Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Honor ❯ Chapter Fifteen ( Chapter 15 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter Fifteen

A mistake. Though it had been an honest one, it could not
be denied that even now the power of the Champion rested in
the hands of that part that had been excised from her
beloved. Anshii stared down at the miniature rose bush
sheltered beneath the canes of its larger brethren. Anger
and outrage came to her through her connection to the Light
of the World. Something had happened in the mortal realm
while he had been here to claim what was rightfully his.

Her hands remaining clasped before her, the violet-haired
Fey closed leaf green eyes. She would do what she could to
undo her mistake. The whole of the Rose Arbor slipped away
as Anshii abandoned her tenuous form; the regal gold-trimmed
red gown fell empty to the ground.

She would go to where the Shadow lay and discover what she
could.
________________

"Let me go! What do you want with me anyway?" Twisting
back as best she could, the Phoenix's arms still strong
around her, Utena glanced at her captor.

A grin remained on Lord Akio's face. What a charming young
woman the lowlander had become. It would almost be a shame,
but Love's Honor would be only a sword to him until the
prophecy could be fulfilled. "I wish merely to become
better acquainted with the one chosen to find the new
Champion as well as keep a leash on the Tyger," he replied.

The rose-haired maiden gasped. "You know of the Champion?"

"Of course I do, my dear lady." The grin remained. "And
I've known of your quest. I also know that long ago, you
saw the suffering of Love herself."

Utena blinked in astonishment, her body going slack in her
captor's grip. "But how . . .?" she asked while staring up
at the darkly handsome face of the man holding her.

Emerald eyes turned from staring at the road to glance down
at the woman. For the first time, the two actually locked
gazes . . .

A shudder ran through Utena's slender form. Something deep
within those gorgeous green eyes scared her, a something
that was dark, shadowy, alien. Rumors abounded that the
Ohtori prince was not a mortal but rather a Fey banished to
the realms of man; in that instant, she knew that the rumors
were truth.

While his captive shivered, Akio was overwhelmed by
recognition. Though the skin was fair, the eyes a hue of
the ocean and not of green growing things, the flesh
imperfect clay, the light deep within the maiden's eyes was
a familiar one. (This, then, is what happened to the
spark?) Even as he asked his silent question, he knew it
was true. It would be just like her. No wonder this one
has found her way to the grave of the fallen Champion when
she was a young child.

The young warrioress closed her eyes, willing the
uncomfortable contact be broken. Even so she felt oddly
drained and drowning in a sense of unease. She turned away
and did her best to ignore the man holding her in his grasp.

"How?" Akio echoed, wondering how to react in light of his
discovery. Loathing and longing both filled him; he was
haunted by the very same emotions that had swept over him
the moment he had first laid eyes upon Anshii's familiar
visage. "My dear lady, I am what remains of the fallen
Champion."

Another shudder ran through her at the dusky-skinned lord's
words. (Could he really be?) But even as she asked herself
that, part of her recognized the truth of his statement.
"What happened?"

"The world happened. Too much hated filled it; the burden
was too much. The Champion grew ill, and though Love did
what she could, even her most desperate attempt failed," the
Ebon Phoenix explained, his voice taking on a distant tone.
"I am all that remains, cast out into the mortal realm, a
fragment of my former self forever barred from the shining
realms that were my home. And my beloved suffers eternally,
the poisoned thorns of hatred tearing at her flesh."

His words brought to mind a fleeting memory of a
violet-haired woman caught in the thorny vines of cruel,
deceptively beautiful roses. Utena gasped, struggling to
bring forward the rest of the memory she knew was there.
Urgency filled her and once again renewed her purpose to
find the one who could wield Love's Honor. She turned and
looked back up at him. "Why didn't you come to me, if you
are what remains of the sword's owner?"

"There are those would do what they could to detain me from
the power I used to wield," Akio said. "I've had to wait
until I was strong enough to meet the challenge."

The lowlander nodded. His explanation made sense,
especially in light of the knowledge that the former
Champion had been weakened before his fall.

"And with your quest, you kept those who would oppose me
busy." Akio smiled down to her, once again meeting her
innocent gaze. Desire won over anger; determined to win
over this now-mortal maiden, he thought over how he could
fulfill the prophesy and keep the lovely girl for himself.
His weaker half was besotted with her, but Akio doubted if
that other part was even aware of the reasons behind his
attraction. (What a lovely slap in the face it would be,)
the Phoenix thought. "But the time has come for me to claim
what is rightfully mine."

"But what of the tests of Virtue? Why was I told to seek
the one that held those traits dear?" Utena asked in
confusion. All along she had thought that it was her quest
to find a man worthy to wield the sword, that man proving
his worth by passing her tests. Was she so wrong? Was she
instead supposed to be searching for *the* man that was what
remained of Love's Honor's former owner?

