbed the back of her head. "I think so. Does she do that very often?"
Takumi looked at the open window, and gathered that that was where his girlfriend had gone. "Um, not really, I guess." He came fully back into his dorm room, and Mai realized idly, that Takumi's body was going through changes too. Her baby brother was as tall as she was now, and his voice had dropped. Mai couldn't help but feel a strange feeling of pride and loss in her chest.
"Hey, come here." Mai said, a sad but fond smile on her face. "Let me look at you."
Giving her a curious look, none the less, Takumi complied. Mai put her hands on his cheeks and looked at him closely. Where he had been very cute as a boy, he was going to be a good looking young man, if she had to say so herself. The heart surgery had been a complete success in America, and Takumi had come back stronger and healthier than he'd ever been before. He'd even been able to start doing a little bit of sports, though he was still a largely domestic creature, as good in the kitchen as she was. In some ways, Mai was very glad that he was so close with Akira. She was a good girl. On the other hand...
Mai almost squashed Takumi's face as she realized something else. "Why are two horny co-ed teenagers still sharing a dorm room?!" She cried. "The administration's gotta know Akira's a girl by now, don't they?!"
"Mrph Mrooorph mer mwho!" Takumi replied, flaying his arms before being able to rescue his face. There was a wicked blush across his cheeks. "Nee-chan!" He said, scandalized. "It's fine – it's all fine. Yes, everyone knows Akira's a girl, even if she still wears the boy's uniform, and the RA was okay that we keep sharing a room because we haven't caused any trouble yet and promised not to. It's fine, Nee-chan! Really!"
Mai stared at Takumi as she tried to wrap her head around the word 'trouble' and what it could possibly entail in this situation for her not-a-baby brother. On the one hand, Mai knew she shouldn't be worrying yet; Akira was so young, she hadn't even had The Talk yet (until just now). On the other hand, however, Akira loved Takumi so much, he had once died for it.
And, the fact of the matter was, her baby brother wasn't a baby anymore. He was growing up. And his girlfriend was his girlfriend (even if she was more masculine than he in a lot of ways). Mai's arms began to shake as she lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes. "Takumi." Mai said very slowly, and dangerously. "You will promise me, on pain of death, that you will not be having any... trouble... with Akira-chan... until you are much, much older. Do I make myself absolutely clear?"
He got it. Whereas Takumi had only blushed before, now he turned completely beet red. "Nee-chan!" He cried again, scandalized. "Of... of course not! We're way too young for that!"
Mai grabbed Takumi's shoulders and put her ear up to his heart to detect any irregularities caused by dishonesty. His heart was beating a bit crazily, but not completely out of the ordinary for him. Satisfied, she released him and gave a sigh of relief. "Okay then. Thank god," she breathed a sigh of relief.
Right. That was silly of her. She knew her brother was super responsible and a good boy, who would be a good man. Ahahaha, what was she worrying about?
"But... but what about Nee-chan?" Takumi asked suddenly.
Massive sweatdrops suddenly appeared around Mai's head. "Ahahaha! Oh, Takumi! Wh-what are you saying?!" Mai asked, rubbing the back of her head nervously.
But her younger brother was serious. "Nee-chan," He admonished. "You chose Tate-san over Reito-san, right? I know you've been going steady with him for a while now." He bit his lip. "Look, I know you're older than me, so you know better, but, you're not that much older than me, so... " He trailed off uncomfortably for a moment before finally finding the words. "I just. I just want you to be happy, Nee-chan. And safe. Okay?"
Mai couldn't help but be touched by her brother's worrying. She ruffled his hair. He really was growing up. "I am happy, Takumi." She finally said.
He looked at her suspiciously. "... and?" He pressed.
Mai sweatdropped again. Oh gods, what was the world coming to – her baby brother enquiring about her sex life – and she was actually considering answering him! Finally, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly and with a massive blush across her cheeks, she confirmed, "and we're being safe."
Takumi's face did some interesting contortions, and he let out a breath Mai hadn't realized he was holding. "Okay then." He said, turning away. Under his breath, Mai thought she could hear him mutter to himself, "... I guess he can keep his legs."
Somehow, overtop of the noisy enthusiasm of thousands and thousands of high school students gathered for the annual Kantou region Inter-High Sports Competition, held this year at the Big-4 site in Tokyo Bay, Utena was able to hear someone call her name joyfully.
"Tenjou! Hey, Tenjou!"
Realizing that it was probably another teacher to address her so casually (actually, most of her students were even more casual with her, some even calling her 'Utena-chan', but the dozen that were with her right now were all accounted for), Utena looked about and could see the extended arm of grinning Oogami (nee Saotome) Makoto, Phys Ed teacher at Ototachibana Academy, waving madly at her. Makoto had Ototachibana's girl's basketball team with her, some of whom were also members of track and field. Utena met Makoto last year, also during the Inter-High competitions, when their basketball teams had faced each other in a semi-final's match and a completely unexpected fight had broken out. Weeell, the fight might have been unexpected on Makoto's side, but Utena's students were a bit rougher around the edges. After the teachers themselves had to step in to break things up, they had gone out for drinks to avoid any hard feelings and ended up becoming fast friends. Makoto really reminded Utena of Shinohara Wakaba, her best friend from what felt like a lifetime ago.
