Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ Tears Of Love ❯ Tears Of Love ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

These characters are copyrighted by Chiho Saito and the Be-Papas. This
is my first fic (hopefully not my last) so if you don't like it, don't
flame me. This fic DOES contain female/female situations so if this
offends you, I advise you not to continue. Thank you very much and
enjoy!

Tears Of Love

Love. It's the thorn in my side. It's the bump in my path. I have
accepted that the pain is a part of love, and yet, as I stand here in
the shower, feeling the water pour down upon me like a rain cloud, I
feel as though my feelings of loneliness weigh more on my mind than
anything else. I look down and watch the water drain out of the
bathtub, watching it disappear into a seemingly endless black abyss. I
sometimes wish that I were that water.

I step out of the shower, grab a towel, and proceed to dry off. After
casually slipping into my nightgown, I walk over to my nightstand on
which I have placed my locket. I slide it around my neck, locking the
clasp into place behind my neck and then let the rose locket fall down
around my chest. I walk over to the window, push it open, and sit on
the ledge. Taking the rose locket with my forefinger and thumb, I open
it and look inside longingly. Shiori, with her beautifully violet hair
caressing her soft face, looks back at me. Seeing her smile warms my
heart. It is moments like these that I wish I could stop time, and
wrap myself up in the happiness I feel at seeing my beautiful love.
When I look at her picture, there is no more Ohtori Academy. No duels.
No student council. It is just Shiori and I, wrapped in an envelope of
pure happiness and love. The rest of the world seems to fade away; the
past, the present, and the future all converge and nothing really
seems to matter anymore. Nothing except for our love. I feel her
behind me, her arms wrapped around me in a loving embrace. I hold her
close, placing her head on my chest. I could stay like this forever...

Then, as if violently pulling me away from my fantasy, my eyes slowly
open and I realize that I am crying. Soft, wet tears drip down my
cheeks. I don't bother to wipe them. Instead, I gaze upward towards
the lone moon hanging in the sky. I find its singularity holds a
strange beauty. And then my thoughts return to Shiori and I wonder if
she is out there, somewhere, gazing up at the moon as well...

I awake the next morning feeling a gentle warmth against my cheek. As
I drearily open my eyes, I notice a tiny beam of light has seeped
through my curtains. I wipe my eyes, slowly becoming aware that
another day has come.

Today begins as any other. I attend my classes like routine. When the
lunch hour comes, I meet Miki at our usual table on the patio. I ask
him about his day and he asks me about mine. We discuss the
particulars of tonight's student council meeting. After Touga's defeat
in the last duel, the next duelist has yet to be named by End Of The
World. And with Saionji's expulsion, the space for vice president
remains open. Tonight Touga is to reveal who has been chosen to
succeed Saionji and take his place as vice president of the student
council. Even Miki is clueless as to who it might be. This doesn't
surprise me in the least; Touga is definitely one to keep secrets. It
should be interesting to see who he has chosen.

After classes, I return home for a quick shower. Afterwards I head
over to our usual meeting place on the roof of Ohtori Academy. I
notice that Miki is already there waiting. I take my seat next to him.
Almost as soon as I sit down, I notice a figure leaning against the
side of the building, hiding in the shadows. After a moment, Touga
Kiryuu walks forward, wearing that usual mischievous yet serious
little boy of a grin on his face. It has come to suit him. But there
is something different about him. His usual clean cut face and
perfectly combed hair have been traded in for a rather "scruffy"
unshaven stubble and less perfectionate outlook. "I guess losing to
Utena had more of an effect on him than I realized." I think, as he
approaches closer and then comes to a stop. "I thank you both for
coming. I do promise to make this short so that you both may be on
your way." He says, in a very serious tone. "As I'm sure you know,
things have not turned out as originally intended and none of us have
yet to gain the power to revolutionize the world. Nevertheless, I have
received a letter from End Of The World stating that we may perhaps
have another chance." Touga reaches into his pocket and pulls out a
letter sealed with the Rose Seal, trademark of the End Of The World.
As he opens it, I feel myself shudder just a little. "And the one
chosen to lead us in our ambitions to obtain the power of the Rose
Bride will be...... you, Ms. Jury Arisugawa." Miki's face reveals his
feelings of surprise, but I remain unchanged. Touga smiles at my
apparent lack of feeling and approaches me, "Do you accept, Jury?" I
laugh to myself inside, "Do you even have to ask? Of course I do." I
reply rather coldly. Touga again smiles, "Good, I would have expected
no less. Perhaps this time you will be more fortunate than Miki and I
have been. Now, on to our next order of business..." Touga takes a
step back and straightens himself up. "Due to Saionji's recent
expulsion from Ohtori, a new Student Council vice president is
required to take his place. After many hours of careful consideration,
I think I have finally made a choice." Touga gestures towards the
darkness where he was standing moments ago. A shadowy figure steps out
of the darkness and time seems to slow to a crawl. Slowly, a faint
outline becomes visible but my eyes are focused on a single thing, the
person's hair. And as it comes into view, I see that it is a beautiful
violet color. My eyes then drop to the person's face. Her face.
Shiori.