"They were meant to give substance to your quest," the
lavender haired chieftain answered. "Your task was a
diversion, giving me time to ready myself to reclaim my
power. Now I am ready, and I need your help, my dear lady."

She hesitated, uncertain. Had she been misguided then?
Should she have somehow known that the Ohtori prince was the
one she sought? Yet even as that thought crossed her mind,
she somehow knew that her discovery of Lord Touga was
correct, that he too had a claim to Love's Honor. She
turned her gaze back to the game trail they were following.
"Where are we going?"

"To a place where I can regain my lost power. Will you aid
me?"

"Don't you need to return to the Rose Gate and ask for the
sword?" Utena realized even as she queried her captor that
she had no idea if the Red Tyger had been judged worthy.
But if what Lord Akio was saying was correct, her quest had
only been to lead others from the trail of discovering the
weakened remains of the Champion. No matter how much her
heart wished to see Lord Touga the Champion of Love, it was
never meant to be. That thought alone saddened her as well
as gave her a feeling of unease she couldn't explain.

Akio smiled again, sensing her slow acceptance of his words.
How lovely she would be as the jewel among his possessions.
He would be certain that she repaid him for all the
suffering Love had caused her Champion. "I already have
Love's Honor in my grasp, my beloved lady," he softly
purred, leaning close to her ear as he uttered the words.

"But I gave the key -- "

"Do you think that I, what remains of the Champion himself,
would not have my own way back to the place I called home?"
Akio gently asked.

Utena shivered with the feel of his warm breath against the
sensitive skin of her neck. She felt overwhelmed, drowning
in sensations she could barely understand. An odd thought
crossed her mind; Touga effected her in much the same way
but only in a more pleasant manner. "N-no," she stammered,
"it makes sense that you would have a key." Yet a voice
within her reminded her that the Champion had only one
symbol, and she had carried it for long years.

She was bending, but there was still a core of steel. Akio
wanted her full cooperation; the totality of the conquest
would make the irony all that sweeter. Love had taken the
Champion's own power and had cut from her beloved the
darkness she had believed was poisoning him. In doing so,
she had created the three of them -- Archetype, Light and
Shadow -- two of which had fallen into the cold realm of the
mortals. And in her grief, she had shattered as well, the
first part caught in her never-ending torment, a second part
remaining among the roses while the third followed her love
into the harsh world of the flesh.

For aeons, Love had been the mistress, her Champion there to
do her bidding. Now he would see to it that not only would
his weaker half never again threaten his existence, he would
be the master between himself and what remained of Love.

"Let me show you something, beloved lady," the Phoenix
murmured, breathing in the scent of her pink-hued hair.
Faintly, she smelled of the roses that Love had so adored.

"Show me what?" the lowlander noble asked.

Akio straightened in the saddle, pulling to him strands of
glamour from the very aether around them. After fleeing the
chilling presence of the Arisugawa chieftain -- and he
wondered how she had managed to effect him so -- he had used
his magic to disperse his mercenaries back home knowing that
he would be able to travel faster alone. When the
black-clad men had emerged from the fog, they had found
themselves on the edge of the woods bordering the Clan
Ohtori fields. Now he would weave that same magic again and
open a way through Faerie to reach another place in the
physical world. But on the way there he would show her
something he guessed would win her to his side. "Watch."

She did as he commanded, her aquamarine gaze sweeping over
the area around them. The very air seemed to tingle around
her and she had the impression of her captor concentrating
on something. The forest around them changed subtly, taking
on visual textures and deep hues that seemed to be grander,
more perfect. No longer did they ride through the woods;
they now traveled through the archetype of all forests
everywhere. The sky was the most perfect of skies, the
clouds the very epitome of such objects, and even the earth
beneath the white stallion's hooves was the essence of all
soil. All others were merely imperfect reflections of this
place.

They rode along a bend in the game trail, finding their
surroundings suddenly open up into a flowered meadow. Roses
grew everywhere, the same blood red as those within the Rose
Arbor. The scent of them hung in the air, as much the
archetype of rose perfume as the flowers were of their
earthly cousins. Onward they traveled while the meadow
shifted into something new with a fluidity that defied the
physics of the mortal world. Utena glanced up for a moment
at the highland chieftain's handsome face; Akio seemed
undisturbed by the behavior of their surroundings.

Greyness closed in; what she could see of the area around
them faded to an unearthly nothingness. No longer able to
discern anything other then unending gloom, the young
warrioress fought against an impulse to huddle up against
the dark-skinned man holding her. She was still a captive
despite his revelation that he was the one she had sought
for so long.

Then came light, and with it a sense of an almost-forgotten
memory. Sea-blue eyes blinked; this was just like that
other time, Utena realized. As before, a beam of pure white
brilliance acted as a beacon. When they grew closer she saw
one of the images that had haunted her for most of her short
life.

