Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ Manipulation ❯ One-Shot

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Trying my hand at a Utena fic, so bear with me, onegai. Juri x Shiori, Ruka x Shiori, eh, Shiori x *everybody*... YURI, if you couldn't guess.

Manipulation
By WufeiNeko

Juri frowned as she looked at the most recent picture of herself. It had been ten years since she had let her hair go back into its ringlets, and it almost seemed natural. She looked at it, then put it down. *Why ever did I let her come back to me,* she thought as she caught herself listening for the familiar sound of a key in the door. *Why did I ever let her back into my life?*

Shiori paused as she put her key in the apartment lock. *She should have gotten those pictures back today,* she thought, shifting her briefcase with one hand. *How can I explain the fact that I'm two hours late coming home? Should I lie and tell her it was the workload, or that I got rear-ended by a co-worker?* she grinned as she thought about the phrase. *Well, it's not as if he wasn't cute,* she told herself as she put her keys in the door.

"Juri? I'm home!" Shoiri's voice rang in the apartment, lushly furnished in tones that matched Juri's flawless complexion. "Juri-chan? I picked up the mail--more bills than you'd imagine, but that last shoot should cover it, ne?"

Shiori was used to the silent treatment when she *first* arrived home every day. Juri would go into a funk about not having a regular job like her, and would refuse to talk until after dinner. Then, together they'd go over the proofs from the last shoot and compare which ones would get the most from agencies. But, this was starting to alarm her. Juri had never not been there to give her the cold-shoulder.

"I'm in here," Juri called, hating herself for speaking. Juri exited the bedroom with her usual grace, stopping only to move the Siamese cat that had deposited itself in the hallway. "Shiori, why didn't you tell me that you're pregnant?" she asked in a soft voice, almost as if she was scared of the answer.

Shiori's jaw dropped. "How did you--Oh god--when did you--?" she asked, panicking. Her brown eyes were wide with fear and shock.

Juri's cool blue-green eyes looked at her before looking away. "The doctor's office called while I was waiting to receive the proofs. When I told them you weren't here, the receptionist wished me congratulations, and asked how long we'd been trying to get pregnant."

Shiori suddenly felt the need to sit down. "Did she say how far along I am?" she asked, trying to stick to small things that wouldn't get too complicated.

Juri nodded, her ringlets bouncing with the movement. "Three months." Her blue-green eyes looked bottomless.

Shiori felt the first of the tears start to fall. "Shit. I didn't mean to--honest, Juri-chan--but my god, the things you have to do to get a promotion--"

Juri cut her off with a wave of her hand. "I don't want to hear it, Shiori. I've listened to your lies for the past year, and I won't listen to them anymore." She wiped away her own tears with the back of her hand, elegantly, as all of her movements were. "I listened to your lies about Ruka, I listened to your lies about Touga, I listened to your lies about every damn one you screwed. I'm sick of listening to them and pretending they don't hurt."

Shiori was speechless. "Juri-chan--gomen nasai--" she said quietly, reaching out for the beauty.
************************
Shiori woke up then, alone, just like she had for the past seven months after Ruka had left. "Damn that dream," she whispered. "Damn that dream."