Chapter 15

Tinder

"Come on, you big baby." Utena said, her voice both cross and slightly amused. Nemo leaned on her shoulder as he limped along, trying to keep from putting pressure on his injured right leg. "If you'd stop straining yourself, maybe you would be getting better instead of reopening the wound."

"I'm sorry." Nemo hung his head shamefully.

"Don't be that way, I'm not mad at you, it's just... If you're not more careful, you won't get better. Besides, soccer is hardly a good sport for someone who's recovering from a leg injury." No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stay mad at him. It was really strange, whenever he did something that annoyed her, he became positively remorseful. He was still like before, somewhat cold and distant, but the closer people got to him, the warmer he got.

"If you say so." He replied, looking over at her.

"If I say what?" Utena asked, having forgot what she had said a moment before.

"If you say I shouldn't be playing soccer, I'll stop."

"You only need to stop until your wound heals, that's all." She didn't know it, but her smile made Nemo feel so warm inside, like a spark of fire had been ignited within his heart. He felt different when he was with her, like there was more to this world than the misery that was borne of Akio's scheming. He longed to stay here, beside his friends, but sooner or later, he would have to leave.

"So, what happened anyway? When you fell from the platform, I mean." Utena asked, a bright curiosity lit within her eyes. For a moment, Nemo was distracted by the beautiful ring of her voice, the beauty of a girl who was unblemished by the impurities of surrender to this corrupted world.

"Nemo? Are you still here?" She laughed, bringing a fresh blush to his cheeks.

"Ah, when I fell, um, it's kind of complicated." He wasn't sure she would believe a word he said, but her eyes called into his soul, and he felt there was nothing he wouldn't tell her.

"That's okay, I like a good story."

"Alright, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I was battling with Leander, the student who used the great sword. He came at me with the sword, but I managed to step just outside of his reach, then thrust in and cut his rose off. He grinned at me, then used the sword to push me off the edge."

"I tried to grab something, anything that would hold, but it was no use, and I fell from the platform. It seemed like forever, falling through the sky. I saw you and Saionji, reaching down towards me, trying to catch my hands, but you couldn't reach. Then someone else came, a little girl with pink hair. She smiled and held her hand out to me, so I gripped it."

"That was the last thing I remembered before waking. I was in the forest below the Dueling Arena, laying in the grass. I felt really bruised, but not badly hurt. There was someone with me, he helped me up, and told me..." Nemo hesitated, thinking for a moment. "He told me about a Prince who was looking for a Princess far away from home."

"The story was the same as the one Conall told you, except for one thing. He said that the Prince didn't want to claim her anymore, only to protect her, in honor of her parents. Conall is looking for him, trying to find him for their father, the one the Prince was fleeing."

"Wow, that's quite a story. Well, here's your dorm, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Utena said, her voice trailing off as her eyes grew distant.

"Sure, take care." He replied, watching her as she turned and walked away.

"Goodbye, Princess." He whispered under his breath, and with a soft smile, he disappeared into the building.

***

Miki wasn't sure who was more surprised, he or Anthy, who had just bumped into him as he was walking out of the music room. "Oh, excuse me. I should have been paying more a-"

Miki's voice caught in his throat. Anthy, whom he usually knew to be a sound, quiet individual was in a terrible condition. Though she had tried to hide it, her hair was becoming slightly disheveled, her clothing just a little too wrinkly. Others might not have noticed it, but to Miki it was a sign of the worst.

"Oh Miki, I didn't see you there." She quickly drew back into her shell, trying to hide the horror he had seen reflected in her eyes. A deep fog drifted silently into the darkened corridor, turning passing students into phantasmal wraiths as they walked by, their words echoing into the void.

"Miss Himemia, are you feeling okay? You don't look so good." Worry filled his voice. Something deep within Anthy wanted to cry out, accept his hand of friendship. She hesitated, unsure for what seemed an eternity unto itself. The ticking of a clock began, resounding within the stifling fog, until she could hardly take it anymore.

Suddenly her knees seemed to give out, and she dropped to a sit, fighting back more tears. She could not show her sorrow here, not in the school. She was the Rose Bride, one who was meant to be in control of her emotions.

Anthy please, stop this, I want you to be free. Utena's words called out from the depths of her mind, a plea of hope for her friend.