The bier of the fallen Champion stood there unchanged. The
angelically beautiful man dressed as the most regal of
princes remained lying there, the inside corner of his short
cape a splash of vibrant red against the glowing white.
Staring first at the unmoving Champion and then looking back
at the Ohtori chieftain, she could see the resemblance. The
same brown skin, the same pale hair with lavender
highlights, the same stunning visage, though the Ebon
Phoenix appeared older and less ethereal and sported longer
locks. There could be no doubt that Lord Akio had somehow
once been the very same man lying there dead on the bier.
"But how . . .?"

"How is it that I am here and the fallen Champion remains?"
Akio responded, staring down at the form clad in white, gold
and scarlet. "All that is here is an empty shell, that part
that is always and forever. The soul within has fled, too
weakened by hatred to survive here in this realm."

"W-would he live again were you to die?"

"That is an answer I do not know. Perhaps. Perhaps I will
merely go on to that fate that awaits all mortals in their
end."

Utena frowned as his words invoked a feeling within her.
No, she wouldn't let that happen. How could she let that
happen? The Champion had promised to always be there for
his beloved spirit of Love. He couldn't just fade to
nothing. "If you had your power back, what then?"

"Then, my beloved lady, I would be more certain to once
again inhabit the empty shell of the Champion left behind
when this mortal coil has lost its hold upon me," Akio
answered. He inwardly smiled as he sensed the beautiful
maiden's will bending just that much more. To possess her
would be quite the feat, though he lusted far more for the
power he had once wielded.

Utena glanced back down to the unmoving figure on the bier.
Twice now he had mentioned needing her help in order to
regain his might. (Only Love's Honor can free her . . .)
The voice echoing in her head, she lifted her gaze to the
distance. A glow of red caught her attention and held it.
"What of Love?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

The stately Phoenix noted where his captive was staring. A
flick of the reins and they were moving again, this time
toward that ruddy glow. "So long as her beloved Champion
remains an empty shell, she will be lost in torment."

"But the sword is supposed to be the thing able to free
her," the lowlander noble said in protest. She knew the
voice she had heard as a child had been correct.

"When wielded by the Champion of Love," Akio clarified.
Pulling back on the reins, he gazed for a long moment at the
image of the spirit of Love writhing among the gold and
silver roses of hatred. Like her eternal lover, the essence
of Amor had been broken into three. Here before them was
the immortal Archetype, guilt and grief tormenting her while
the enemy of all she stood for held her in its grasp. A
second piece was Anshii, an empty shell used as an animate
sheath to house the Champion's sword and to watch over that
place that had been the home of Amor and her lover. And the
third . . .

The Ohtori prince shifted his gaze to look at the maiden in
his arms, a smile lingering on his handsome face. So she
had withered from grief, becoming weak enough that she too
had fallen to the realm of men. Had she foolishly thought
that she would be able to find the Light of the World merely
by allowing a prison of flesh and blood to entomb her? How
perfect it would be to keep her from ever reaching his
weaker half, especially since she had already tried to
destroy Akio before the fall.

The sight brought tears to Lady Utena's eyes. Pity and pain
washed over her, as did that same fierce desire to see the
tortured woman freed that had so moved the lowlander as a
child. The memory of that night came back to her fully from
the realization that even the angels could die to the
heartfelt vow to find the one that could release Love from
her thorny prison. A sanguine tear rolled down Utena's
cheek, stained by the luminescence bathing the dreadful
scene, as she turned her gaze back to the one holding her.
"W-what must be done to return your power? You *will* free
her, won't you?"

"She'll no longer suffer so when Love's Honor is truly
mine," the Ebon Phoenix replied.
________________

"I refuse to believe that man and his entire party could
just vanish into thin air," growled the Golden Panther as
she leaned back against the Tsuchiya throne. In the absence
of the clan's lord, she was occupying his seat as was her
right as overlord. Juri glared at the door through which
her latest retainer had disappeared, then frowned and looked
at her guest.

Seated next to the lady prince, Shiori glanced at her
longtime friend's proud form. She felt much safer being
near her liege lady; the Kiryuu chieftain and his remaining
men as well as Lady Utena's two servants had all given her
threatening stares during the ride back from the Rose Gate.
For four agonizing days, the younger noblewoman had felt
like she was the scum of the earth each time someone had
looked at her in that manner.

"You may refuse to believe it, yet that is apparently what
has happened," Touga responded from where he was seated on
the other side of the room. Strangely enough, ever since he
had returned from the Rose Arbor he had discovered the
Panther's presence to be painful. The closer in proximity
he got, the more his entire body ached and his thinking grew
cloudy. He had managed to perch upon a chair near the door,
and since he eagerly looked up any time one of the Arisugawa
or Tsuchiya entered the chamber, he suspected Juri thought
him to be near the door to rush out were there news of the
Ebon Phoenix's whereabouts. At least at this distance he
felt nothing unusual; were he forced to sit closer, he knew
he would be quite ill at ease. "Like it or not, Ohtori is
using magic. And I'm certain that it's dark as well."