"Allow me to introduce the Student Council's new Vice President,
Shiori Takatsuki. That is, of course, if there aren't any objections?"
Miki replies, "No." and diverts his eyes to the ground. He is one of
the few who know of my true feelings for Shiori. Touga then turns to
me, "And you, Jury?" I look up at Shiori, my eyes connecting with
hers, my mind so full of questions, but I manage to spit out a quiet
"No..."

Touga smiles, his voice now filled with his usual high spirits, "Good.
Then this meeting is adjourned." Miki rises and starts toward the
elevator. I stand and am about to leave as well, when Shiori
approaches me. "Hello, Jury." She says in her usual, mellow tone. I
find myself suddenly shy and eager to talk to her at the same time,
but I remain calm. "Hello, Shiori. I hadn't realized you had returned
to Ohtori. How have you been?" Shiori merely smiles at me and replies,
"Actually I just got in this morning. I've been doing pretty well,
thanks, have things been well with you?" I look at her face, her lips;
they seem more desirable than ever before. "Things have been fine,
thank you." Shiori smiles a more seductive smile this time and moves
in closer to me, "Good, I'm really glad to hear that." I then feel her
take my hands in hers as her finger delicately strokes the inside of
my palm. She then looks up and her eyes lock into gaze with mine. She
then leans forward and whispers softly into my ear, "I've missed
you......... my prince." All at once I feel redness rush into my face.
Can this be real? Am I dreaming? I can't believe I am holding
something this beautiful is in my arms. "Shiori, are you ready to go?"
I hear Touga's voice pierce through my dream reality. "I'm coming, Mr.
Touga!" Shiori says in a cheery voice that I am not used to hearing
from her. She leans over and gives me a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Something to keep me in your thoughts. Goodbye, my prince." She
smiles at me and I am unable to smile back, I just look at her amazed
and surprised, my face now fully blushed. She turns around and walks
towards Touga and they leave together. I watch her walk out and I have
the feeling she knows that I am watching her. I move my legs, just to
make sure they still work, and head for the elevator to leave.

As I walk back to my room, my mind is running rampant with thoughts. I
still can hardly believe it. "Shiori is back." I say to myself aloud.
Just hearing those words coming from my mouth fills my heart with such
happiness and yet some sorrow as well. But she was acting so
different, could it be that she had found feelings for me after all
these years? No, I must not jump to conclusions like that, I think to
myself. I stop walking and turn to the setting sun. It's beautiful
red-orange color lights up the sky. I close my eyes and let it's warm
rays fill my every pore. I then look down at my locket hanging from my
neck and open it. "You told me to believe in the power of miracles,
but the second I let myself believe in that power, I had my dreams
taken from me. I won't make the same mistake twice. You're here now,
and that's all that matters." I think to myself. I close the locket
and return to my room to have one of the best sleeps I've had in a
long time.

"So how did it feel seeing your "prince" again, Shiori?" questioned
Touga, as he adjusted himself on his bed. Shiori, cuddled up next to
him, pulled her naked sheet-covered body closer. "Disgusting. I can't
believe I had to say those things to her. But it will all be worth it
soon, I will make her pay for the pain she has made me feel." Shiori's
evil grin grew as she wrapped her arms around Touga. Touga smiled,
"You're miraculous "reappearance" could not have come at a better
time. Lately Jury's heart has been weak and full of despair, I'm sure
your insertion back into her life will confuse and break her. Foolish
girl, someone that weak is not worthy of obtaining the power of Dios."
Shiori merely replied by snuggling closer and closing her eyes.

