Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ Sang Sur les Roses ❯ Chapter X ( Chapter 11 )

Ruka jingled his keys until the one for his dorm's front door slid down the ring too stubborn to put his groceries down. He had the most awful craving for his mother's okayu in Greek philosophy that he cut his last class and went to the supermarket instead. Normally his mother would add a little chopped green onion and diced pork as per the home remedy, but he decided to skip the onion and wasn't up to haggling with the butcher (he had no talent for it unlike his parents) and purchased a bag of long Japanese rice, instant clear broth udon, a six-pack of diet coke and fried tofu. “Konnichi wa Ruka.” He dropped his plastic bag, keys jammed in the lock and spun to find Shiori partially concealed by the shadows. The single window at the end of his corridor let in the setting ruby sun, it was an ideal hiding place.

            ; “What do you want?”

            ; “Is that all you can say after all these months?”

He gathered his belongings and unlocked the door without opening it. “It's more than I care to say.”

            ; “You lined your door with silver,” she changed the subject. “Interesting tactic if not immature. Think something's jump out at you in the dead of night?” He leaned the back of his head against the door.

            ; “Let's just say my grandfather's ghost has made me more vigilant.”

            ; “Oh yes, congrats on your installation as new alpha.”

“Arigato.” Shiori dithered and Ruka was patient studying the small woman pretend to adjust the ruffle on her collar. “Was there anything else?”

            ; “Yes. I really came to deliver a message. Actually a bit of advice.”

            ; “This should be dazzling.”

Shiori puffed her chest like a puffin. “Keep a distance from Tenjou.”

            ; “Why, pray?” He smiled spitefully.

            ; “Ruka if you give a damn about your personal safety, just do it. Touga is on the warpath,” she sounded genuinely apprehensive. “He's already dismissed an algebra teacher that assigned her a male tutor when she got that 38 on her last exam. The tutor was put on suspension after he got Nanami to set him up for smuggling test answer keys. He got off lucky with just a month, Miki's tutoring her now.” Her speech was hurried and she needed to pause for oxygen, the streetlamp went on outside and the jaundiced light displayed Shiori's wan face. She was sallow and her eyes were ringed purple from lack of sleep. “Every time the days get longer it always starts. Saionji hasn't showed his face in class or the dojo since Tenjou whipped him in the duel. The word is Kozue attacked the music teacher and she's been obsessing over some new guy, but nobody's seen him. Juri-san disappears after fencing and nobody knows anything, Nanami and her wenches have been getting more heavy-handed by the day. She's even got the dance coordinators under her thumb directing the annual stage production herself! It's horrific! Miki's the only one remotely normal but he's been holing himself up in his dorm with the piano working on this score that's never perfect and never ends… his room looks like a paper tornado. And Touga…” she scoffed incongruously. “Touga hasn't changed really, just got a hell of a lot worse. He's been seen openly with the Chairman.” Ruka dropped his bag and the rice sack exploded; white grains spewed over floor like snow. “It's like the goddamn Mile High Club in that office of his!” She pounded a fist into the white and teal paneled wall. “It's a conveyor belt in there… up to three girls at once. One of my friends didn't come out until seven hours later and she could barely walk! And she went in alone… if you could imagine her face… marks on her body, sounding like she'd been knocking back saké all day. She stank of their come I wanted to throw up.”

            ; “Why tell me, Shiori? What would you have me do?” Ruka was facing away from her face and repugnant, however true story.

            ; “I don't know dammit! I had to tell somebody! Someone sane at least! God…”

            ; “He can't even help you either,” he shook his head. Shiori beseeched him sinking to the floor, her white nylon covered knees bitten by rice and dirtying from the dust gripped his arm. Ruka snapped it back automatically.

            ; “Ruka-san onegai…” Game playing already? It wasn't enough that the devil played dolls with him once and he seemingly returned for another round, but now Shiori? “You're the only one I have, the only one I ever had! You're so strong and always thinking ahead of everyone.” `No not everyone,' he thought. “Tell me please, what should I do?”

            ; “Leave.” His iron hard intonation caused Shiori to relinquish her grasp. “Leave this school Shiori. The town. The country, even. If you entertain any hope of escape you'll do the only smart thing and leave.” He opened the door and went into the hall closet for his Dirt Devil upright. By the time he replaced the vacuum bag the pizza deliveryman arrived and he sat to down to enjoy his extra large supreme and cold tofu he faintly recalled Shiori's parting words, a name that meant nothing to him but something to the woman he was to avoid: Arata Nanase.