Utena grinned back at Makoto when the woman arrived with her students in tow. "Hey, Oogami! Ready for the rematch?"
"You bet!" Makoto laughed. "The team's been itching all year for this!"
Indeed, the captains of both teams had already gotten right up in each other's faces, glaring balefully at each other. Utena had to give the girl from Ototachibana props for not flinching; her own team captain (while actually a very sweet girl), cut a very imposing image amongst the athletes gathered today. The girl still insisted on wearing her school uniform skirt down to her ankles and was currently sporting a hygienic mask across the lower half of her face. Parts of a snake tattoo were visible from under the collar of her uniform top. Belatedly, Utena reminded herself to check her student's duffle bag to see if she had snuck Mr. Lead Pipe back in. (Honestly, it was relatively easy to take the sukeban out of the girl gang, but it was quite another matter to take the sukeban out of the girl.)
Utena's student narrowed her eyes. "Your ass is mine." She snarled from behind her mask.
"Bring it." Retorted the clean-cut captain from Ototachibana.
Both Utena and Makoto sweatdropped, grabbed their captains and ushered their teams away from each other as quickly as possible. "Aaah, let's catch up later, Tenjou! Same bar as last time? Around 8 o'clock?" Makoto suggested.
"I'll be there, Oogami!" Utena agreed.
Later that evening, after the day's competitions were over, Utena met Makoto in the bar at the hotel that the Ototachibana athletics team was staying at. Utena had a hard time getting into the bar, despite her ID card showing her to be actually several years older than the host himself.
"Kid, stop trying to get me in trouble!" The host said, trying to shoo Utena away. "That's ID's obviously fake. There is no way you are 29 years old! Gimme a break! With so many of you sports kids in town, you think you're the first one to try to pull something on me? Get out of here!"
Utena groaned. Why did this always happen to her. Luckily, she could see Makoto inside already, and called out to her. "Oi, Oogami! Help me out!"
Makoto came over and laughed. After a few minutes of confirmation and double checking, finally, Utena was able to sit down at the bar with Makoto.
"Honestly, Tenjou," Makoto laughed as they both ordered some drinks. "Can you blame the guy? You came to the bar still in your tracksuit. Never mind trying to get in here; even after you got in, how are you supposed to find a date dressed like that? Do NOT tell me you are okay with entertaining a guy who thinks you're a high school student!"
"Oh, leave me alone! It's not like I'm trying to find a date." Utena exasperated, nursing her beer.
"Why not?" Makoto pressed. "Come on, your daughter's grown now. What's stopping you?"
Utena opened and closed her mouth a few times, unable to verbalize her thoughts very quickly. But really, how could she delicately let the other woman know that the thought of dating still scared her out of her wits? She had slept with one man in her life, once, and the day she lost her virginity was also the day she became pregnant.
Makoto steamrolled right over her. Grabbing the bottom of Utena's stool, she spun her around in the other direction and pointed over her shoulder at a decent looking guy in a suit on the far end of the bar. "What do you think about him?"
Utena wrinkled her nose.
Makoto laughed. "Yeah, that's a horrible tie." She spun Utena around a little more, and pointed to someone else. "Now, how about her? We've got some seriously aggressive cleavage happening there."
Utena couldn't help but feel the heat rise in her cheeks a little. How the other woman had managed to figure out her bisexuality so quickly last year was a mystery to Utena, but she was beyond relieved when the woman hadn't made a big deal out of it at all. Apparently, Makoto's best friend and roommate in high school was gay and Makoto had even helped her friend come to terms with it.
Despite her misgivings, Utena couldn't help but cock her head to the side as she considered the woman Makoto was pointing out to her. "Uh… maybe a little too aggressive for me," she admitted.
"Yeah, she should probably dial that back a little. They are gonna fall out and smack someone in the face if she turns around too quickly," Makoto cringed. Scanning the restaurant some more she perked up a little. "Hey now, how do you like beefcake?"
Letting herself be spun back a little, Utena suddenly found herself making eye to eye contact with a muscular man with a shaved head. Utena froze, not expecting to actually meet anyone else's eye. The man smiled at her. Utena freaked out, flailing her arms and quickly spinning her chair back towards the bar, guzzling down her drink frantically and then choking when some of it went down the wrong tube.
Makoto almost fell off her bar stool laughing.
Utena gave the other woman a 'can we PLEASE not do this anymore?' sort of expression and Makoto dropped it.
"Alright, fine fine!" Makoto wiped away a tear of laughter from the corner of an eye. "God, you remind me of when my friend Himeko was still in college. She never wanted to have a love life then either. But come on! Give a woman who married ridiculously early a chance to live vicariously! Shesh!"