As I woke up, got ready, and headed into school today, I felt a much
lighter air about myself. I guess seeing Shiori last night really
helped relieve some of my stress. Time seemed to pass quickly by my
classes and the day ended. After school, I walk down to the fencing
arena where I train my students. As soon as I step in, I find myself
in complete shock. Shiori is dressed in fencing uniform and is
conversing with some of my students. I knew she liked to attend my
fencing matches, but I never knew that she herself could fence. "Oh
well, I better continue on like normal," I think to myself. I take a
look around the room and then in a firm voice command the class to get
in a line formation. I look at them, lined up perfectly straight, they
are very good students indeed. Even though I think that, I show no
sign of admiration. After a moment, I begin to speak, " Ok class, last
time we had just finished up the basics. Today we are going to duel
off, I want the more experienced duelers to duel against me and for
the less experienced duelers to split into pairs and practice with
each other. Now everyone get into your groups!" As my group of older
students get into order, I walk over to the bench and slide my mask
and chest gear on. I pick up my practice sword and return to the arena
matt. I notice Shiori has decided to place herself at the head of the
line of the students I am to duel. I try and hide my puzzlement as I
ask, "Shiori, you just got here. I think you should go over there with
the others and practice some. I'm sure they can fill you in on what
you've missed." Shiori looks at me with a sternly, her face devoid of
that giddy happiness that she showed last night, and says, " I wish to
duel with you, Ms. Jury. " I look back at her and grin, "Alright then,
who am I to decline an invitation like that? Assume your position." I
take a deep breath, raise my sword, and stare into her eyes, "Begin."

She rushes me, faster than I expect, yet it is a clumsy attack. I
raise my sword and knock hers aside, side stepping her thrust. I then
turn to face her as she regains her balance and turns. I see this as
my chance to counter attack but I am more curious to see if she will
correct her clumsiness or attack the same way. Instead of thrusting
this time, she steps to the side and slices down from my left. I parry
her attack but just barely, her speed is greater than I have
estimated. I break off from my parry and thrust my sword forward
towards her chest. She dodges to the left and brings her sword up to
parry. The metal of our swords hitting echoes loudly in the dojo. I
can see out of the corner of my eye that everyone is now watching
Shiori and I. Under normal circumstances, I would have had a regular
student beat in under 10 seconds. But there is something different
about Shiori. She thrusts again at me, almost catching me off guard,
and I deflect her attack away. I see my chance as I spin myself
counter-clockwise and jab forward with my sword. It hits Shiori dead
center in the chest. The match is over. I back off with my sword and
take off my helmet. I watch her take off hers as damp, violet hair
falls down around her eyes. "Good match, Shiori. With enough practice,
you may become quite the opponent." I smile at her, proud of my
student, and she smiles back, "Thank you very much, Ms. Jury." My
smile fades and I turn to my class, "Ok everyone, resume your
positions and continue. Next in line, please step forward."

The next day passes nicely. Before meeting Miki for lunch, I stop by
my locker to drop off some books. As I open my locker, I notice a
piece of paper is taped up inside. The paper has a Rose Seal
background and says only this: " Today... " I take out the letter and
examine it closer. I guess this means I will duel for the Rose Bride
today after classes, I think to myself. I walk to the lunch table
where Miki is sitting and notice Shiori is now sitting there as well.
He notices my face and asks, "Is something on your mind, Ms. Jury?" I
drop the letter onto the table. "It would appear that you are schedule
to duel today." Miki says, stating the obvious. Shiori's eyes widen a
little and she stands up and comes and stands next to me. She looks up
into my eyes and says, "You have to duel today, Jury? Be careful, I
know you can win!" I look into her eyes and smile, "Thank you, I will
win, I promise."

The dueling arena, I remember it so well. I remember my last duel with
the now infamous Utena Tenjou. Her ideals, her belief in miracles, I
wished to disprove them all to her. She had beaten me that day, but
not today. As I watch her approach from the steps, I wonder what it
might be like for that to be me. Hopefully, I will know soon enough, I
think to myself. I watch as Utena takes Anthy's hand and using Anthy's
magic, makes the sword of Dios appear. Utena, sword now in hand,
approaches the dueling area. She stands straight, her sword extended,
pointing at me. "Do you still wish to do this, Jury?" she says in her
usual stern voice. "I have no choice but to do this, Utena. And I will
win this day." I reply, equally stern, my sword in my usual right
hand, bent at the elbow. From far off, I hear the bells sound, meaning
the duel has begun.