"Regardless, I fear I must now consider Lord Ruka a loss,"
Juri responded, feeling a stab of deep regret when the
brunette noblewoman seated next to her drew in a shuddering
gasp and then sobbed. Ignoring Shiori's silent weeping --
which certainly broke her heart, but she refused to let it
show -- the woman prince continued, "The Phoenix has all he
wanted. I see no tactical reason for him to continue to
hold my vassal. Were it me, I would execute the man."

"I fear you're correct, my lady prince," the Red Tyger said.
"All that remains is to avenge Lord Ruka if he no longer
lives, as well as wrest Love's Honor and Lady Utena from
Ohtori's grasp." How he hoped and prayed that the
pink-haired warrioress was safe. It had taken four days to
return to the fortress on the outskirts of the
Arisugawa-ruled lands, and still no word on where the
Phoenix had gone or what he had done with his latest
captive. Still, worrying about it was going to achieve
nothing.

"Aye, but first we need to find Ohtori before we can do even
that," Juri said.

Touga nodded, brushing aside a stray lock of his long,
scarlet hair from his face. What he would give to be able
to locate the Phoenix as easily as Ohtori seemed to be able
to locate the Kiryuu clansmen. He started to respond to the
other chieftain when something came upon him. His vision
darkened, the whole of the physical world fading away down a
tunnel. When he could see again, he found himself standing
in a place devoid of all landmarks, the surrounding area a
featureless grey. He glanced about himself in confusion.
"Where am I?"

"You are in a place beyond all places where there is no
time," answered a voice behind him.

The Kiryuu prince turned around and discovered the figure of
the regally gowned rose tender standing there. "Why am I
here?"

Anshii walked forward, her expression as wooden as he
recalled. "Through my mistake, Shadow has its hands on the
power of the Champion. I mean to rectify that before all is
lost."

When the violet-haired woman strode past him, Touga followed
after her in silence, willingly waiting to see what the
dark-skinned Fey would do. Their surroundings shifted
around them; two sources of light appeared -- one purest
white, the other blood-red. Within the center of each was a
figure. The brighter radiance surrounded the figure of a
princely man of unearthly beauty lying in state upon a white
marble bier. Touga immediately noticed the resemblance
between the short-haired dead man and the long-haired Ohtori
prince, though he was far more puzzled by the sense of
recognition and sorrow that filled him at the sight.
Glancing away from the fallen Champion -- for that man could
be no other, he knew -- the Red Tyger stared at the horrible
sight of the spirit of Love.

She was beautiful, a more perfect image of the rose tender
at Touga's side. In fact, the Kiryuu chieftain had the
strong impression that Anshii was merely the distorted
reflection of Amor. Bathed in crimson light, her nude form
surrounded by clawing vines of deceptively gorgeous roses,
the one who was the epitome of the Virtues of Love stood
helpless in the grasp of the cruel thorns that tore at her
dusky-skinned flesh. To see her so reduced made his heart
ache. He had to do something to free her from her torment.

As if she had read her companion's mind, Anshii said, "Only
when Love's Honor is again wielded by her Champion will she
be released. She took the Champion's power from him and
used it against him to cut away that which she thought was
poisoning him. She didn't understand that what she sensed
was an integral part of her love and that he could not
survive without that part of him. In trying to save him,
she destroyed him instead. Guilt tore her to pieces, the
thorns poisoned by hatred -- both of herself and her lack of
trust in her beloved. But grief overwhelmed her, and her
soul has fled, leaving behind an empty shell and what you
see here, that part of her that is eternal."

Mouth slack in awe, Touga remained speechless, his gaze
remaining fixed on the sight of Amor. This, then, was what
the little girl Utena once was had seen? This was the
memory that drove her to risk everything to find the one to
wield Love's Honor? He certainly understood now why the
lowlander was so driven, but he somehow knew that there was
something more to her motivation then just this sight.

Voices interrupted his thoughts, pulling his attention away.
He stifled a gasp as he recognized the two mounted on the
white charger -- Akio sat astride in the saddle, Utena held
in his arms and sitting awkwardly sidesaddle -- certain that
they weren't there before in that position between the
fallen Champion and the tormented Love. A look of
determination crossed his face as he started to run toward
them.

A slender, dusky-skinned arm barred Touga's way. "Patience.
They are not aware of us here, for I am keeping us shielded.
Listen and you will learn where he intends to go."

"How do you know what he plans?" the redheaded chieftain
softly asked, surprised.

"There is still a connection between him and me. I know
what's in his mind," Anshii replied.

