Chapter 13

Friday

Nanami was feeling particularly groggy today. As she sat up in bed, her head span and her body ached, she couldn't seem to remember what had happened over the last few days. Crawling out of her bed, she opened her drawer, digging through her clothes for her gold uniform. At first, she was unconcerned that it wasn't right where she kept it, but as she dug and dug, all she found were white night dresses and party clothes.

The pile behind her grew and grew, more and more clothes were massing. All her drawers were opened, yet there was no sign of her uniform. Frustrated, she picked up a discarded plain girl's uniform that lay crumpled on the floor and put it on.

She walked out of her bedroom in a huff, making her way to the dining room. Some men were painting the walls upon a ladder, their paint cans on the edge of the top step. Nanami passed under the ladder, bumping it, and sending the green paint toppling down on her.

"Miss! Miss! Are you alright?" The painters rushed down to help her.

"Aaagh! Why is everything going wrong today!?" Nanami screamed in a fit.

"Boy, I'm sorry about that. I guess it's not your lucky day is it?" One of the painters said.

"Not my lucky day?" Nanami removed the paint bucket from her head, which was now an awkward green color.

"Yeah, didn't you know it's bad luck to walk under a ladder?" He asked.

"I had no idea. No wonder I've been so messed up, today isn't my lucky day!" Cheered up by her discovery, she made her way back to her room triumphantly.

"Strange girl, eh?" The worker said.

***

Nanami had pulled off the paint covered uniform, and was singing to herself as she removed the nasty green paint. "Unlucky day, unlucky day, trouble's come my way!"

In the bathroom down the hall, a painter had just gotten finished a fairly full toilet sitting. He glanced down at what he'd left behind, then turned away with a face. He flushed, but there was too much to go down, so he flushed again! It was still there, so he flushed again, and again, and again! Finally it was gone, to the relief of the painter.

"Aaaaagh!" Nanami's pained scream could be heard throughout the house. She scrambled out of the burning hot shower, slipped on the floor, and went sliding into the bathroom vanity. The force of her impact rocked the large vanity mirror, which started to topple.

Nanami saw it coming and scrambled away from it. Crash! The mirror hit the bathroom floor, breaking into a million tiny fragments. Pulling herself from the floor, she stared at the broken glass that now scattered across the bathroom. Scowling with concentration, she began to slowly make her way across the floor.

"Ouch! Ahh! Shh! Eep! Oww! Youch!" Finally making it across the floor, she sat down and pulled the glass slivers from her tender feet. "Today really is my unlucky day!" She moaned.

Crawling across her bedroom floor, she began searching through the clothing once again for another uniform to wear. After digging through most of the pile of clothes, she found one from a few years before. Pulling it on, she struggled to fit herself into the now tight garment.

"Why don't they make these things more adjustable?" She complained as she squirmed into the uniform. "Now I remember why I stopped wearing them."

Having pulled on the over tight uniform, she walked out of her room again, making sure to keep her distance from the painters. She reached the dining room safely, where Touga was already eating. Something was different about him today though, very different.

"Aha! I knew something looked wrong! Why are you wearing sunglasses in the house?" Nanami stated, pointing at her brother.

"No reason, I just felt like it is all." He answered calmly, scraping his fork carefully along his plate, finally finding his eggs. He gently lifted them to his mouth with almost slow deliberation. "What brought you to breakfast so late, Nanami?"

"I guess I'm just having an unlucky day. First I couldn't remember what was going on. Then I couldn't find my school uniform. The painters dropped a paint bucket all over my head after I walked under their ladder, the water got really hot in the shower, and then the vanity mirror broke, and I could only find a uniform that was too tight." Nanami explained, her voice a simpering whine.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Nanami. Perhaps things will get better at school." He said, moving carefully to pick up his plate. It slipped, falling to the floor with a clatter. Touga knelt to pick it up, losing the sunglasses in the process.

"Are you feeling all right, big brother?" Nanami began to get worried as she saw her brother fumbling on the ground, trying to retrieve the fallen items.

Touga's sigh told her it was not, and as he rose up, his eyes opened. His deep blue eyes had turned to the color of the sky, unmoving and haunting. He faced his sister as she gasped, staring at his blind pupils.

"I was hoping it would just go away, but I'm afraid the damage is permanent. I'm blind, Nanami." His voice was calm, but Nanami was not.

She rushed to hug her brother, tears forming on the edges of her eyes. "No! It can't be true! What happened to your eyes?"

He placed his arms around his sister, holding her firmly. "It was an accident. I was washing my face with some water that had an acid in it. I had Doctor Phillis look at them, and he said that unless my sight came back on its own within a few days, there was little chance my eyes will see again."

"I'm sorry, big brother! It's all my fault! Me and my bad luck!" She cried.

"Nonsense Nanami. This wasn't your fault at all, I've just had an accident." He took her by the shoulders, smiling down to her. "If God saw fit to make me blind, I am sure he has a good reason for me to be this way."

Snuffing back a tear, she nodded up to him. "Uh huh."

"Now, go get yourself some food before school. Otherwise you'll be hungry until lunch."

"Yes big brother." Nanami hugged him again before turning to the table, sitting herself down for breakfast.

Touga turned and headed away, wondering to himself if this was God's punishment after all.

***

Making her way to the academy, Nanami watched the building loom closer, staring up at it's high tiered windows and elegant curves. She thought about all that had happened over the past few days, the dreams that continued to haunt her, the loss of her beloved brother's sight, and her own poor luck that morning.