I can't! Even after all you did, I'm still alone! I will always be a slave to my need. My need for someone who cares about me... Anthy responded to the voice, her own like that of a crying child.

Oh Anthy, you don't have to be alone. Open your heart, there will always be someone who loves you. Utena's voice seemed so sure, so confident. Anthy desperately wanted to believe her, to listen to her dearest friend, but she was too afraid.

Another sound drew into her mind, like the first twinkle of a star. It was followed by a soft, loving melody that seemed so familiar, so hopeful, Anthy grasped onto the sound. Far away, upon the sea, a man was pulled from the stormy waters, half drowned, and yet alive.

Her eyes opened, to see the music room around her. Miki was sitting at the piano, playing softly. The notes of the Sunlit Garden issued forth, filling Anthy with vitality, and something else she had not had for a long time, hope. Noticing she was awakening, Miki stopped playing, hurrying over to her side. He knelt next to her, concern showing on his face.

"Miss Himemia, how do you feel?"

"I feel fine. What happened?" She asked, her voice weak.

"I'm not sure, one minute we were talking, the next you passed out on the floor. Mitsuru, who had arrived for lessons, helped me bring you in here, then went to get the nurse. It's only been a couple of minutes, but we were really worried for you."

See, you're never really alone, Anthy. We're your friends, and we'll never abandon you. Utena's voice was so kind, and Miki was looking out for her. She wanted to believe them, enough that she would give her world up, if only their words would be true.

***

"Isn't this a quaint picture." Juri looked up at the voice warily, her hand drifting to a fine sword that rested on the coffee table next to her. She didn't feel safe since the assault of the cloaked men. Ruka stood across the room, his phantom image leaning against the doorframe, smiling.

"Ruka? Why do you keep haunting me?" She replied in a mostly level tone, setting the book she had been reading next to the sword. She rose from her seat, walking towards him. Against the wall, the fireplace went dark, leaving the room unlit save for the starlight through the window, and the faint glow of the ghost.

"I can't leave you, Juri, not until you escape your own sorrow." He brushed one of her long curls. He whispered softly, lovingly in her ear. "You're holding on to me, and I'm trapped by it. It suits me fine though, I wouldn't want to leave until I knew you were happy again."

She looked at him, tears threatening to break through her resolve. "I am happy, Ruka." She tried to whisper, but her voice quavered, revealing her heart.

"No you're not. You see everyone else falling in love again, their hearts becoming fulfilled. Then you remember what you had, both the real and the illusion, and long for either, or anything that can fill the void. But you never find it, that place you want to be. Eternity can't give you love, and alone you walk, trying to convince yourself of the lie."

"I see through all that, my dear Juri, because to me your heart is an open book. Had he been right to you, you would have gladly taken that bastard, Leander, even knowing he was just using you." There was a soft laugh on Ruka's voice, not unkind, not heartless, but amused, like an adult who sees a child do something ignorant but cute. Juri tried not to look at him, to hide her tears from him, but it was no good. He knew her heart, and all that she longed for. "Juri listen, you are so much more special than anyone here realizes. You and each of the chosen."

"What chosen!? What is there to this world other than suffering and death!?" She suddenly broke, tears streaming openly as she gripped vainly at his uniform.

Ruka's smile grew a little sadder at her lack of understanding. "The chosen, each a Prince, a Princess, a Knight, or a Bearer. Holding a noble heart, chosen and drawn to break the curse of this fallen place. Like the others, you only remember a little piece of your story, the truth stolen by the very curse that binds you here, slowly pulling you into someone else's Eternity. Juri, do you believe you are common, or that you have no meaning other than to suffer?"

"No." Juri's voice had grown small, and she leaned upon his chest, the fight gone from her.

He rubbed her back gently with one hand, his voice soft and caring. "If you have the courage to follow me, I will reveal the truth to you. It may take some time, and it may hurt, but to be free and happy again, it will be worth all you have suffered."

Drawing slowly to her feet, she looked as him. Sadness still shone in her eyes, but she was no longer crying. "If it means setting you free," she paused, "setting us free, than I will do what you say. If I can not be free of this curse, I will never truly live again."

