Chapter 11
Anarchy
The boy walked along the sidewalk, heading for the academy. He liked to be early, walking when no one was out, before the walkways were crowded with students, before the noise, before the chaos of life began in the rest of the world.
Though it was dark, the shadows didn't bother him, though the sounds of the night encroached, he ignored them. Nothing in his world had changed for as long as he could remember, and he was happy with it.
"Whooooool." A haunting cry broke the night, drawing his eyes. This wasn't a sound of the night, but the great howl of a beast. Following the sound, he found himself outside a small wooded copse near the school grounds. Making his way to the tree line, he saw the source of the sound. A wolf, far larger than any the boy had ever seen before, sat among the trees, howling into the sky.
Frightened, but strangely curious, the boy approached the wolf. The creature finished another long howl and looked at him, its eyes piercing to the depths of his soul. He continued his approach, drawn to the majestic creature.
"I've been waiting for you." It said in a strong voice, causing the boy to step back in surprise.
"A-a talking wolf? I-uh, ah, hello." He managed to stutter.
"Yes, it has been a long time, Ryan. I haven't startled you too badly, I hope."
"How do you know my name?" Ryan shivered, staring at the wolf as it rose, approaching him at a walk.
"I know many things, though my memory is incomplete and my form a mystery to myself." He said, his words calm, assured. "But that isn't important right now, sword bearer. Your Prince needs your assistance."
"But I don't-" A flash of memory crossed his mind, a young man, his arm wrapped around the neck of a wolf, swimming into the stormy seas. He watched as the two disappeared from sight, lost to the hazy world of his memory. Another entered, a much taller man, who carried himself with great dignity and strength. He felt a chill run up his back at the sight, staring up at the taunting figure before him.
"You will go to the other side Ryan, and wait for the Prince there. If he comes, you must let us know before he escapes my grasp again." This terrible figure within his mind brought shivers to Ryan, an ancient nightmare within his mind that was given flesh.
Then came the memory of a boy, his own age, his friend and companion. One he looked to for guidance and strength, like a big brother. That man wanted his brother, wanted to take him away, back to the place he fled from.
Realizing he was still standing before the wolf, he blinked, regaining his composure. He could see more clearly now, the wolf was as much a friend as the boy had been. A name came to mind, a sense of loyalty, of closeness. Dropping to one knee, he bowed before his old mentor. "Ragnarok, I am ready to serve my Prince. I am the sword bearer, who is vowed in life or death, to stand by him. Command me, and I shall go."
"Good, you remember. Follow me, there is much to do."
***
The elevator chimed, the door slid open. A hundred blank faces turned and watched. Utena stepped off into the apartments. Akio rose to meet her, walking up with open arms and a smiling face. Utena's smack sent him reeling, his left hand upon his cheek. Anthy looked on from her seat upon the sofa, her insides turned to ice at the sight of her former friend in such a hostile mood.
"I assume you're angry with me." Akio's voice only held the slightest edge of scorn.
"You had my friend murdered." Her reply was colder than an arctic wind. Seeing an advantage, he took his opportunity to strike. A snake lay upon a cage, watching a white mouse that sat within. Anthy placed her hand over Chu Chu's eyes, hiding them from the spectacle.
"Murder is a strong word," Akio said, gripping her wrist as he moved over her, his voice dripping honey as he gazed into her eyes, "and you of all people know that taking part in the Duels of the Rose is the same as taking your life within your own hands. Your friend took a risk he wasn't ready to, and paid the price."
Utena tried to pull away, turning her face from his as he drew closer, vainly attempting to hide the tears his words brought to her eyes, but it was useless. The snake was in the cage, watching the mouse, ready to consume it.
"I can only make condolences, perhaps find out who was responsible, let you know who it was. I am sorry for what happened, but it's really all I can do." Utena felt her heart waver at his soft, tempting words, drawn close to the warmth of his skin.
"No!" She shouted, pulling sharply away from his grasp, her face full of anguish and rage. "I won't fall again, Akio! No matter what you say, he was murdered on your whim, and I hold you responsible for his death."
Straightening up, his voice disappointed, he replied. "Very well, meet me at the dueling arena tomorrow at midnight. We shall settle this then."
"Fine with me." Utena replied. She turned, her eyes becoming sad as they met Anthy's for a moment. She quickly made her way to the elevator, taking it back down into the world of the living, leaving the coffin behind. The snake sat upon the couch, several long scratches upon its nose. The white mouse sat in its cage, unharmed but shaking after its encounter with the deadly predator.
Returning to the sofa where Anthy sat, Akio smiled at his little sister, brushing her hair. He thought to himself, how she had suddenly gotten quiet again. The nightmares she was having seemed to bring the old Anthy back, the girl who was too scared to do for herself. He liked it that way, so much easier to play with.
"She's gone now, we're alone again, sister mine." His voice sultry as his hand played down her shoulder, pulling away the soft material. "Soon, Utena will be dealt with, then we can forget all about her."