Utena charges at me with her usual aggressive thrust, it would appear
she has not changed too much since our last encounter. I pretend to
parry but instead merely sidestep and let her pass. "We've played this
game before, haven't we, Prince?" I mock at her, I don't usually pride
myself on being cocky, but I am feeling much more energetic today. I
am not sure why. Utena regains her composure, apparently unaffected by
my taunt and steps forward, thrusting her sword towards my rose. I
sidestep to my right, avoiding her weak thrust and swipe at the rose
on her chest. I feel a power suddenly emanating from her as she
quickly moves her sword into block position and knocks my sword away.
Startled by her sudden increase in swiftness, I jump back, barely
regaining my balance. Before I have a chance to firmly plant my feet
on the ground, I can see her rushing at me at a speed not normal for
her. This must be the power of Dios, I think to myself. I am ready for
her this time and instead of backing up, I duck to avoid her thrust.
"I must win!" I yell, thoughts solely on Shiori, as I cleave my sword
upward, feeling it impact with her rose and then drive through it. The
bells immediately sound as bluish-gray rose petals blow away with the
wind. I back up from Utena as she falls to her knees on the dueling
floor. I look down on her, a sudden feeling of pride entering me, and
I stretch my hand out to her, "Good duel, you have improved much since
before." She takes my hand, stands, eyes full of tears, and says,
"Just promise me you won't do anything to hurt Anthy, please Jury..."
I look at her, feeling a bit compassionate, and reply, "She is my
Bride now and I will do what I wish. But I do promise that no harm
will come to her." Utena looks at me and sniffles, "Thank you." I
merely nod then leave her and walk towards my new Bride. "Come on
Anthy, let's go." She looks up at me and smiles, "Yes, Ms. Jury."

That night I lay awake in my bed, pondering the events of the day.
It's over, I beat Utena, I have finally disproved the power of
miracles. But am I truly happy? I wonder to myself. I turn to my side
and gaze at Anthy Himemiya sleeping next to me. I was a little
surprised when she just slipped into bed next to me as I am very used
to sleeping alone. "Oh well, I guess this is custom for the Rose
Bride," I think as I close my eyes and slowly drift off to sleep.

"I love you, Jury." Shiori's soft voice whispers into my ear. I hold
her tight, feeling her warm presence pressed up against mine. My heart
fills with nothing but pure happiness and I feel the warmth ungulf me.
Suddenly, Shiori is ripped away from my grasp. I reach for her with
all my might but she is just out of my reach and vanishes. "Shiori!" I
yell in desperation as coldness fills me where once there was warmth.
I feel completely alone again...

I awake with a start. Feeling small beads of sweat on my forehead, I
wipe them away and softly say to myself, "Just a dream..." As I get
out of bed, I notice that Anthy is mysteriously gone from her side of
the bed. I walk over to my curtains and slightly open them, letting
the rays of the rising sun enter into my room. I then proceed to my
bathroom and turn on the facet at the sink. Cupping my hands, I take a
handful of luke warm water, splash my face, and then reach for a towel
to wipe it dry. "Just a dream..." I repeat aloud to myself.

After finishing getting ready, I head over to the academy. I am
surprised to find Anthy waiting for me by the front gate. "Good
morning, Ms. Jury," she says in her usual happy tone, smiling. I smile
back at her, "Good morning to you too. Speaking of which, what
happened this morning? You just vanished." Continuing to smile, she
replies, "I'm sorry, I had some early morning errands to take care of.
Well, I have to be going to class now, I'll see you at lunch, bye!"
She walks off towards her class and I leave for mine. That Anthy sure
is a strange girl, I think as I get walk to my first class.

During lunch, I sit down with Miki and am slightly surprised to see
Anthy already at our table, "Good afternoon, how are you both doing?"
Both Miki and Anthy smile and reply at the same time, "Pretty good,
and you Ms. Jury?" Their combining words forces me to giggle just a
little, something I rarely do. I smile at them and think about my
reply. How am I doing? I look at them both, my smile remaining, and
reply, "Fine. I'm doing fine." Anthy smiles back at me, "That's very
good, Ms. Jury." I blush a little when she calls me Ms. Jury. I've
heard her say it to Utena all the time, and this isn't even the first
time she has said it to me, but for some reason this time feels
different. And for once, I find myself thinking not about Shiori, but
about my friends, and it makes me feel at peace.

