Author's Note: Sorry. I started this chapter, stared at it for a week, and then suddenly realized "Oh, hey. I need to make a bunch of new characters for this to work. Well, I'd better get on that." And so I did. It took me a few hours, but I came up with five new characters. If you're confused, just say so in your review, and I'll add a glossary of new characters to the end of the chapter. After that bonanza of fun, I sat and stared at what I'd written for another week, then scrapped it and started over. It was like pulling teeth to write this chapter, and it took me several days and a half-dozen re-writes. I'm still not satisfied. But don't worry, I'm not quitting this. I'll keep at it, I promise, until the end.

Kagayaku Means to Shine
Anime: Shoujo Kakumei Utena
Primary Pairing: Utena x Anshii
Rating: PG-13
Written: 16 February - 2 March 2007
Chapter Twenty-Two

Frantic knocking roused Juri out of her near trance as she sat at her desk, labouring over business paperwork. Rubbing her eyes to clear them after hours of staring at the dark print, she made her way over to the door of the suite she shared with Kozue, opening it to find a frantic-looking Utena on the other side.

"They're gone!"

Juri blinked, and Utena repeated herself.

"They're gone!"

"Who's gone? What? Where?" Juri knew she sounded like an idiot, but her brain hadn't quite switched back over from legalese.

Utena looked ready to explode.

"The twins! The car is gone, the driver is missing, and the twins are gone!"

"Oh, shit."

Juri had just enough time to step forward and catch Utena as the younger woman collapsed into gut-wrenching sobs.

Two familiar shadows, dressed in girls' uniforms, stood making dramatic speaking and listening gestures on an equally familiar rose-marked wall.

"Did you know, did you know, have you heard the news?"

"The little princes have come to our school!"

"But do they know of the beasts in the garden?"

"Roar! I'm a lion!" One girl curled her hands into claws and appeared to menace the other girl, who looked at her.

"The real beasts are much more frightening than lions, or tigers, or bears."

"Oh, my!"

The shadows began to fade, bouncing up and down on the wall.

"Be wary, little princes!"

"The beasts that inhabit this garden are more dangerous than you can know."

"Did you know, did you know, have you heard the news?"

A dab of pale, reddish purple, brushed delicately over the canvas, gently forming the soft strands of loose, wind-blown hair.

The sound of a pencil scratching.

A touch of pale peach, forming the delicate oval of a girl's face, followed by the vulnerable curve of a throat, then a new brush for the dark green eyes, blank of emotion, and another for the pale pink mouth.

Scratch, scratch.

A touch of darker paint limed the faint shadow under her chin and the tantalizing hint of swelling cleavage over the concealing sheet.

Scratch, scratch.

An arm began to take shape, demurely holding the sheet in place.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Just as the soft folds of the fabric began to take shape, there was another brief moment of scratching, followed by a deceptively calm male voice.

"Kazemi-san, what exactly are you doing?"

Brennan, in response, pushed her glasses up on her nose and looked sternly at the paint-spotted Student Council President.

"I am taking minutes, President Shikikawa," she announced in Japanese that still held a faint accent, no matter how hard she tried to fight it, "As any good secretary should."

Keiji pushed a lock of his thick black hair behind one ear, regarding Brennan with some amusement.

"I am sad to inform you that the meeting has not yet begun and, at any rate, my painting is hardly something that needs to be included in the minutes."

"To the contrary, President," countered Brennan, pausing to hold her brown hair in place as the wind picked up, "I believe that anything that happens during the meeting time should be recorded."

Her black eyes met and held his blue ones, and with a sigh, he let her have her way.

"Fine. There is no purpose in arguing amongst ourselves, when the person we need to speak with has not yet arrived."

Brennan frowned and checked her watch.

"He is currently seven and one-half minutes late."

"Late to the meeting to discuss his other shortcomings," came a soft, young male voice, "How very like Vice President Kaguchi."

At the other end of the balcony, lounging indolently on a large pillow set on a pedestal, was a boy who looked more ephemeral than real. Makoto, with his pale skin, white hair, and light purple eyes, was delicately, dreamily pretty in a fashion that set his junior high school classmates afire, as well as a good number of the high school students and, rumour had it, even college students.

"And you obviously have no faults of your own," said Brennan sardonically, "Which would be why your parents love you so much."

The illusion of delicacy shattered as Makoto turned a cold stare on her, a grimace twisting his pretty mouth.

"My parents do love me! I speak to them often, and our family is happy!"

"Then why," Brennan smirked, "Do they call you separately, and from different homes? And why-"

Just as she was about to continue egging the small boy on, the aforementioned Vice President blew out onto the balcony like a tropical storm, flinging himself down into a chair that hadn't been there a moment ago and looking annoyed. Dark blue hair, uncut and untamed, was only partially confined by the tie working valiantly to hold it back, and red eyes sparked with annoyance

"Happy now? I'm here. Now tell me what it is that you want, so I can go back to what I was doing."