 

 

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            ; Ruka vainly wondered at Shiori's game plan as he sprinted to the East Hall. Was she trying to help him? The dormitory looked dead but he picked up on the sounds a mile back, a full orchestra pounded the walls his cries were drowned out under the earsplitting music as he trod the stairs to the second floor. “UTENA! UTENA!” He bashed her door open to find the curtains fluttering in the open window in a darkened, empty room. The overdramatic strings were approaching a crescendo from the vibrating speakers on the Aiwa boom box and indifferent to its owner's feelings he yanked the plug from the outlet not bothering to look for the off button. “UTENA!” He shouted leaning out the window. He was about to holler once more when he saw a lump's silhouette on the side of the dresser. “Utena?” Ruka squatted. She was curled up in the cranny between her twin bed and dresser, her pink head bowed on her knees. By her feet was a jewel case, no titles nor artists' names on the inside card just printed in pink kanji were ai, inochi, shin ni and hitori- love, life, death and loneliness.

            ; “Himemiya?” Utena lifted her head feeling the Rose Bride's little dark hand shaking her from the lurid dream that ensnared her.

            ; “Utena…” She blinked and Ruka's concerned face came into focus.

            ; “Ruka…? Doushite?” He opened the CD tray and saw scribbled on the disc in black marker Rachmaninoff- Vocalise, Albinoni- Adagio, Mahler- Adagietto and Barber- Adagio for Strings. All properly befitting the ambiance. “Utena, do you know Arata Nanase?”

            ; “Nanase-san? She's on the volleyball team with me… but she hasn't shown up to practice for a week. Everybody's worried.”

            ; “I think I know where she is.”

Utena elevated her shoulders. “You do? Where?”

 

 

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            ; The gold gondola cage clanked shut then Ruka pulled the lever and they descended. The only cryptic response Ruka gave to answer Utena's questions was that he was taking her to Nanase. Why would she be in the tower? The gondola halted and they alighted. “We're here,” he announced. Utena looked back and heard the car hum portentously as it traveled back to the main floor. She felt deserted and stripped naked. They were in a subbasement storage facility, jet fans groggily whined framed in cloudy tiled walls and miles of huge rectangular ventilation ducts veined the ceiling. Cobwebs swayed like crystal beading on chandeliers from the oxidized grating. Old and broken desks piled up along the walls, boxes of school texts and pencils, sports equipment, and empty glass display cases cracked and discolored. They stopped at a door labeled `MAINTENANCE' Utena felt the cool breath of air conditioning on her legs from the vents at the foot of the door. She entered ahead of Ruka into a concrete locker room. A set of discarded teal lockers from Ohtori bygone days aligned the wall with a door opened exposing a torn centerfold of a nude woman taped to the inside, there was a long gym bench bolted to the floor, skeletal shelves holding cleaning supplies and tools, floor polishers, brooms, rakes, and loops of rust-colored hose hung from the wall. Ruka led her deeper and there was another partitioning similar to a batting cage with a single dim bulb overhead lamp with a cloth hospital screen blocking her view.

            ; “Nanase-san?” Utena slightly pushed the screen back.

            ; “Utena-san…” Utena smacked both hands over her mouth to prevent her screams. She was unsure what that thing with Nanase's voice laying on the hospital cot was because of the poor light and darkness obscuring it.

            ; “Na… na… se… san…” Utena squeaked her friend replied with indistinct wheezing noises. The girl's freakish wet amber eyes were unusually protuberant and Utena could make out the lower half of her face was elongated somewhat outwardly.

            ; “She's in excruciating pain,” Ruka informed her, “whatever they've given her has left her more than likely delusional.” Her body concealed beneath a thin white sheet was contorted and paralyzed in that agonizing position. Utena attempted to lift a corner of the sheet when Ruka stopped her. “Dame! Don't torture yourself like that.” She'd seen enough spotting a fine coating of fur on the flesh. Ruka snapped his head to the side. “We have to go now!”

            ; “But-“

            ; “Now Tenjou!” They fled back into the locker room. Moments later the shuffle of leather shoed feet were heard, Ruka silently fitted the grating over the duct access and he and Utena waited staring through the criss-crossed wiring. They assembled in the cage, the Student Council filing in according to rank with Touga leading and Miki bringing up the rear. Touga with his hands clasped behind his back was stoic, Saionji brooding folded his arms over his chest leaned against the wall, Juri hugging her elbows was uninterested and Miki his eyes dashed from one corner of the room to the other looked like a frightened rabbit. Anthy carrying a black leather bag trundled in, Utena was about to speak when Ruka pressed a finger to her lips. Suddenly the air constricted like whip being snapped and everyone save for the Rose Bride stood at attention. A deliberate slow cadence of approaching footsteps made Utena dig her nails tautly into the piping's steel. A man taller than Touga and Saionji confronted the council, dressed in a red satin priest's robe the billowing sleeves trimmed in gold and the hem dusted the floor. Utena could not see his face for the ceiling lamp only that his long silvery lavender ponytail was bound at the nape of his neck by a fat teal bead.