"I'm going to go get something to drink," Anthy says in her normal,
sweet voice, smiling. She then stands up from the table and proceeds
to turn around. "Look out!" I hear someone yell in a desperate voice
as a tray of food and drink comes crashes down onto our table. My eyes
instinctively close and as I open them, I see Anthy covered in what
appears to be water and lying on the floor. I hurry over to her and
put my arm around her to help her up, "Are you ok, Anthy?" I see she
has damaged her hand on the floor. She opens up her eyes, "Yes, just a
little scratch, it'll be fine. Thank you." She smiles at me. I find
myself smiling back, "Don't mention it." As I help her up, I turn to
see who caused all this and find myself looking at Shiori, standing
herself up. "Shiori!" I find myself almost yelling as anger rises up
in me, "What was the meaning of this?" She looks up at me, her face
with the most innocent look plastered on it, "I-I'm sorry, Jury, I
didn't mean to, she just came out of nowhere." I glare at her and she
suddenly reminds me more of a guilty little child than the beautiful
girl I usually see her as, "Well you should be more careful next time.
I want you to apologize to Anthy right now." Her face betrays her
feelings of surprise but she does anyway. "Sorry, Anthy," She says,
her head shrinking down so as to not look at Anthy's face. Anthy just
smiles, "That's ok, Shiori. No harm done." I turn look back to Shiori,
"Good, now be more careful next time. Clean this up and go to your
class, lunch is almost over." Her face full of shock, she replies, "Me
clean it up? How is this my fault?! Why don't you make your "new love"
do it, it's her clumsy fault!!" Although I feel my face start to
blush, I look at her sternly again, getting very annoyed but not
showing it, and say, "Because it is not Anthy's fault, it's yours, now
stop acting like a child and clean this up right now!" Shiori glares
at me, her eyes filled with anger as I have never seen, but she
concedes at last, "Fine." She walks off to get the mop while I return
to my seat with my friends.

At the end of the day, Anthy accompanies me back to my dorm. I let her
use the shower first as I slip off my shoes and lay down on my bed. I
stretch and relax as my gaze drifts not towards the beautiful sunset
seeping in through my window, but more towards the bathroom door. As I
trace the outlines of the door with my eyes, I notice that Anthy did
not shut it all the way when she went in. My curiosity surprisingly
spiked, I find myself creeping towards the door, trying to peek in. I
open the door just a little, but not enough for it to squeak, and peer
inside. Steam pours into my face, but as it clears I see the outline
of Anthy through the shower curtain. Starting with her legs, I trace
her body curves carefully with my eyes. As my eyes go along her firm
looking butt, I feel myself more turned on then ever before. I have
never seen Anthy like this before, so strong and yet so fragile at the
same time. My eyes finally continue upward, stopping again at her
voluptuous, perfectly sized breasts, and then again at her face. Her
eyes are closed and she is running the water through her hair. Her
face captures my gaze and then suddenly, as if waking up from a dream,
I drop back and shut the door slowly. What am I doing? How could I be
so rude to Anthy when she has shown me such respect? But has the
respect she's shown me only been because she is my Bride? No, it can't
be like that, I tell myself. I hear her finishing up her shower and
return to the bed. She comes out, fully dressed, and heads toward the
door. Before opening it, she turns me and says, "I'm sorry, Ms. Jury,
I have to be going out tonight, I have a meeting with a friend." My
face hides the somewhat disappointment inside, "Oh, ok, well go ahead
then. I'll see you later. Have fun." Anthy simply smiles at me, "Thank
you, goodbye!" With that she opens the door and departs, closing it
behind her. I start to take off my clothes, even though it's still
early, and get ready to turn in for the night when something suddenly
hits me. A meeting with a friend, Anthy had said? Since when does she
have so many friends as to meet them after school? Maybe I should
follow her and see where she is going? I know it wouldn't be right, I
think to myself, but I just have to know. I get dressed and head out.

I quickly catch up Anthy, and making sure to stay a fair distance
behind her, I follow her down the sidewalk to the park. Staying around
the corner, I peak into the park and see her talking to someone in the
dark. I can barely make out what they are saying but when I look
closer, I can see the person she is talking with stepping into the
light. Utena. Now my interest is highly peaked, I knew how close Utena
and Anthy were before. As I move a little closer I can barely make out
the words, I hear Anthy say, "Don't worry, Ms. Utena, she is treating
me find. But she isn't you, my love." I see Utena grin as Anthy moves
closer to her and they kiss. My eyes filling with tears, I quietly
slip away and run home.