Utena smiled weakly, eager to change the conversation. "Speaking of which, how's the family doing?"
"Doing good!" Makoto laughed, grabbing a stick of yakitori and biting off a chunk. "Souma made Chief of Police down at the station this year. He's the youngest chief we've had in a while and I hope it's not going to his head. Tsubasa-chan's having fun in first grade. I think he really likes math. How's Chikane-chan doing? She's in high school now, right?"
Utena perked up. "Yes, that's right. She's doing well! She got into Fuuka Acadamy on a Kazahana Scholarship." Utena knew she shouldn't boast about her daughter's achievements, but she was just so proud of her daughter, she couldn't help herself. "And, just last week, she won the student election; she's Student Council President."
Makoto's jaw dropped. "No kidding! That's amazing news, congratulations, Tenjou. That's really incredible. You must be so proud! She became President as a first year?"
Utena nodded happily. "She did." Pulling out her phone, she showed Makoto the latest photo Chikane had sent to her, flashing a victory V with her Vice President. Makoto chuckled. "Oh wow, Tenjou, are you sure you should have let her go so far away to school? She looks like she'd do better in this bar than you would."
That wasn't the best thing Makoto could have said to an obviously lonely parent, but Utena swallowed down her anxiety as much as she could. "Yes, well, that's Chikane for you. I swear, sometimes I think she was born an adult," Utena sighed. "But she's not. She's 15 years old. She's just a kid."
At least Chikane's already a couple years older than you were when you went to Ohtori, Utena told herself for what must have been the hundredth time that week. And she's a lot smarter than you were, heck, smarter than you ARE. She won't make the same mistake you did. She'll be fine...
"You worried about her?" Makoto asked, sympathy plain in her eyes.
"So much it hurts," Utena admitted with a weak laugh. "Gods, I've barely known what to do with myself this last month. The apartment is so empty – especially since our pet snuck off with in her luggage too. I've just been burying myself in work trying to keep my mind off of it."
Makoto clapped a hand on Utena's shoulder. "That's why you need to date!"
Utena groaned. "Not this again!"
The visiting teacher laughed. "Okay, okay, no more, no more." Chuckling, Makoto ordered another round of drinks. "Hmm... Fuuka, eh? Hey, this is a really small world. You know that friend I mentioned earlier? Her name is Kurusugawa Himeko. Anyway, I'm gonna be seeing Himeko tomorrow, and she's actually going to Fuuka for the next couple of weeks. Do you want me to get her to bring something to your daughter? You know, sort of a 'surprise! I miss you! Call home more often!' kinda present?"
"Wait, Kurusugawa Himeko?" Utena's brow furrowed as she tried to remember where she remembered the name from. Then, a light bulb clicked on over her head. "Is she a photographer by chance?"
Makoto's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Yeah, actually, she is! Hey, I didn't realize Himeko was getting famous. Have you heard of her?"
Utena chuckled. "Well, I don't know if she is famous or not, but I know Chikane is a really big fan of her work. She's even got some prints of her photos." Utena chuckled. "When she was still in junior high, I got a couple of those prints blown up to poster size and plastered them around the bedroom for her birthday. She was pretty embarrassed, but I think she really liked that."
"Wow. Why aren't you MY mom," Makoto laughed. "Hey, why don't you give me one of those prints, and I'll try to get Himeko to sign it and give it to her when she goes to Fuuka? No promises that she'll actually do it. I mean, I bet Himeko doesn't even realize she HAS fans, but you never know."
Utena was touched. "Really? You'd help me out with that?" She asked.
"Sure!" Makoto shrugged. "I mean, what are friends for?"
Utena happily took Makoto up on her offer.
When Mai dropped Mikoto off by the scruff of her neck at Natsuki's and Chikane's room that evening for babysitting, she didn't realize that there was already a sizable gathering in the room, as Shizuru was also present. The former and current Presidents were at the kitchen table, casually chatting away, while Natsuki had been lounging in her bed. Mai had a sheepish expression on her face as she gently put one more kitten on the floor beside Mikoto. Akira had curled herself into a little ball and was holding a hot water bottle to her tummy. "Sorry," Mai gave Natsuki an apologetic wink. "Would you mind looking after Akira-chan too? I'm late for work and she could use a little TLC and wisdom from some kind and understanding big sisters right now. I owe you!" With no further explanation, she left the room.
Natsuki could only give her closed door a flat nonplussed stare where Mai had been standing earlier. Work my butt, Natsuki thought. You've got a date with Tate.
Oh well. Shizuru and Chikane were engaged in a discussion about some policy or other, and would continue poking at each other with verbal swords that went right over her head all night, so Natsuki was glad to take Mikoto off of Mai's hands. Another kid wasn't going to be a problem. Storing up the knowledge for a return favor later, Natsuki raised an eyebrow at the youngest girl in the room. "What's wrong with you?" She asked, nudging Akira gently with a toe. Akira gave a soft mew of protest and let the force of the gentle push tip her onto her side.
