Chapter 25

A Hope Born from Ashes

"Charge! Charge! Charge!" Three harmonious, yet off-key voices called out, one after the other. Venetia looked to this cry to battle, wondering what could have happened. Nanami stood at the head of the elevator, Laverne beside her. Behind them the full assembly of Ohtori Academy's student body stood, each bearing a sword.

With a roar, they charged about the weakened duelists, their blades casting aside the Swords of Hatred. Nanami came running through the fray, her twin swords drawn as she moved between Venetia and her prey.

"Nanami!? No, this is impossible!" Venetia cried in dismay.

"It looks like I showed up just in time." Nanami replied, her smile smashing Venetia's nerves like a hammer. "After all this time, I finally found a use for my popularity."

Venetia screeched like a wounded animal, striking viciously at Nanami, who cast her attacks aside with a practiced ease that surprised even her. Blow after blow fell, but despite Venetia's fury, she couldn't land a single blow against her foe. She tried to summon more Swords to strike at her hated enemy, but Laverne's nimble sword broke them before they could even draw close.

"It's over, Venetia! The Swords of Hatred have been broken once and for all!" Whirling her blades about, Nanami smashed them into the last of the Swords, shattering Venetia's blade like glass.

Utterly defeated, Venetia collapsed to her knees, watching in horror as Laverne swept Nanami up, kissing her passionately. A cheer broke out from the assembled students, who waved their blades in the air.

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

"Yeah, that's our miss Nanami!"

"That's right, who's your mama!"

"We won, we won!"

"Chu! Chu!"

"Haha! We've done it! We're free!"

Sitting against the wall, Touga and Saionji looked on at the young lady, battered smiles on their faces. Makeshift bandages wrapped around their injured bodies, yet neither of them cared. The feeling of freedom was infectious, cascading around them as the victorious celebrated all they had won.

"It looks like Nanami has finally grown up." Saionji said, looking over at his old friend.

"Yes she has, as have we all. Ohtori Academy has finally met it's end, and at the hands of it's own students no less. Victory belongs to all of us, now that the evil of End of the World has been defeated." Touga replied, smiling warmly at his sister, who had been lifted into the air with her new love.

"Where is Akio, anyway?" Saionji asked, looking about the crowded chamber for some sign of the manipulative master of Ohtori Academy.

"He's gone, probably to grab whatever is left of his power. It doesn't matter, the fight is over, his captives have been freed." Touga tightened the makeshift bandage that wrapped over the wound on his chest.

***

"So, I guess this is it." Utena said, her voice sad. "After all we've been through, it's over." She looked at Nemo, who sat next to her near the ruined wall.

"What makes you say that?" Nemo returned her glance, his own eyes showing the depth of his soul.

"Well, now that everyone is free, we have to move on." She didn't seem to know how to say what she needed to, her mind lost in emotion.

"You say it as if that's a bad thing." Nemo smiled, warmth filling his chest.

"It's just that, after all we have been through, what will we do now?" Utena looked down into her lap. "I've spent so long hoping to find my Prince, I don't know what to do with myself, or even if there will ever be someone for me."

"I suppose that had everything to do with what you hope for. Tell me, what does a man need to be to you?" Nemo asked.

"He needs, oh this is silly, but I always wanted him to be the sort of guy who only lives in fairy tales. A Prince who cares for his love, who would give his whole world for her. He would have to be strong and courageous, but gentle, loving. He would have to be able to put up with my attitude, and he should probably enjoy doing things that I like. Someone faithful, who loves me for me, who doesn't try to mold me, but wants to be with me."

"Would it matter if he were stubborn, brash, and not the most beautiful guy in the world?" Nemo said, his eyes still watching her lovingly.

Utena looked over at him in surprise, a twinge of pink coloring her cheeks. "Are you," She paused, thinking about her next words, "asking me if I-" Losing her voice in embarrassment, she stared into his deep green eyes.

"I said I wouldn't hold you to a promise, but if you chose me anyway, I would be the happiest man in the world." Nemo said, his hand brushing hers. His eyes opened in surprise as she took his hand in hers, leaning in and kissing him passionately. Wrapping his free arm about her, Nemo leaned into the kiss, embracing her.

A flood of emotion filled Utena as she drew her arms around Nemo, the warmth of his skin soothing her. Every touch ignited memories of the others who had gone before, Dios, Touga, Akio, and yet his was different than any other. The feeling was real, truly real, no deception, no lies, just a pure passionate love that flowed through her, as if he was no longer another person, but a part of her. She never wanted to leave this place of warmth, Nemo's wonderful embrace.

Anthy stood a short distance away, smiling warmly as she watched her best friend. "I'm happy for you, Utena." She whispered to herself. "You finally found your Prince."

***

Akio stumbled along, making his way up to the platform in the sky. His leg was still bleeding from the wound he had suffered, but it hardly mattered. The Swords of Hatred were gone, and Eternity was within his grasp. Once he Revolutionized the World, he would deal with those who had dared oppose him. He made his way out across the walkway to where the door to Eternity lay, smiling as he gripped it's handle.

"After all this time, Eternity will finally be mine." He whispered, pulling heavily at the handle with both hands.

Instead of resistance, the door swung open freely, sending the tall man toppling onto his back. Sitting up in surprise, he looked into the darkness, his eyes wide at the sight that met him. Standing alone within the door, a small, pink haired girl. She smiled and waved to him.