Touga nodded. He was alone and in a realm he little
understood, drawn here by something beyond his control. The
scarlet-maned chieftain recognized the wisdom in Anshii's
words, and he trusted the Fey despite having only truly met
her earlier that same day. He would be foolish to start a
conflict alone in what could possibly be the Phoenix's home
ground. It would be better to wait and take on the Ohtori
prince in a realm Touga better knew. Concentrating, he
strained his ears to catch the sounds of the distant
conversation.

"What must be done, then, to make Love's Honor truly yours?"
Utena asked, her attention still on the man holding her in
his embrace.

"In the realm of man, there is a certain place where Faerie
and the mortal lands meet. Northwest of the Rose Gate, on a
hill bare of trees, there stands a circle of stones upon the
crown of the rise. Down below at the foot of the same hill
is a single stone facing west. To the mundane, this place
is known as the Circle of Whispering Knights, and it has
within it the magic needed to unlock the Champion's power to
me," Akio replied while he and Utena rode away from the
tragic scene of Love and her Champion.

The faintest look of dismay fleetingly crossed Anshii's
placid face. What remained of Love within her cringed at
the realization of what the shadowed half of her beloved had
planned. Turning to the man standing there at her side, the
rose tender spoke. "I must return you to your mortal self.
Once there, I urge you to hurry to this place the Champion's
Shadow has named. There is a prophesy about Love's Honor
that must not be fulfilled. If ever the sword, while within
a circle of traitors, tastes the blood of one who is without
hatred, its power for caring shall wither and a new power of
unyielding hatred shall grow in its place. The blade shall
become a tool that may only be mastered by the most jaded of
hearts."

Touga stared at her, uncertain what to think. All he could
concentrate on were the words he'd heard Lady Utena spoke.
No, he refused to believe that the maiden's search for a new
Champion was a farce and that he never had a chance to claim
the magic sword in defense of clan and home.

Reading the emotions within the mortal whose flesh now
housed the Light of the World, the violet-haired Fey
hastened to reassure the highland chieftain. "No, Lord
Touga, you have not been mislead. You hold the right to
bear the power of the Champion. Your lady is in grave
danger. The Shadow of the Champion seeks to turn her faith
against her. Remember, should Love's Honor taste the blood
of one without hatred while in a circle of traitors, it will
forever be a tool of hatred, not Love."

Before the young lord could respond, the world seemed to
swirl around him. There was a moment of darkness and then
he discovered himself once more sitting in the chair near
the door to the Tsuchiya throne room. Pressing a hand to
his forehead, Touga willed away the lingering dizziness.

"My lord, have you heard a single word I've said over the
course of the last few moments?" Juri asked in frustration.
For a good while, the other chieftain had sat there as if
stunned, neither moving, speaking nor even blinking. Such
behavior wasn't normal and it put the Golden Panther on
edge.

"No, I haven't, my lady prince, and I apologize for the lack
of consideration," Touga readily admitted. Fixing the other
chieftain with his dark azure gaze, he asked, "Do you know
the location of a place called the Circle of the Whispering
Knights?" The name was one vaguely familiar to him.
However, he had no precise idea where the hill with the
standing stones was located, given that these lands were an
entire week's journey to the north from his own holdings.

The sunset-maned warrioress frowned slightly at receiving no
explanation from her guest. Watching him rise from his
chair, her expression shifted to a questioning one. "Aye.
Due south from here, rather close by in fact, is the hill
upon which rests that circle. What are you doing?"

"I must go there. Lady Utena is in danger and that is where
Ohtori's taking her even as we speak," Touga responded.

The Golden Panther stared at the other highlander. Such an
abrupt and firm declaration coming so soon on the heels of
the Tyger being unresponsive. What had just happened?
"Just how do you know this?" she asked.

"I just know. Excuse me, my lady prince. I must be going
now."

Noting that the other chieftain was determined, Juri stood
as well. She was going to make the Phoenix pay for
everything he had done so far. "Allow me to accompany you
with some of my men. The more facing the Phoenix, the
better. And I can guide you to the exact location of the
Whispering Knights."

Pausing at the door, Touga glanced back at the angelic
woman. He smiled. "I'll appreciate any assistance you give
me, my lady prince."
________________

Akio rode onward through the dreamlike realm of Faerie.
Emerald eyes narrowed in annoyance as the charmed ring upon
Lady Shiori's person warned him of the highland chieftains'
plans. He would need troops to counter the mortals, ones
that could hold up to the frost of Prince Juri's presence.
There wouldn't be enough time to reach the circle alone and
do what needed to be done without risking the humans
interfering. The landscape shifted around them again,
resolving into arid plains of parched and cracked earth
shrouded in perpetual shadow.

Glancing about herself, Utena shuddered at the forbidding
air of their new surroundings. "What is this place?"

"Fear not, dear lady," Akio murmured. "You are safe as long
as you are with me. I've come to gather warriors to protect
us against those who would stop me from regaining my power."
Calling for his stallion to halt, the Ebon Phoenix lifted a
hand. "Arise, minions of the Shadow. Heed my call and come
forth!"