            ; “Is everything in readiness?” His voice richer than the darkest chocolate and deadlier than cobra's venom asked.

            ; “Hai.” Touga answered.

            ; “Excellent. Let us proceed.” In unison Touga and Saionji bowed and walked over to Nanase's bed. They took away the screen and carried to her bedside a melmac endtable. Anthy opened the leather bag on the foot of the bed and pulled out a white satin tablecloth, flapped it and draped it over the platform. She handed candles to Juri and Miki who began lining them around the cage and lit them. Several little objects were laid on the table Utena couldn't make out until Anthy returned back to the bag. A small glass oil decanter, a little shallow golden bowl, a gold incense stick holder, and a gold candlestick holder with a fresh thick purple candle. Anthy filled the bowl with oil and inserted an incense stick into the sand. She then handed the robed man a folded bit of purple linen, he kissed it and unfurled it to drape it around his neck. It was a stole with gold runic lettering. Touga lit the candle and Saionji the incense. “Clan,” the man declared, “lend me your power!” The Seitokai gathered encircling the bed joining hands spreading out as much as their arm spans allowed them. Anthy leant over and touched Nanase's eyes, the girl reared back and roared with pain. Chains rattled violently and Utena realized she was encumbered. Anthy set the bag on the floor as the man began to chant in Latin quietly slowly raising his voice when the room began to tremble. Ruka and Utena panicked over the duct's sturdiness as they too endured the quaking and held fast. Caught in an ecstatic trance the man sang as the Student Council with their heads bowed and eyes squeezed tight concentrated amidst Nanase's roars. Anthy withdrew something else from the bag and presented it to the man on open palms. It was a dagger and Ruka had to physically restrain Utena from kicking open the access port. The priest unsheathed the steel blade from the white scabbard; it was a magnificent weapon a relic from antiquity. The pommel stone was a flawless ruby cut in the shape of a rose and coiling up the golden hilt were emeralds. The priest held it in both fists and aimed it over Nanase's throat. His chants were zealous and he lifted the blade as though he were reaching the end of his canto preparing himself to rip through the girl's flesh putting her out of misery when Anthy shouted:

            ; “Look! Look!” The Student Council dropped hands and the room was silent as the grave. All waited with bated breath and the priest allowed himself to drop his arms safely to his sides.

            ; “Ah! A miracle!” He exclaimed. Utena saw Juri's eyes reflexively narrow for a millisecond. Backing away from the cot Utena saw not Nanase but a peacefully slumbering beige wolf. She blacked out.

 

 

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            ; Ruka didn't trust Utena and ordered her to spend the night in his dorm. She was unhinged and vomited four times; worried that she might start purging stomach acids Ruka force-fed her cold pizza. He took the sofa and Utena his bed, that night both slept with open eyes.

 

 

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            ; She insisted despite better judgment to go to class the following day. Utena sat with glazed eyes throughout lessons and roamed the halls aimlessly. The final bell rang and she sat on a bench avoiding the fencing hall when she spotted Nanase acting as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Utena was about to call out to her when she saw Juri following right behind. The two women stopped at a classroom conversed for a moment then Nanase waited outside the closed door.

            ; “I'm so glad we have a full house this afternoon,” the instructor said. “As you probably can guess personal matters I was forced to attend kept me from school. I trust that my substitute fulfilled my role more than adequately. And now for the moment you've been waiting for…” Utena saw Nanase open and shut the door behind her. The pretty girl dropped to a deep bow before her classmates. Applause erupted and shouts of `Nanase-chan' from excited friends were heard.

            ; “Domo arigato gozaimasu, Richijou,” Nanase said.

            ; “Maa maa! Such formality,” the instructor scoffed. “Call me Akio everyone does.” Nanase drank in the long legged older man dressed in casual black trousers and burgundy satin shirt. His skinny black tie was his sole link to regulation. Ohtori Akio, his name suited him justly. Nanase took a seat beside her friend Kozue, both girls hugging affectionately. She shook hands with Miki and nodded to Juri who responded with one of her own. “And now my beloved baby sister Anthy will continue her lecture on society and ancient rites. Anthy?”

            ; “Thank you Onii-sama. Will you please take out your books and turn to chapter 13, Arata-san share with Kozue-san please and I will put an order for yours later.” As Anthy delivered her speech under the loving gaze of the Deputy Chairman taking his seat on a tall biology stool off to the side Nanase tossed her eyes between Saionji and Touga sitting two rows up in the front. What a dilemma! Touga was easy as pie, but Saionji didn't seem to bother with anyone as of late. Nanami ignored her, the princess bitch. In due time she'd deal with her and her maids. Utena stood listening to Anthy speaking for a few moments and walked to the dorm underappreciated and feeling cheated.

 

 

 

            ; TSUZUKU