"..."
"I found her in the forest," Mikoto piped up, even as she quickly went over to the television set and pulled out the controllers from the gaming unit, tossing one at Natsuki. Chu-Chu climbed up onto her customary perch on top of Mikoto's head as the tiny girl rifled through the games and shoved her favorite fighting one in. "It was funny! She was jumping through the trees and then she suddenly grabbed her tummy mid jump and smacked right into a tree trunk."
"Mikoto!" Akira cried, scandalized. She leapt to her feet to try to get to the older girl, but her insides continued to betray her and she helplessly flopped down to the ground again, curled up.
A light bulb clicked on over Natsuki's head as she figured out what was ailing the ninja girl. "Oh. Is that it?" A sweatdrop appeared on the back of her head as she put the controller Mikoto had tossed at her down and then bent down to help Akira up. Chikane came over from the kitchen table to help her and between the two of them they got the ninja girl onto Natsuki's bed before the biker plopped down beside Mikoto and selected a character.
"Something hot to drink might help," Shizuru suggested, heading over to the kitchen and then coming back with a mug of something steaming, which Akira accepted. "You are Okuzaki Akira-san, yes? Mai-san's brother's roommate?" The youngest girl nodded meekly. "Do you want to stay here? Do you want help back to your own room?"
"No!" Akira cried savagely, turning bright red. "No." She said, more calmly, though she was still blushing something horrible. "That... that dummy's going to be there and I... don't want him to see me like this." Putting the cup down, she curled up around her water bottle some more. "Oh gods, I can't believe women actually have to put up with this!"
"Hahaha, I never thought Akira was so weak!" Mikoto laughed, though her attention was mostly on the game, mashing buttons furiously.
The ninja girl glared balefully at the cat girl.
Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Oh, like you were so very stoic when it first happened to you." She gave a cry of dismay when Mikoto handed her ass back to her in the first round. "Hey! I thought we agreed on no button mashing!"
Mikoto stuck out her tongue. "That was last time. This is this time."
Shizuru turned her attention back to the suffering younger girl. "Well, Okuzaki-san, you can stay here for now, but once you feel a little better, you should probably go back to your own room. Trust me – you'll feel better there. And Takumi-kun's probably worried about you. Don't worry, you'll survive. Every other girl has."
Akira whimpered and nodded meekly. Wrapping her arms tighter around her hot water bottle, she shut her eyes and willed the world to go away. Shizuru pulled Natsuki's covers up, and the ninja girl accepted it gratefully. Shizuru then went back to the kitchen table where Chikane had also returned.
Between game matches (of which Mikoto was mostly winning, much to her annoyance) Natsuki eyed the sleeping form on her bed and huffed a little. "Man. I can't believe Mai just left Akira here to go see Tate. She better bring dessert back or something."
"Huh?" Mikoto looked at Natsuki, confused. "Mai said she was going to work!" She insisted.
"She probably is," Natsuki confirmed. "But I know she's got a date with Tate after that."
"Oh." The black haired wild child was uncharacteristically crestfallen. Suddenly, she looked over at Chikane. "Hey, Hime, can I sleep here tonight?" She asked, her voice eager.
Natsuki's eyebrow twitched. "Hey! Why are you asking Chikane for permission instead of me?"
Mikoto made a face at Natsuki. "Because I already know you'll say yes." Looking back at her classmate, Mikoto tried to make her eyes as large and puppy like as possible. "Please, Hime?" She pleaded.
Chikane looked up from her work and raised an eyebrow. "I don't particularly mind," she replied. "But why?"
Mikoto didn't answer, obviously troubled. In fact, she was so troubled, she put her controller down mid-fight, allowing Natsuki to finally win a match. "Aha, yes!" Natsuki crowed. When Mikoto didn't retort back, she looked at the unusually quiet black-haired girl curiously.
Finally, Mikoto sighed. "I don't want to be in the way if Mai's there with Tate." She finally said.
There was awkward silence in the room for a while, punctuated only by the taunting sounds from the fighting game, egging the players to select new characters.
Uh oh. Here it comes. Natsuki put down her controller. "Are you alright, Mikoto?" She finally asked.
Mikoto nodded glumly. "Yeah." She said, though she didn't exactly sound like she meant it. Chu Chu looked down at the girl she was seated on and gave a small 'chu?' of inquiry. Mikoto took Chu Chu down off her head and pet her tummy. "Yeah, I'm okay." She finally said again, and sounding a little more okay with it, though her eyes were still obviously sad.
Natsuki remained silent, sensing, rightfully, that the younger girl wasn't finished yet.
It took a few more moments, but eventually, Mikoto looked up from Chu Chu, and Natsuki was pained to see the confusion and loneliness so abundantly evident in in Mikoto's amber eyes. "Natsuki?" Mikoto suddenly blurted. "Why does sex have to change everything?"