The rose-haired maiden stifled a gasp as the ground around
them began to tremble. From the cracks seeped up formless
globs of darkness, hanging over the arid land like
ever-shifting shade. Clods of parched soil lurched
drunkenly as umbral forms erupted from its cold embrace.
Aquamarine eyes wide in fright, Utena watched as a pack of
enormous, lean-legged hounds of an unearthly black-green hue
shook off the dirt and let loose a mournful howl. Larger
lumps in the infertile land exploded outward as a handful of
tall, flabby, obese ogres with wart-covered black skin and
massive tusks protruding from their lower jaws rose from the
earth. "I don't understand. Why beings such as these?"
Utena questioned, alarmed. Something was dreadfully wrong.
The Champion of Love shouldn't have dealings with Fey of
this ilk.

"They are fierce warriors. They will see to it that nothing
disturbs us," the Ohtori prince replied. Sensing the girl's
resolve to assist him fading, he turned his attention to
her. "You have worked for this moment nearly all your life.
Will you lose your courage now that it's almost at hand?"

"No, but I don't understand," Utena replied, shaking her
head slightly. This wasn't right. The Champion fought
against the denizens of the shadows . . .

"Those who oppose me will stop at nothing. So I have called
forth fighters I know will be able to deal with whatever my
enemies try," the lavender-haired chieftain answered. "I am
still too weak to face their full might alone. This is the
most desperate hour, and we must do all we can to ensure we
succeed."

Glancing at the gathering dark Fey, the lowlander noblewoman
swallowed hard. He had a point, but she could not stop
thinking that things were terribly wrong.

"Hold true to your faith in Love and its Virtues," Akio
said, leaning forward so that his lips were a scant distance
from his captive's ear. "And hold to your courage. What
must be done will test us all, but Love will no longer
suffer when it is over. You do want to continue to help
free her from her pain, do you not?"

"Of course," Utena replied, her voice taking on an angry
tone. Did he believe her capable of going back on her word?

"Good. Listen close, my dear lady." While the ogres,
vicious hounds and shades circled around them, grunting and
snarling in impatience, Akio murmured, "These Fey will
merely encircle the hill upon which the stones stand. They
will do nothing unless someone attempts to pass them. Once
you and I are within the circle, all that remains to be done
is to draw some of your blood with the blade of Love's
Honor."

Startled, Utena blinked then pulled back in order to stare
at the gorgeous man. "What do you mean?" she demanded.

"The spirit of Love took the Champion's power from him and
turned it against him. In order to free the sword from the
curse of being its master's destruction, it must taste the
blood of one without hatred. You, my dear lady, have
striven to uphold the Virtues of Amor; you are one without
the taint of hatred. All it would take would be one small
cut."

His words reminded her of the sacrifice of that life-giving
fluid she had asked of Lord Touga. He too had been given
the demand to let a magic item taste his blood. Was she
less courageous then the redheaded prince she had come to
know and adore?

No, she was not. She knew this with all her heart. "Very
well," she said, determined to do what it would take to save
Amor from her agony.

Akio merely grinned.
________________

Still galloping forward at full speed, Prince Juri and Lord
Touga broke from the trees, the thirty-odd Arisugawa and the
remaining half-dozen of the Kiryuu warriors riding in their
wake. With a shout, the woman prince ordered her clansmen
to spread out and search for any sign of Lord Akio; tugging
on the reins, Juri scanned over the site with her turquoise
gaze.

Shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun, Touga looked
up toward the crest of the hill. At the moment, he had
stopped near the massive, faintly purple-blue menhir
thrusting upward toward the sky from the ground at the
western base of the hill. Though near his fellow chieftain,
he felt the effects of her presence less being there in the
lee of the standing stone.

The other megaliths reached skyward as well, their enormous,
roughly rectangular shapes shadows against the cloud-filled
azure backdrop. Nothing was up there on the crest of the
hill save the monolithic circle. "So this is the place?"

"Aye. There's a legend attached to this circle," the
Panther responded. "The one next to you is Prince Akira, a
distant forefather of Lord Ruka. At a time when the
Arisugawa and Tsuchiya were locked in a feud, Prince Akira
and a group of his most trusted retainers traveled to this
hill. Knowing that his horse was thirsty, the Tsuchiya
chieftain went in search of water, leaving his retainers
behind. What he didn't know was that his retainers had been
bribed by the Arisugawa to turn on their lord. They
gathered together in a circle on the top of the hill to
discuss how to betray the prince.

"But the prince had caught the eye of a Fey, and she fell
madly in love with him. Curious about who this mortal could
be, she slipped away from her hiding place and became
invisible, walking among the handsome man's followers.
Discovering that they were plotting to kill him, the Fey
became visible and damned them all, turning them to stone
where they stood. Prince Akira returned, stopping in fright
where that stone next to you now stands. The Fey wanted him
so badly that she carried him away to the Shining Realms,
leaving that marker behind."

