Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction / X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Added To, Taken From ❯ Casting Call ( Chapter 2 )

Added To, Taken From

Casting Call

The Ohtori Academy was like a giant spider's web, but no one seemed to realize that. Not at first. It was a timeless place, holding people in place until their souls were ready to be consumed. A year ago Akio had thought of his sister as the spider at the center...and she had been so. It had all been for him though. To keep Akio safe. To keep Akio trapped. To keep Akio by her side forever so she could be the princess for once.

Now she had left, and there was no spider.

They were all still trapped though, and more people were finding their way into the web. With no spider to maintain the web, it was falling apart. Akio's prison became everyone's prison. Akio's haven became everyone's hell, and no one even realized it.

Now Akio maintained the web alone. He was no longer acting chairman; that had been taken care of right away. He answered to no one now. He was no longer tethered by his sister's will, or the illusory will of the true chairman and his family. Yet, Akio could not break free.

With his web he began to cast about for one who could break the web. Without a keeper, he could search for salvation as he pleased. Without a keeper, he could take what he needed and answer to no one. It didn't matter to him who he snared, as long as he could find the means to his freedom.

That is how he caught Sumeragi Hokuto. That is how he caught Monou Kotori. And that is how he finally caught Sakurazuka Seishirou...and got much more than he could ever prepare for.

~@~

Anyone who knew him would say it was a dangerous smile, but to the rest of the world it would seem sweet, almost kind.

Seishirou was surprised and almost amused to see that smile echoed by the man who sat across the table from him. He raised a black gloved hand slowly to remove his sunglasses, adding a slight edge to his smile. "I'm not supposed to be here," he said in an even tone.

The man simply nodded, calmly pouring tea for them both. "You're probably right," he finally answered, still smiling. "Do you want to leave?"

"I suppose that depends on how interesting things will be around here," Seishirou said with an amused gleam in his eye. The guy had guts, he had to admit that. "Don't make me bored."

"I don't think that will be a problem at this place," he murmured as he heard two sets of feet running out to meet them on the balcony.

"Ohtori-san!" called out one girl's voice.

"Akio-chan!" called out a different voice...one that was very familiar to Seishirou. It was a voice he had never expected to hear again. He had seen her as she died. In fact, he had killed her.

Seishirou remembered his own death placidly, wondering if Hokuto would now start screeching at him for invoking her spell. He had done it deliberately of course--never forgetting for an instant that attempting to kill her brother would end his own life. She'd have to realize that that's why he was here, right?

"Kotori-chan, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to be so formal here?"

"Oh, sorry! It's just that I was scolded by the councilor today for being too familiar. She thinks I wasn't paying you enough respect since I'm just a student, and you're the chairman."

Seishirou realized, as he watched the exchange, that he recognized Kotori as well. He had seen her with Shirou Kamui. She was Monou Fuuma's sister.

This was very interesting indeed.

He slowly replaced his sunglasses, watching the innocent banter the girls were involved in. Hokuto showed no hint of recognizing the assassin, and Seishirou found that somehow offensive. It went against some unnamed emotion deep within him. It was as unforgivable as his mother forgetting him...as unthinkable as ever forgetting Subaru.

When Akio finally managed to smoothly get around to introductions, Seishirou smiled kindly and pretended nothing was amiss. He wasn't sure how he would use this for his advantage, but he was certain that he would.

~@~

"Ohtori-san," Seishirou said, formal as ever. "What is this place? Do you even know yourself?"

Akio smiled calmly, nodding. "I should know. This place is mine, in a sense."

They were alone again, and sunset was coloring the grounds beneath the balcony. The tower was high enough that it stayed in the golden sunlight long after shadows had claimed the campus surrounding them. Seishirou pulled out a cigarette out of habit, lighting it with a casual air, remembering how he had shared his last cigarette while alive with the only person to actually mean a thing to him since he had killed his mother, so long ago. The memory made him smile. Sharing death with someone you loved was such an intimate thing....

"This is no ordinary school campus," he murmured.

"No, it's not. You remember dying, don't you?" It was a question, but it was clear from the way he asked that Akio knew the answer already.

"Yes. I was quite proud of that death, so it's a bit disconcerting to find myself somewhere unexpected. You're the master of this realm of the dead?"

"In a way yes, and in a way--no."

Seishirou paused to assess this, taking a deep drag on his cigarette to disguise the nature of his contemplation. The smile he finally gave the other man was cold and a bit triumphant. "Before I died, in a way I was Death Himself. I suspect you brought me here completely by accident."

The chairman of the academy blinked, showing signs of a dawning awareness that he might be getting in over his head. Still, he held his ground. "I suppose you could kill me, and we would find out just how far this spell of my sister's will take things," he said dryly.

Seishirou just smiled.