Nodding in approval, Ruka took her hand in his. "Noble words, Juri. Your heart has not been consumed by sorrow yet, and I will do all within my power to honor that brave heart." He turned away, looking back at her. "When I return, be ready, for many things will change. The curse is coming to an end, someone is going to shatter the Eternity of this place. Whether you stand through the storm or are swept away will depend on how strong you become when that fateful day comes."

He faded slowly from existence, disappearing into the darkness of night. The fire began to glow, rising until it burned steadily in its confines, lighting the room again.

"I'll be ready." Juri replied.

***

Edric didn't like it at all, the silence of the Fuera Estate was starting to worry him seriously. Venetia was nowhere to be found, nor had she been at school that day. A mounting sense of dread crawled through him as he walked the darkened corridors of the vast house, who's passages seemed to have become myriad and complex, a great maze within its boundaries.

Turning a corner, he spotted a faint light glowing through one of the doors. Panic welled within him as he raced over to it, looking up at the sign upon the door. No! She couldn't have gone into the Forbidden Room! I told her to stay away from it! He opened the door, looking into the room where they had kept the secret that End of the World had given them.

I'm too late! Edric looked on, staring at the coffin that stood against the far wall. A loud, terrible screaming came from within, echoing and resounding until it became near deafening. The coffin shook, a sure sign the foolish girl within still wanted to escape, but there was none. Swords, some great, some small, but thousands of them poured into the coffin, burying themselves deep within their hapless victim.

Edric hung his head sorrowfully, closing the door as he exited the room. The screams still echoed through his mind as he walked away, lamenting the loss of his mistress. She had been too foolish, too impulsive with her actions. Now she was a sacrifice of her own creation, bound to suffer so others could draw upon her soul for power.

The coffin wasn't a weapon, but something much more sinister. It sapped the life from those whom were sacrificed to the Swords of Hatred, the same swords that barred people from gaining Eternity. That life, the emotions, will, and turmoil of the sacrifice would be turned to power that could be used to make strong foes for the Rose Duelists. For someone as selfish and imperfect as Venetia to try to use it was an invitation of death. Edric wasn't sure he could even control the monster, and would never dare use it without a suitable sacrifice. Now that power was ruined, and his mistress nothing more than a screaming corpse, awaiting to be freed of her torment.

As he left, however, something else entered. Clad in the darkness that defies death, a shadow approached the room. The great form cast the door aside, shattering it like glass, and made its way up to the coffin. Still screaming in her torment, the pitiful figure of Venetia clawed and banged desperately within, trying to escape her pain.

The figure strode up confidently, ignoring the swords that struck him. Each sword that did shattered and blew away like sand in the wind, overwhelmed by something much greater than themselves. Reaching out, the black hand gripped the biggest sword, ripping it from the coffin. Immediately the swords stopped, hovering in the air as if frozen by time itself.

Turning the point face down, the dark form thrust it down into the ground, burying the point within the wood. All the other swords followed suit, pulling from the coffin and striking the floor, forced into submission by a hate that even they could not match.

The coffin slowly creaked open, revealing the bloody, shattered form of Venetia, pierced and quivering within. A voice like the breaking of distant thunder spoke from within the darkness, speaking to the broken girl. "A sorry end, if you let it end like this. You are the daughter of the Fuera family, are you not?" A faint nod from the forlorn body. "You are dying, your life pouring from you just as your blood that stains the ground. If you take what I offer you, life shall be yours again, and you will be made whole again. But you must bend your knee and will to my ends. Will you accept?"

Another nod was all the speaker needed, placing his black hand over Venetia's head, he drew her from the ground. As he did, the wounds mended, her broken body restored to what it had been. Venetia, too stunned for words, dropped on her hands and knees before the dark man, who rose, gripping the sword he had thrust into the floor. Raising it up, he held it aloft, and all the Swords of Hatred converged on it, entering into the hilt of the massive blade. A large clear pommel on the blade quickly filled with blood, marking the flow of swords into it.

He stood over Venetia where she crouched, trembling upon the floor. He rested the blade upon her right shoulder, then her left. "Rise, Venetia, and serve me as my first Black Knight. I have chosen you, for the hatred within you has made you strong, just as I desire. You will be called to slay my foes, to make the world tremble at my power. You are now mine."