(If the sword ever tastes the blood of one without hatred
within a circle of traitors . . .) So that was why Ohtori
was coming here. The stone circle on the top of the rise
*was* a circle of traitors. Touga pointed to the ancient
monuments. "Up there. Within the group of those who would
betray their prince is where he means to make the sword
his," the Kiryuu chieftain said.

"There's no one up there," Juri remarked.

"Perhaps we've arrived before he has," Touga suggested.

"It's been almost five days since we last saw him. He had a
large lead on us. Maybe he's been and gone?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm certain he retreated to Faerie,"
the Red Tyger said in reply. "Time has no meaning there.
What could seem to be an hour may turn out to be only an
hour, or a day or even a year in the mortal realm."

"If you think I'm going to camp at this place for a year --
" Juri began, only to break off as one of her men rode up to
report. She listened for a moment, then sent the Arisugawa
warrior on his way to relay an order back to the others.
Turning her attention to the redheaded highlander, the woman
prince faintly smiled. "No sign of him at the moment. I've
given the order to surround the circle. If he needs to do
whatever it is he thinks he must do within the stones, he'll
have to go through us."

"A sound plan," Touga agreed.

The tangerine-haired chieftain gave her peer a curt nod,
then tapped her heels to the flanks of her charger. The
exquisite animal cantered up the hillside while the clan
warriors spread out to encircle the rise at the crest of the
grassy slope just outside of the area of the menhirs. Touga
followed, signaling to both his men and Tatsuya to take up
positions within the Arisugawa formation.

Only moments later an unearthly howl broke the silence,
making the highlanders shudder in dread. Scanning over the
edge of the forest, Touga felt the rush of adrenaline as
massive canines -- Fey hounds -- broke from the trees, lips
bared in snarls and jaws dripping foam. A shout of dismay
came from some of the men guarding the megalith-crowned
hill. Blinking, Touga watched as a handful of enormous,
ugly ogres followed the vicious dogs into the open; a
rumbled command and the pack halted at the foot of the hill.

From the forest next rode out the Ebon Phoenix himself, Lady
Utena's slender form perched astride the white stallion's
back in front of him. Glancing up, he noted the force
arrayed in defense against him. (So the flow of time in
Faerie has given the mortals long enough to regroup and
oppose.)

Juri glared down at the dark-skinned chieftain. "You've
lost, Phoenix! We'll not allow you to reach the stones
alive!"

This wasn't how it was meant to be. Her eyes focused on the
gallant redhead sitting astride his horse, Utena felt a
nameless dread at the thought of the Tyger and the Phoenix
warring with one another. Only utter devastation could come
of such an event. Though her mind told her that Love's
Honor should go to Lord Akio since he was what remained of
the sword's owner, her heart insisted on something else.
Love's Honor belonged rightfully to the Kiryuu prince.

"If you ever want to see your precious Lord Ruka again, I
suggest you stand down and allow me to fulfill the
prophesy!" Akio shouted back, taking the measure of the
force opposing him. The dark Fey accompanying him should
easily handle the humans, and he would enjoy dealing with
the weaker half of himself.

"Don't trust him," Touga responded, his words low and meant
for the woman prince nearby.

"I'm not about to," Juri cooly assured the other noble.
Raising her voice, she called down, "You'll have to go
through us to reach your goals, Ohtori!"

"If you value the lives of the men who follow you,
Chieftain, I suggest you let me pass!" Akio responded.
"Otherwise what happens to them will be entirely upon your
head! How well will you sleep at night knowing you allowed
your clansmen, the ones that look to you for protection, to
be torn asunder by the fangs of hounds and to be battered to
oblivion by the power of my warriors? Defy me and find
out!"

In front of him, Utena stiffened. This was not how the
Champion of Love should be, no matter how desperate things
had become. Her sea-blue eyes were still focused upon the
Kiryuu prince; he would not do this, but would rather
negotiate. Force would be a last resort. Lord Akio seemed
to be eager for a violent confrontation.

The Arisugawa ruler hesitated, glancing to the men near her.
Would she continue this and order her men to their deaths
against the huge warriors and their slavering wolfhounds?
How many would never return home alive?

Touga noted the woman prince's uncertainty. Though a sign
of a good ruler was to weigh the risks of a decision's
consequences, hard choices still need to be made. "How many
more will you lose should he gain the power he seeks, my
lady prince?" the Red Tyger asked. "The ones here are
warriors all, dedicated to the protection of land and
family. They know the risks and take pride in their
courage. If Ohtori isn't stopped here, you will also lose
women, children, the defenseless of your clan." He knew
that the half-dozen of his own warriors would take the risk
willingly in the knowledge that they created a chance to
keep the other Kiryuu safe from such danger.