"Good luck today, you'll need it!" One girl said to another as they walked.

"Why would I need good luck today?" The other asked as Nanami leaned closer to hear.

"Didn't you know? Today is friday the thirteenth, the unluckiest day ever!"

"That's today!?" The second girl squealed. "I need to find a circle right away! Circles are the only defense against evil spirits!"

"Well," the first replied, "I already found a four leaf clover, and a lucky horseshoe, so I'm safe."

"Hey, could you let me borrow your horseshoe?" The second asked shakily.

"No, get your own!" The first ran off, leaving the second to chase after her.

Nanami was starting to sweat. Friday the thirteenth!? How come no one told me that today was friday the thirteenth? I better find myself something lucky, and soon. She hastened her walk, glancing skyward for fear of something else falling on her. She didn't see the break in the concrete that caught her toe, sending her plummeting to the ground.

"Oww! Oh that's it. I'm cursed, I know it!"

A gentle hand took hers and lifted her from the ground. "Are you alright?"

"How can I be alright? I'm cursed!" Nanami said sharply as she turned to look at the man helping her. Laverne's warm face silenced her anger almost immediately, bringing a flush to her cheeks.

"Well, I'll just have to fix that, now won't I? If I recall, the way to break a curse on a Princess," he paused, leaning closer to her, "is a kiss from a Prince." His lips brushed hers, then pressed deeper, filling her with passion. All her life, she had wondered about how it felt to be kissed by a real Prince. At that moment, she wasn't wondering anymore.

"Ahem!" A sharp, snooty voice intruded upon Nanami's fantasy, bringing her to realize they were still in the open. "What are you two doing! This is entirely inappropriate behavior for children."

They both turned to face the woman, a tall, sickly slender woman in her thirties, wearing a pair of gaudy butterfly sunglasses. Her arms were crossed and her face, normally a frown, was scowling down upon them.

Thinking quickly, Laverne stood, pulling Nanami firmly to her feet behind him. "It was my fault. I asked her if she liked the smell of my cologne, but when she got a whiff of it, the stuff made her a little faint. I was only trying to keep her from hitting her head."

"Very well, make sure not to wear it again. We can't be having students pass out in class just because you need to smell funny." She walked by them, looking for some other poor victim to torment. "Miss Tenjou! Why can't you dress like a normal girl."

"Whew, that was a bit too close." Laverne smirked as he watched the teacher depart. "I owe you an apology, I went too far." He faced her again, but all she did was smile.

"Please, don't apologize. I didn't mind it at all."

***

Venetia stood with her mouth agape at the scene. She could hardly believe the nerve of Laverne! He wasn't miserable at all, but was wooing that whore Nanami again. She turned to go find Edric, to have him fix those two for good, but then thought better of it. Not this time, Nanami! I'll get my revenge on you myself.

Her agile mind began conceiving ways of taking her wrath out on them, to turn their lives to social ruin. As she walked, she tried to puzzle out what would damage their reputations the most. Then a thought occurred to her.

The power that End of the World had given them! Edric had warned her about using it, but that hardly mattered. He was just overcautious, too afraid to put their advantages to real use. She smiled at the thought of his response. You mean, you defeated them by yourself? I underestimated your abilities, you are truly a master. Please, show me how you so brilliantly orchestrated their fall, I wish to learn.

Laughing within her own mind, Venetia strutted into school, so proud of her brilliant plan that she didn't see the gaudy teacher ahead of her. She bumped into the older woman, hardly enough to jostle her, but the teacher's favorite butterfly glasses fell from her nose. She tried to regain her balance, the crack of plastic and glass accentuating her footfall.

"Aaaah! My glasses, look what you've done to them!" The teacher howled, anger boiling onto her face.

"They're only glasses, and not even proper ones at that. You should really get some better taste in clothes too." Venetia blew off the teacher with hardly a glance.

Quivering with rage, the older woman watched as Venetia continued down the hall. This was getting intolerable! Students treating their betters like nothing! First Utena Tenjou wearing boys clothes, and now the intolerable Venetia Fuera pushing her around. She wanted to scream, have all the insubordinate students kicked out of school, but it would never happen. The chairman was always strong-arming her into submission for getting on the students' cases. With a sigh of annoyance, she turned away, looking for some other miserable soul to torment.

***

Nanami sighed with pleasure as she sat back, thinking about how much she loved friday the thirteenth. Sure, the day had started out rotten, but it was so much better now that her early troubles had been forgotten. Rolling her shoulders in delight, she looked down at Laverne, who was rubbing lotion over her feet.

Laverne was having no less a good time. Leaning forward, he sniffed her leg as his hands played down her soft feet, fondling each toe gently. His hands, coated in sweet smelling oils, rubbed lithely up and down her bare feet, working into the contours and relaxing the muscles.

Nanami leaned her head over the back of the seat, moaning with sheer delight. Standing slowly, Laverne came up beside her, kissing her gently, passionately. He reached around her, lifting her from the chair, and spinning her slowly in circles.

This must be what it feels like to be a Princess, it must be. Nanami thought to herself, too overwhelmed by the sensation to speak. Laverne didn't say anything either, he didn't have to. She already knew, he would give anything for her, he would make her feel special.

The gate of the elevator to the Student Council's platform ground closed, bringing its lone passenger away from the two lovers. The girl gripped her shoulders, feeling quite alone...