Natsuki's eyes widened. Completely blown away by the younger girl's question, she opened and closed her mouth a few times, unable to form words.
Sudden memories or possibly hallucinations from a lifetime ago suddenly surfaced unbidden in Natsuki's mind's eye.
Shizuru's red red mouth, coming towards her.
Shizuru, disrobing, laying down beside her.
Yukino's words.
Stop it. Stop it stop it stop it. Do not look at Shizuru. Do not look at Shizuru. But try as she might, Natsuki's eyes didn't listen to her brain, and before she could stop herself, her eyes had already looked over at Shizuru's ruby ones.
For her part, Shizuru had a completely normal, if slightly amused expression on her face from Mikoto's question. It wasn't until she looked back into Natsuki's eyes did one eyebrow lift in surprise.
And then, Shizuru's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, before furrowing again with shock and disbelief.
Natsuki froze as she realized that Shizuru somehow knew what she was thinking about.
Things went from suddenly bad, to worse, when Mikoto followed Natsuki's gaze, and looked over at the two girls sitting at the kitchen table. "Ne, how about you, Hime? Do you know?" Mikoto asked. Then she looked at Shizuru. "Shizuru?"
Shizuru didn't even acknowledge Mikoto's question. She just continued to look back at Natsuki imploringly. For her part, Chikane, for once, seemed unable to answer Mikoto's questions either, her blue-green eyes cloudy with disquiet. Those eyes darted worriedly between Natsuki and Shizuru's faces, the furrow in her brow getting deeper and deeper as she looked back and forth between the two older girls.
Not that either older girls noticed this, their attention solely focused on each other.
Natsuki's mouth went dry.
Mikoto went back to Natsuki. "Ne? Natsuki?" She shook the blue-black haired girl's arm. "Natsuki?"
Natsuki's heart pounded in her chest. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, exhaling slowly to calm herself. It didn't quite work. "I don't know, Mikoto." She finally said, her voice obviously tense. "It just does." She hoped the tone in her voice would put the younger girl off this line of questioning.
But of course, Mikoto did not take the hint. And instead, she asked the follow up question Natsuki was dreading and could see coming a mile away.
"Have you had sex before?" She asked. "What's it like?"
Natsuki's heart twisted. Her head was going at a thousand miles a minute as she wondered how to dodge Mikoto's spoken question while answering Shizuru's unspoken one. She struggled mightily. Finally, summoning every ounce of courage she had, Natsuki said as carefully as possible, "I don't know." She was looking Shizuru directly in the eyes, begging her to understand. "I don't know," she repeated, "and I don't care."
"You haven't."
Shizuru's words, so strong and vehement and pained, cut through the air like a knife and Natsuki felt like they'd sliced her in the face. Natsuki visibly flinched. She grimaced, showing her teeth. In contrast, Shizuru's lips were pursed, and she had a look of acute distress on her face.
"You. Haven't." Shizuru repeated, almost angry, mostly desperate.
Mikoto's face screwed up. "I don't understand." She complained. "How can-"
"Mikoto," Chikane's voice cut across her classmate's, stern and anxious as the tall girl got up out of her chair. "Please help me with Okuzaki-san. We should get her home. Now." Her voice was so authoritative that the small girl didn't give a peep of complaint. Her amber eyes were simply confused.
Akira, for her part, was eager to leave this place where the tension was suddenly so much sharper than all the kunai in the world put together. She gratefully accepted Chikane and Mikoto's help as they quickly left the room.
Shizuru didn't react to the hurried departure of the younger three girls at all, her eyes trained on Natsuki's the entire time. Natsuki, for her part, dared not look away.
The silence in the air threatened to suffocate them. Natsuki realized Shizuru had curled her hands into fists and that even those were starting to shake in her lap. Eventually, Shizuru lowered her eyes, her bangs obscuring them from view.
They both tried to speak at the same time.
"Shizu-"
"Do you really think so poorly of me?" Shizuru interrupted. "Did you actually think that I...?"
"Shizu-"
"You were frozen." Shizuru whispered, fists shaking. Natsuki could see hints of red seeping out from between Shizuru's fingers from where her nails were cutting into her palms. "You'd been lying in the rain, in soaked leather, all evening. By the time I got you to the teahouse, you were so cold..."
Natsuki swallowed. Suddenly, she didn't have to think so hard to remember that terrible night.
Shizuru disrobing. Lying down beside her. Hugging her tight. Whispering her name over and over again. Telling her everything would be alright.
"I did kiss you, while you slept," Shizuru continued. "And yes, I," there was a tremor in her voice, guilt so palpable it lodged in her throat, "I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy having you in my arms. But I-"
Natsuki wrapped her arms around Shizuru's neck tightly. "Would you just listen to me, please?" She interrupted.