The redheaded chieftain was right. Juri pulled her sword,
the sound ringing over the area and light glinting from the
well-tended blade. "I will not bargain with you! Return
Lord Ruka and Lady Utena and lay down Love's Honor, and be
gone with you!"

"So be it," the lavender-haired prince murmured to himself.
Grasping his captive tight in the hold of a single arm, he
turned his attention to the Fey under his command. Coldly,
he ordered, "Destroy them all. Rip them to pieces. But
save the Kiryuu prince for me. Now, go!"

Snarls and howls filled the air as the dark-green-furred
dogs were turned loose, their gangly legs covering ground
far faster then any mortal hound. The amorphous umbras
slithered along the ground, racing toward the small force of
mortals at the top of the hill. Behind them came the
lumbering hulks that were the black-skinned ogres, massive
wooden clubs ready to smash to pieces the foolish humans
that stood in their way.

More swords were drawn as the Arisugawa and Kiryuu warriors
readied for the imminent clash. Though many were terrified
of the unearthly force racing their way, they knew they must
make a stand here and now. To do otherwise would risk
seeing these same creatures menacing wives, children, and
all the others they held dear.

Akio spurred his stallion into a full gallop with a shout.
With the dark Fey leading the way, he should easily punch
through the mortals' line and reach the ring of petrified
traitors. Then it would only be a quick matter to corrupt
the Champion's sword into a force of hatred; his power would
be reachable then.

Utena stifled a scream as the horse under her exploded into
action. As they dashed up the rise, the furious sounds of
battle washed over them. Horrified, the lowlander watched
as one of the ogres swept a highlander from his horse with a
powerful blow of a massive club; the doomed man was torn
apart by the pack of Fey dogs before he had a moment to
scramble to his feet.

(This can't be!) This was not a defense of the virtues of
Amor; this was wholesale slaughter by a force that
overpowered its rivals. This was not the Champion of Love.
Utena turned her gaze to the man holding her -- and she
suddenly *knew* from deep within.

This was Shadow. This was that part cut away from the Light
and cast aside in the belief that the Shadow was the source
of the illness.

And the Light . . .

The rose-haired maiden glanced to the side, her eyes
instantly meeting those cobalt depths of the man known as
Touga, Prince of the Kiryuu. And in that instant, she knew
she had to act. Feeling Lord Akio's hold on her merely a
steadying one, the slender warrioress twisted around and
lurched forward. Strapped to the sheath attached to the
Ohtori chieftain's saddle -- Lord Akio's usual sword
occupying the scabbard at his hip -- the glittering hilt of
Love's Honor beckoned like a ray of sunlight. Utena had
noticed it there on their way through Faerie to this place
after they had been joined by the dark Fey forces.

Her hand connected with the ruby-adorned gold. Tugging
back, Utena pulled the sword from its sheath; the blade
reflected the ambient light as she sat upright. Spotting
the scarlet-maned nobleman one more -- they were swiftly
closing the distance -- the young noblewoman shouted,
"Touga!"

Akio hissed, thunderstruck, as the maiden within his grasp
moved and was abruptly brandishing the Champion's sword. He
made a grab for her upraised arm, but was a moment too late.
With a desperate toss, Utena flung the magic sword in the
Tyger's general direction.

His attention caught by the lady's call, Touga watched in
amazement as the glittering blade whirled lazily end over
end through the air. Through fate, magic, luck, or all
three, Love's Honor buried itself point first into the
ground a scant arms length from where he sat astride
Blizzard.

How dare she! Akio growled in pure fury. Once again she
had made her choice, favoring that weakling of the Light.
Was she truly that blind to the fact that he, Shadow, was
the only thing strong enough to survive in this world? From
time immemorial, she had claimed to love all of him yet
rejected the Shadow. Once again he was being cast aside.
Well then. He would have his revenge. She was now mortal,
after all.

If she could not love him, he would not love her.

A brilliant smile crossed Utena's face as she saw the
Champion's weapon stab into the ground as if it were
offering itself to its true master. The gold and ruby
brooch glowed with the Light from where it sat fastened to
Touga's shoulder. In that moment, she knew her tests were
correct and that her quest had been successful.

That smile disappeared, becoming one of purest shock.
Burning pain filled the pink-haired maiden's awareness, a
bloom of agony that swallowed the entire world. "Why?" she
managed to choke out, though every breath was renewed
torture.

Akio dispassionately pulled the blade of his long dagger out
of the slender maiden's back. "You tried to destroy me
once. You've betrayed me yet again. Wallow in your hatred
and guilt. It's a fitting destiny for you." His harsh
words spoken, he shoved the girl from her perch.

Touga looked on in horror as Utena fell to the ground at
Akio's stallion's hooves. She lay there, unmoving, a
spreading pool of dark red staining the cloth covering her
back.