As I get home, I slam the door behind me. "How could she do this to
me?" I find myself saying aloud, tears drip down my face. Strangely
enough, a reply comes in the form of a knock at the door. "Who is it?"
I practically yell, although trying to hide my upset feelings. "It's
me, Shiori." Feeling some disbelief, I walk over and open up the door
and there stands Shiori in her usual school outfit. She looks up at me
and smiles, but her smile quickly fades as she sees my tears, "May I
come in?" she politely asks. At first I start to tell her that it's
not a good time but I stop myself mid-sentence. "Sure," I find myself
replying. She steps in and I close the door behind her. She walks
around for a little bit, apparently admiring my dorm, "You have a
pretty nice place here, Jury." "Thank you," I reply dryly, "What's on
your mind, Shiori?" Shiori turns to me and giggles, "Sorry for keeping
you in suspense. I had wanted to apologize for what happened at lunch
today." She moves in closer to me, "Honestly, I think I just got
jealous. I mean, seeing you with her, being all happy, I don't know,
it just made me wish I was the one making you that happy." Her words
surprise me, "Shiori..." I say in a soft voice. "Shhhh," she says, her
voice even softer now as she puts two fingers up to my lips, "I'm not
sure why you are crying, but I want you to know that Anthy is not good
enough for you. You are the most amazing person I have ever met. You
are so sweet to me, and so kind, even though I treated you so badly
before. I know I don't deserve your love, but I want it, I want it
with all my heart and being. I want you, Jury." My heart throbs with
complete happiness. As in my deepest fantasies, everything else in my
world fades away and the only thing that penetrates me are Shiori's
words. I close my eyes and feel Shiori's soft lips press up against
mine. I kiss her deeply. She backs off for a second then kisses me
again, this time with more force as she pushes her tongue into my
mouth. I begin to massage her tongue with mine, my hands now running
through her soft, beautiful, violet hair. As we kiss more rapidly, she
starts to undo my shirt and I do the same with hers. Never breaking
our kiss, I slide off my shirt as she does hers. My hands then start
to caress her cheek, then slowly slide down her neck, then they begin
to cares Shiori's beautiful breasts. As I squeeze them softly, I feel
her arch in pleasure just a little. I feel her hands all over my
chest, and I allow myself to moan slightly as she softly fondles my
breasts. She then undoes my pants and they fall to the floor. I grin
at her as my hands reach to undo her pants. They fall to the ground as
we kiss and she steps out of them. She then lays herself on my bed,
stretching her beautiful, naked body to it's fullest length and grins
at me seductively. I grin back at her and lower myself on top of her.
I kiss her deeply and then begin to kiss down her neck. I take extra
care of her breasts as I lavish them with my tongue, and softly tug
her right nipple with my teeth. This produces a soft moan of pleasure
mixed with pain. I continue to kiss down her chest, down to her belly
button which I lick and kiss delicately. I continue kissing even
further down. I then start to kiss up her inner thigh, feeling body
begin to tremble with anticipation. My tongue then enters into her,
licking deep inside of her. Her body begins to convulse with pleasure
as I begin to lick faster and penetrate my tongue even deeper into
her. As I feel her about to climax, I hear her tell me, "Mmmmm stop.
You are wonderful Jury, but I want us to do it together." I then
retreat from inside of her and bring my head up to hers and our eyes
meet as we start kissing deeply. She then rolls me over so that she is
now on top of me. Generally, the feeling of being overpowered would
frighten and anger me, but not this time. I feel strangely turned on
by it this time. We resume kissing as I feel her hand stroke up and
down my body. My hands slide up to her shoulders and I trace my way
down her body until I get to her nice butt. I kiss her deeper as I
squeeze her butt hard, pushing her into me. She moans and then begins
to grind her body into mine as I pull her into me. She continues to do
this over and over and over, her moans growing louder each time, and
each time the passion is increased more and more. Feeling her warm
body pressed so close to me becomes more than I can bare and I feel
myself climax hard as I let out a loud moan. Shiori does the same, her
climax almost bigger than mine, her moan definitely louder. I then
wrap my arms around Shiori's back and hold her tightly. She pulls the
covers over us and rests her head on my chest. I rest my head on hers
and hear her whisper softly into my ear, "I love you, Jury..." I smile
and hold her tighter, "And I love you, Shiori..." Feeling myself
wrapped in a blanket of pure happiness and love, I close my eyes, and
softly drift off to sleep...