Pushing him away, Anthy ran to her room, sobbing. Nothing more than a trickle of light from the hall made its way past the locked door. Anthy curled up in the corner, wracked with shameful tears as Akio knocked hard upon the door.
"Anthy, come out of there! Please, Anthy, listen to me."
Pulling out a photo, she looked at it through teary eyes. It was a picture of Akio, Utena, and herself. Gripping the edge of the photo, she tore it, carefully ripping off the portion with Akio's face upon it, she crumpled it up. For long hours, all she did was stare, stare at the picture of herself, and Utena.
***
The Rose Bride walked quietly into the garden, closing the door behind her. She gazed about at the roses of the gilded greenhouse that stood within the school's court yard. Her eyes caught movement, but she paid it no heed as she ran her delicate fingers along the blooming roses.
"Come to enjoy the flowers, Cassandra?" Edric asked, his glasses hiding those piercing eyes that were characteristic of those with power over the land across the sea.
She looked at him, her eyes seductive and disdainful at the same time. "I come as I please. Does that bother you?"
Edric gave a small smirk. "Strong willed for a Rose Bride, aren't we?"
She smiled at his remark. "I am whatever my lover wants me to be, and now, he wants me to be his negotiator, so thus I shall be."
"I see, and what have you been sent to negotiate?"
"Utena Tenjou." Her reply was calm, but Edric sensed something deeper within it. He noticed the roses she had been touching were withering.
"So your master is willing to submit her to us? I am glad to hear it. What is her condition?" A boy stumbled past the rose garden, his body bruised from some sport he had been playing, but he cradled his arm delicately, agony hidden upon his blank face.
"That is good to hear, I hope my master enjoys his new pet." Edric chuckled darkly, his eyes seeing much farther than she intended. So, you would think to betray us? She may be strong, but we will break her, and your Prince will be denied his prize. We are not your pawns, but your betters. Eternity is ours, witch, and we will take it for ourselves.
"She will be at the dueling arena tomorrow, midnight." Cassandra turned away from him, her own grin hidden from him. If he got rid of that troublesome girl, he would be doing her a favor, no matter what he thought. He was indeed good at this game, but she was better, and would claim the prize for herself. Ohtori's Prince was hers alone, and Utena, nothing more than an obstruction.
***
Touga couldn't calm his heart, or quiet his mind. First Saionji, and now Nanami, was he really on the winning side at all? They had both turned away, their faces becoming blank as they walked into the darkness, leaving him standing alone in an ever increasing void. He could not understand why they would abandon Eternity, and yet, they had cast it aside and walked their own ways.
"He was my friend! I won't consign his fate up to nothing!" Saionji's words resounded in his mind.
"If being living sacrifices is the fate of those who seek Eternity, I don't want it!" Nanami threw her ring off into the grass, then strode moodily into the house. He could not escape her decision, her absolute rejection of all that had been accomplished. Then another thought occurred to him, what had been accomplished in all this?
He wracked his brain for an answer, a reason, something that could justify all that he had done to gain Eternity, but he came up empty. There was no reason, they had been right. They were walking away, leaving him to live in the past, to sit in his own little eggshell, alone.
"So, not done with the duels? I was sure that when I left, everyone was against them." Utena's words fluttered, an echo in his mind.
She had tried to tell him that something was wrong, that things shouldn't have been this way, and all he did was tell her how nothing else mattered. He ignored every warning, treating her words like those of a child. He was starting to understand, this whole thing was wrong. This place, the empty people living empty lives within, like puppets on strings. They went through their lives, acting exactly as they were told, following a pattern just as they were expected to.
The only ones he could see, the only ones he could care about, they were those who refused to fall into this pattern, this normalcy. They, like he, strove to be more than the pattern permitted, and in being so came into conflict with the pattern's weaver.
"No, I don't want your Eternity! It's nothing more than a lie, and I don't want any part of it." Utena had been right, she had denied Eternity's right to dominate her, made her way outside the pattern that decided for them their fate. She had been brave enough to break free of the world that held them, and in doing so had tugged other threads loose of the tapestry.
Struggling to accept what he could no longer deny within his own mind, Touga made his way to the bathroom. Filling the sink with water, he began splashing his face with the cool liquid, rubbing it into his eyes.
A stinging sensation began to flood through his face, and his eyes began to burn. He looked up at his reflection in the mirror, but saw something different. It was indeed him, but this him had reached through the reflection, still holding a bottle of acid upside down over the water.
"Aaaaagh!" Touga screamed, his hand flailing for a towel as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to protect them from the burning, but he was too late. As he scrambled to wipe his face off, he reached for the toilet, thrusting the towel into the bowl, and wiping rigorously over his skin with it. His anguished cries resounded, then lowered, and finally ceased as he drew the towel from his face.
"Perhaps you shouldn't have looked too deep for your answers. Then at least you wouldn't have had to pay with your sight. Hahahahaha!" The mocking laughter faded from his ears as Touga opened his eyes, but all he beheld was darkness.\