A little shocked, Shizuru started, but nodded. Releasing the older girl, Natsuki knelt down in front of her, and looked up into her forlorn eyes.
Natsuki swallowed. "I said, I didn't know, because I didn't." Her voice threatened to quaver. "And I said, I didn't care, because I don't. Shizuru, even if you did... I..." Natsuki bit her lip. "The important thing is that I know you won't do it again. Because you already promised me you wouldn't. So whether you did or didn't shouldn't matter. Doesn't matter."
Natsuki took a deep breath. She was almost shaking as badly as Shizuru was, almost.
It shouldn't matter, Natsuki had said.
But of course, it did. To both of them.
Shizuru was speechless as she looked down at Natsuki. Natsuki, who had already forgiven her, even when she wasn't sure what it was she was forgiving.
It was hard to tell which one of them felt more relief. But Natsuki was able to hold herself together a little bit better than Shizuru, who resorted to hiding behind a staged chuckle she didn't actually feel, mumbling out, "of course. Natsuki is right," and then wiping away the tear at the corner of her eye as casually as possible, as though its presence meant nothing at all.
Mai, feeling guilty about unloading Mikoto and Akira on Natsuki, decided to cancel her date with Tate after work, and texted her friend to let her know that. Natsuki replied that both Mikoto and Akira had already been sent back to their own rooms. The text surprised Mai, but none the less, when she got home, she did indeed find Mikoto sitting on her bed and looking glum.
"I'm home, Mikoto," Mai called.
When the younger girl didn't answer her immediately, Mai knew something was wrong. "Mikoto?" Mai echoed again, coming further into the room. "What's wrong?"
Still not meeting Mai's eyes, Mikoto continued to just sit on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. Mai sat down on Mikoto's bed and put a hand on her head, petting her hair gently. "Hey, you can tell me, Mikoto."
Wordlessly, Mikoto shifted her hold away from the pillow and hugged Mai tightly instead. "Mai, am I in your way?" She finally asked.
Mai frowned. "What are you talking about, Mikoto?" She coaxed gently.
"With Tate." Mikoto said softly, squeezing Mai's middle a little tighter. "Am I in your way?"
Oh. Mai frowned. What the hell did you say to Mikoto, Natsuki?! "Of course, not, Mikoto. Why would you think that at all?" Maybe she knew she wasn't being completely honest with the younger girl, but, neither did Mai think she was lying through her teeth to her.
"I'm not?" Mikoto looked up at Mai and there was such a look of relief in her amber eyes that Mai almost felt like she'd taken a blow to the gut from it. "But... but don't you need some... some privacy with him?" Mikoto looked away guiltily. "You've been sending me away to Natsuki's more and more often lately..."
Oh dear. Mai's heart skipped. First Akira, then Takumi and now Mikoto. What was so special about today that made all the youngsters in her life want to talk about love and sex?
Careful to use only the most calming tones she possessed, Mai chose her words carefully, even as she continued to rub the back of Mikoto's head soothingly. "I'm sorry, Mikoto. That was selfish and mean and insulting of me to do that to you. It's true that... that Tate and I do need our privacy, sometimes, but that's no excuse for making you feel unwelcome. Have I been making you feel lonely?"
"...a little." Mikoto mumbled.
"I'm sorry. I'll try not to let that happen again. I promise." Mai hugged Mikoto tightly, and the younger girl nodded.
They were quiet for a moment, before Mai spoke again, her voice still gentle. "Mikoto?"
Mikoto looked up at her questioningly.
Mai took a deep breath. "You're... okay, right? With Tate and I? You know that no matter what, I love you too, right? And that you should always talk to me if you're feeling sad about anything, right?"
Mikoto nodded. "Of course."
"Good." Sighing in relief, Mai gave Mikoto one more squeeze.
Later that evening, Shizuru decided to take the long way back to her own room. The night was warm, and the breeze was gentle and soothing against her face. Her knees were still mostly jelly, and she thought that maybe the walk could help put some strength back into her legs.
Natsuki.
The depths of Natsuki's heart... would she ever be able to comprehend it all?
Of course, Shizuru had often wondered what Natsuki remembered of that fateful night. Of course, Shizuru had often wondered what Natsuki made of Yukino's threat the following day.
To accept even the possibility that Shizuru may have violated Natsuki's trust in such away ... was it possible for anyone to be able to forgive that on the promise that it never happen again? Was it right to?
Shizuru wasn't sure, and wasn't sure she cared. All she knew was that Natsuki had. And that knowledge filled Shizuru with humility and gratitude and joy and awe and hope and also, not a small amount of apprehension.
Natsuki.
What an amazing, fascinating creature she was. That Natsuki could love and feel so deeply for her was simultaneously Shizuru's greatest joy and greatest burden and she couldn't help but wonder if the other girl's love could evolve further, as far developed as they already were. Despite repeatedly telling herself not to even think along those lines, and to just be happy that she retained such close bonds with Natsuki, Shizuru couldn't help but feel that troublesome stirring of hope in the bottom of her stomach.