Rushing forward, he took her by the shoulders. "Where is it!?"

"Where is what?" She asked innocently.

"Eternity! The Eternity that was locked within the castle! Where is it?" Akio looked desperately at her, trying to make sense of why the castle was empty.

"Silly, you don't know what happened?" The little girl giggled.

"What? What happened? Tell me!" Akio could barely keep his composure.

The little girl began to change, until Akio found himself staring into the eyes of his reflection, Dios. "Eternity is gone." He said, the little girl's smile still on his face. "Utena set it free to the world."

"No, that's not possible! I would have seen it!" Akio shouted into his reflection's face.

"Whether or not you believe, that is what happened. She used the power to free Anthy from the obligations of being the Rose Bride, and stole her from the jaws of death. If you had paid attention to what you were saying all that time, listened to your own riddles, you would understand that she claimed Eternity through her sacrifice. It took the form that she chose with her compassion, and then it was set free, just as I was. Now, the world is changing. She has done what you gave up with your innocence, she has Revolutionized the World." Dios explained, his tone soft as he spoke to the fallen Prince.

"You! You did this! You gave her the power of Eternity! Damn you!" Akio tried to wring his reflection's neck, but before he could, Dios faded from his sight.

"Your power is broken, Akio. You plotted and planned, but have been brought to ruin for your schemes. All that was is fading, and a new world is being born. You will survive, but your world will not. Now all that you had is gone, and you shall fall with it." Dios' voice disappeared into the wind, leaving Akio sitting upon the walkway, alone once again.

A loud cracking sounded above his head. Terror filled Akio as he looked into the sky, where the castle hung upside down in the air. It had stopped rotating, the millions of lights upon it going dim one at a time. Panic welled within him, and he rose to flee, only to stumble as he stood. Looking down at his leg, he saw the stab wound that had been left on his leg by Touga's attack.

One of the smaller towers emitted a terrible crack, sliding loose of where it had hung for years. Plunging down, the giant pillar struck the far side of the platform, breaking stone under it's terrible weight.

Akio limped along, trying to outrun his death. A second tower came loose, hitting the walkway behind him, shattering it just as he pulled himself back onto the platform. More grinding cracks sounded above, signaling the castle's end. He struggled across the open space between him and safety, trying to avoid the massive spires that fell like stalactite. Stone was reduced to dust under his feet as he fled, nearly dropping him into the forest below.

Gripping the remaining stonework, he pulled himself up, dragging his weathered body to the great corkscrew stair. All at once, the castle plunged, almost slowly, down into the Dueling Arena. The whole area shook violently as the platform was carried away by the massive weight of the monolithic stone building, both of them plunging down into the forest.

The stair fared little better, dragged down after the arena it had held, and with it, Akio. "Ahhh!" Reaching up into the sky, he tried to catch something, anything, that would save him from the horrible fall. Dios appeared in the air above him, the ghost Prince watching in approval as he clawed desperately at his foot, which floated just outside his reach.

The last thing that he saw was the sun peering into the sky from over the horizon, a new day.

***

Nanami sat with Laverne underneath the big tree in the field, both of them watching the new leaves open. A small nest sat on one of the branches, a pair of beautiful blue eggs nestled under a little bird. A man approached, wearing a heavy working vest and a hard hat.

"Miss Kiryuu, could you sign this verification? We need it to begin some of the work on the south wall." The man asked, holding out a clip board to the young lady.

"Of course." She replied, looking down at the plans on the clip board. They were just like she remembered in her dreams, the castle that stood on the grounds for hundreds of years before Ohtori had ever existed. Soon they will rebuild Tenjou Castle, and Laverne will be restored to what was his family's. She thought happily as she signed the contract papers.

The struggles of the last few months had been intense, but the evidence was overwhelming. Someone had secretly forged records concerning the old castle's ownership shortly after Utena's parents had died, putting the land firmly in the hands of the Ohtori family. It didn't really matter to Nanami that Anthy had seemed to know all about them, and where the original records were for that matter.

Much of the castle still existed, because Mr. Ohtori decided to convert much of it into the school. With some hard work, it would soon be restored to it's old glory, the walls rebuilt, the foundations established, and the buildings restored to their original design.

"Thank you again, lady Nanami." Laverne said, smiling over at her.

"You hardly need to do that," she replied, her own smile meeting his, "after all, this is my inheritance too. As soon as you get me a new ring to replace this one." She held up the white Rose Seal ring, her eyes growing more playful and inviting.

Laverne rolled over on top of her, planting a kiss firmly on her lips. "I'm sure we won't have any problems with that." He answered.

***

"Are you sure you all want to come as well?" Nemo asked, looking over at his friends. The ship they stood on rocked slowly under their feet with the swaying tide.

"Of course, you helped free our lives." Utena said, smiling. "The least we can do is help you reclaim yours."

"After all the excitement we've been through together, it would be hard to imagine doing anything else with myself." Saionji said, his hands tucked away, eyes closed. "Besides, the academy is gone, I have to do something."

"And I'm not letting you two out of my sight until I have nieces and nephews." Anthy joked happily, her smile growing even more as Utena and Nemo turned away, rubbing their heads in embarrassment.

Happy laughter filled the deck as the ship set sail, leaving behind the ruins of Akio's power, and making her way to the Kingdom Across the Sea.