Keiji, who had returned to painting, finished up a stroke of pale grey before dipping the brush in water and setting it aside. The model, he simply proceeded to ignore.

"Takeda," Keiji said calmly, "I sincerely doubt that your theatrics are necessary. Now," he continued, forestalling complaint from the other boy, "I believe that we had some business to attend to regarding your recent behaviour."

"As the student council," Brennan said, pencil moving furiously as she recorded even her own words, "We have a certain image to convey."

"You damage this," finished Makoto, his distaste for the blue-haired boy obvious, "By so blatantly intimidating teachers and students alike."

"As if I'm the only one who does it! When was the last time any of you had to do homework, or obey the curfew?" Takeda jumped out of his seat, pacing back and forth and looking frustrated.

Keiji shook his head, his smile only growing.

"There is a difference, Takeda," he said in the tone of a parent cajoling a recalcitrant child, "In that we employ far different methods, in far different situations. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Be subtle," Brennan said flatly, "And do it where no one can see you in order to tell tales."

Makoto snorted, "You're part of the student council, as much as we would like to deny it. It's not difficult to get what you want, if you-"

"Enough."

Keiji's sharp voice cut the younger boy off, and earned him another of those famous purple-eyed death looks, which fazed him not at all.

"The matter has been discussed. No benefit will be had by continuing this discussion. Therefore, we are moving on to the next piece of business."

And without further ado, he dropped a white envelope onto a table, a faint red mark showing where the rose seal had been.

"You should each have received a similar letter, yes?"

"'The new duelist has come'," Brennan quoted from memory, "And nothing else. Correct?"

There was a round of nods, and then Keiji took the floor once more.

"Indeed. We currently have no information about this new duelist, so we have no choice to but to take it on faith that he will follow the rules of the Rose Seal. Eventually, he will have no choice but to reveal himself and challenge me. Ah, Satoru," he looked pointedly at the young woman still sitting silently and motionless where she'd been left. Speech was the first sign of life she had shown throughout the meeting.

"Yes, Keiji-sama?" Her voice was calm and level, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"What do you know of this new duelist?"

"What could she know," Takeda asked in a disgusted voice, "She's just the Rose Bride."

"Never underestimate anyone, Takeda. Satoru, answer the question."

"I know a small amount," the magenta-haired girl answered softly, her blank eyes revealing nothing. "I have heard the name Tenjou, and I believe that the new duelist is a first-year high school student. Other than that, I know nothing."

"As I said, never underestimate. Now that we have a starting point, we are more fortified against surprise. I believe that is the end of the official business for today. I declare this meeting ended."

And with that, he turned around and resumed painting. The rest of the duelists took themselves off. Satoru never blinked.

"...And that's the rose garden!"

The shaded hallways echoed with the sound of three sets of footsteps and the excited voice of the guide, until she was interrupted.

"Who are those people?"

"Who? Oh, them! That's the whole Student Council!"

The little procession came to a halt, as the girl assigned to guide them around the campus began listing people.

"The one with the black hair and blue eyes is Sakikawa Keiji, the Student Council President. He's a third-year, and he's a completely awesome artist, his work is hanging up all over campus. The one with the dark blue hair and red eyes is Kaguchi Takeda, the Vice-President. He's really cool, and an ace at sports, but he's kind of scary because he has a bad temper. He's a second-year. The girl with brown hair, brown eyes, and glasses is also a second year. She's Kazemi Brennan, the Secretary. She's half-American, and she lived in America up until a couple of years ago. Isn't that cool?"

The girl was ticking people off on her fingers.

"Oh, and the really pretty third-year middle school boy is Sakeda Makoto, the Treasurer. He's so pretty! His dad is a famous actor, and his mother is a totally gorgeous model!"

"What about that other girl there?"

"Oh, her?" The distaste was evident in the girl's voice, "That's Iwaki Satoru, another middle school third-year. Nobody knows much about her except that she's an orphan, here on a scholarship...actually, I don't even know what her position is in the Student Council. But you know, I think she might be dating the President right now, since she's been hanging around him recently...before, though, she was hanging out with the Vice-President. I wonder what-"

"Fascinating," came the dry interruption, and then a second, similar voice added, "But it's time for class now."

"Oh, no," squealed the guide, and with a quick bow she took off for class, leaving the two people she'd been guiding behind.

A moment later, Keiji turned around in response to a voice calling his name.

"Yes?"

"Sakikawa Keiji, I challenge you to a duel."

"Well," Keiji's voice was calm and confident, "That didn't take long. And who might you be?"

"My name is Tenjou Nishiki."

END CH.22