Knees threatening to give way again, Shizuru sat herself down on a bench just to make sure she didn't fall on her face. Resting her elbows on her knees, and her forehead against her hands, Shizuru became aware of the bandages that had been put over the cuts on her palms.
Natsuki.
As she sat there, trying to calm her tumultuous thoughts, strains of piano reached her ears and Shizuru perked up, not expecting the interruption. She stared at the window from which the music was emanating through. The room was dark, but the curtains were open, and Shizuru realized that she was looking into the music room and that someone must have been using the piano.
She didn't recognize the piece, but the music reached into her heart through her ears and squeezed. It was a song of sorrow, of regret. The tempo was moody and the strains heavy with guilt. She sat, entranced, for the few more minutes that the song continued, and the emotions evoked from the sounds were so all encompassing that she wasn't quite sure when it ended and when she was left by herself in the silence once more. All she did know was that when the song ended, she felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders and the resulting silence was almost cathartic.
Shizuru got up and went to the window of the music room where she wedged her fingers in through the crack and widened it. She was just as surprised to see Chikane seated at the piano as Chikane was to see her.
They stared awkwardly at each other for a few minutes before Shizuru put a well-practiced smile on her face and then saw the younger girl do the same.
"That was beautiful." Shizuru complimented.
"Thank you." Chikane replied. "I didn't realize I had an audience."
"Nor was I expecting musical accompaniment." Shizuru leaned down against the window frame. "I didn't recognize that. Who's it by?"
In the darkness, it was difficult to tell for sure, but Shizuru thought she could almost see a hint of color in Chikane's cheeks. Shizuru's eyebrows lifted as she grasped the significance of the other girl's modesty. "You wrote that? Why aren't you studying at a conservatory somewhere?"
"Conservatories seldom offer Kazahana Scholarships." The other girl replied dryly. And then her tone turned pensive for a moment. "And... I am not sure I am comfortable with the idea of others... listening."
"Ara. I am interrupting you." Shizuru straightened up. Belatedly, she scolded herself for her rash action of opening the window. Such a song was meant to be private, of course.
"That's... alright." Chikane finally managed to say. "I should have checked the windows more closely." She paused. "Are you on your way back to your room?"
Shizuru nodded, hearing the unspoken question from the other girl: is everything alright with Natsuki-sempai? "Yes." She answered, to both questions. "Thank you for... for your discretion, earlier."
"Of course." Chikane replied. "And, thank you for yours as well, Sempai."
Shizuru nodded, getting the hint, though she couldn't help but wonder what the other girl could possibly have done that was so bad she needed to beg for forgiveness in such a manner.
Later that night, Natsuki dreamed of someone screaming terribly.
Natsuki blinked. She was standing at the foot of a massive, massive grand staircase in an otherwise empty room with a very high ceiling. It looked quite a bit like a fancy hotel foyer or ballroom of some sort, though she couldn't see a reception desk. The floor was made of marble and there were marble columns set along opposite sides of the gigantic room, in front of large banks of tall, tall windows. In front of her, she could see a set of large doors. It was dark inside the room, the chandelier attached to the ceiling not on. The only light was from the moon, shining in through the large windows.
Where the hell am I? Natsuki wondered, whirling her head this way and that. She boggled when she saw the staircase behind her, and craned her neck up to see where it led.
Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming! Concentrating, Natsuki tried to remember what she had been doing, and fuzzily, she could recall trading a few slightly awkward words with her roommate before they had changed into pajamas and climbed into bed.
Bed.
That's it. Natsuki decided. I fell asleep! So this... this must be dreaming. Looking down at herself, she noted that she was wearing her school uniform. It was a curious sensation, Natsuki thought, knowing that she was dreaming. She wondered where her brain had picked up the images to build this dream from. Maybe from a movie or tv show?
The screaming started again, startling and unsettling Natsuki. She jumped and whipped her head up the stairs. The scream cut off into a choked sob, and a panicked, "s-stop! Please! Stop!"
Dread dawned on Natsuki as she looked upstairs, a cold, cold, ball of ice steadily growing in the pit of her stomach. She took a single step up the stairs.
"Please," the sobbing, the begging continued, "please, Chikane-chan! Please...! I'm sorry! Whatever I did, I'm sorr-!" The cries were cut off by the vicious sound of flesh connecting against flesh.
The dread ballooned into out and out horror in Natsuki's stomach as she took several more steps up the stair case.
"Do not go up there."
The command was issued from behind her and Natsuki whirled around to see the purple haired, dark skinned ghost standing at the foot of the steps, her ancient green eyes almost glowing in the moonlight.
"You!" Natsuki cried. "Who ARE you? What's going on?"
"It does not concern you." The woman simply said, her voice full of pain. She started up the steps after Natsuki until she stood eye to eye with her. Her voice grew gentle as she reached out and put a hand on the side of Natsuki's face. Stunned, Natsuki didn't stop her. "You should not be here. Please. Leave now."
And Natsuki opened her eyes with a gasp and found herself in bed, her heart pounding mightily in her ears.
W-What the hell was that?! Natsuki thought desperately to herself. She put a clammy hand up to her forehead. But try as she might, her nightmare had begun to fade, and already, everything was fuzzy, leaving her disoriented and full of dread, though for the life of her, she could not remember why.
It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare. Nothing more. Natsuki told herself desperately, as she rolled over.
Looking at the other bed in the room, Natsuki could see that Chikane was fast asleep, curled up and facing away from her.
With her body thus positioned, Natsuki could not see the torment on Chikane's sleeping face. Chu Chu was on Chikane's pillow, close to her face, cooing worriedly, and patting at the moisture gathering at the corner of her eyes.
In the dream of a memory of a time that never was, the Witch drew her hand back from where she had touched Kuga Natsuki's face, and sent her away from this dreadful place. There was no sound and no movement in the grand foyer after that, only the sound of soft weeping still coming from upstairs. Eventually, this was drowned out by the heavy echo of a pair of shoes walking across the marble floor.
The Witch turned slowly to address her brother, who looked at her, smiling cruelly.
"Brother, stop this." She intoned dispassionately.
"Stop what?" His smile grew crueller as he let his glowing green eyes wander up the stairs for a moment before settling them back on his sister. "You know as well as I that I haven't done a thing. I don't even have to lift a finger. She does all of this to herself." He chuckled softly. "The question, dear sister, is why you don't do anything to stop her?"
Her eyes narrowed. She didn't dignify his question with a response.
"Can it be?" The End of the World mused. "That you can understand the value in her suffering? Her torment?" His smile widened. "Can it be that you seek the same end as I?"
Once more, she did not respond to his question. This time, however, it was not indignation that silenced her, but shame.
He laughed, as her silence answered him possibly better than any words could have.
He held his hand out to her, in invitation.
The Witch stared at it.
Closing her eyes, she reached out, and put her hand on top of his.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
... yeah. I never would have thought I'd ever write a chapter where menstruation features so prominently either, but, well, there you have it.
... Apologies for the heavy and light. I am still not convinced that delicate subject matters were dealt with appropriately in this chapter... -_-;;
Cheers,
jen-chan
jen-chan-shaw. livejournal. com
OMAKE I : I Sense a Pattern
[UTENA and MAKOTO finish their drinks and are slightly drunk. They head back to UTENA's APARTMENT so UTENA can grab one of CHIKANE's prints of HIMEKO's work.]
UTENA: Don't mind the mess. I think her stuff is just in the closet. Ah. Here we are.
[The two women head over into the bedroom that UTENA shared with CHIKANE and grab a box from the closet. They open the box and flip through the prints, cards and posters there. Every single item is of a scantily clad fashion model posing provocatively. Every. Single. One. Seriously. Nothing but T&A.]
MAKOTO: ... this is Himeko's work?
UTENA: Yup. Chikane loves it.
MAKOTO: ... I see. [Pause.] So you know your daughter is totally gay, right?
UTENA: Yeah, that was pretty obvious to me early on.
MAKOTO: Huh. Just checking. [Pause.] Am I the only straight woman in this fic?
UTENA: There's a pretty good chance.
MAKOTO: Damn. [Sigh] I never get to have any fun.
OMAKE 2: A Mai-Hime Style Preview Of Next Episode
[YUKINO can be heard doing the voice over for a series of fast paced clips edited together very confusingly and with deliberate misrepresentation so brazen the producers should be ashamed of themselves.]
YUKINO: Next time, on Revolutions, a Kannazuki no Miko, Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mai Hime X-over, Haruka-chan and I go to India.
[There is a quick clip of HARUKA and YUKINO, both wearing their old high school uniforms and carrying huge backpacks walking across a jungle. As they walk across the jungle, suddenly, NANAMOO leaps out from the trees, and charges them. They freak out, screaming.]
[Cut to another quick clip of HARUKA and YUKINO scaling the side of a mountain. HARUKA looks down and says something the audience can't hear to YUKINO. YUKINO suddenly looks really scared and points up. HARUKA looks up just in time to see NANAMOO falling down from the sky on top of her.]
[Cut to another scene of HARUKA and YUKINO in a small rubber boat, paddling furiously against roaring waves against a backdrop of lightning and rain. Suddenly, out of the mists, seven identical NANAMOOs riding jetskis can be seen barrelling towards the two of them. One of the NANAMOO's horns puncture their boat and they go flying into the stratosphere.]
HARUKA: [Hanging her head] Cows... why did it have to be cows? Shouldn't they be elephants?
YUKINO: [Sweatdrop] Um, cheer up, Haruka-chan... Um, well, in any case, please stay tuned for the next chapter of Revolutions, Chapter 6 – 'The Curry Chapter'