As the morning comes, I roll to the left of the bed and feel an
emptiness. I think nothing of it and don't even bother to open my eyes
until I smell the faint smell of something somewhat familiar. Roses.
As I slowly open my eyes, my vision focuses on a black rose placed on
Shiori's pillow, it's scent slowly filling the room. My eyes now fully
open, I sit up and notice that Shiori is nowhere to be found. Left by
the rose on her pillow is a little letter with the word "Come" written
on it. My mind in an absolute state of confusion, I stand up and slide
on my clothes. And for some reason, I my eye catches on my locket
lying on the dresser. It has been at least a week since I've even
noticed it, I guess it must have just slipped my mind. I pick it up
and feel the rose seal cover against my thumb. I close my eyes and
slide it around my neck, fastening the clasp behind my neck as I have
done so many times before. Taking a deep breath, I head out the door
and towards the dueling arena.

After climbing many stairs, I finally reach the dueling arena, where I
see Anthy, clad in her red dress, white rose waiting in hand. As I
take my place next to Anthy, my challenger steps out of the darkness
and reveals herself. "Shiori?!" I say to myself, half confused, half
expecting. My love stands before me, clad in a dark purple uniform and
white pants, a black rose glistening on in her left breast pocket.
"But Shiori, why are you doing this?" I ask, bewildered. She merely
smiles in reply, "Why? You have the nerve to ask me why? You've spent
your life taking the things that mean the most from me, and now it is
my turn to take your most precious thing from you!" Her voice is cold
and filled with hate. Feeling my heart break, I ask, "But, I thought
you loved me?" "Love you? How could anyone you love you? You utterly
disgust me, and you were so gullible as to fall for all that "love
talk," as I knew you would be," she replies coldly, her words stabbing
through my heart like daggers. She then raises her sword towards me.
"You best draw your sword now, Jury." Suddenly, my Bride is at my
side, summoning forth the power of Dios. With a mixed feeling of anger
and heartache, I pull the sword from her and raise it high, "Grant me
the power to bring the world revolution!" In the far off, I can hear
the bells ring, once again signifying the beginning of the duel. And
as the bells ringing comes to an end, Shiori charges at me, sword
extended, and heart set on defeating me.

Her first strike is quick, much quicker than before when we were
practicing. In the midst of the confusion, I manage to raise my sword
in time to block her strike. She then retracts her sword and cuts from
the left, forcing me to dodge backward, her attack barely missing the
rose on my chest. "I won't hold back as I did when we were in the
dojo, Jury! I will take what's yours and make it mine!" She advances
towards me, thrusting at my chest. I sidestep and knock her sword
away, but that phases her little as she adjusts her feet and cuts from
the right towards my chest. "I will make you feel the pain you made me
feel! Then I will show everyone who is better!" I raise my sword to
deflect her swipe, but she is so enraged that she knocks my hand down
and then cuts from the left again, her sword aimed dead center to
knock away my rose. I step back to avoid her strike and as I do, my
locket falls forward and is caught Shiori's blade. She follows through
with her strike, ripping the locket from my chest and slamming it into
the arena floor and I watch in horror as it smashes into pieces. My
mind fills with a million thoughts as I look at the pieces of my
former locket, lying scattered over the arena floor. I look up and I
see that Shiori is laughing, "Aw, I'm sorry, did I break your precious
little locket?" As the words leave her lips, I feel my sorrow turn
into anger. Seeing her face and hearing her mocking words releases
something within me that I have not felt before. I leap from the
ground, my sword aimed directly for Shiori's heart. Visibly alarmed,
she desperately raises her sword to parry, but my sword knocks hers
down. Then, with all my might, I raise my leg and kick her away as
hard as I can. I feel a strange sense of satisfaction as I watch her
tumble and roll away. I then back up a little and raise my sword into
position. Shiori stands and staggers a little as she turns to face me.
I can feel the heat radiating from my face as it burns the tears
running down my cheeks. She smiles that evil smile and says, "Now we
end this." She charges towards me and I take a second to consider my
options. Time seems to slow, and my mind fills with a million thoughts
all at once. Love. Hate. Depression. Loneliness. These are the things
that I have felt for so long. These are the feelings which I have
wished to rid myself of for such a very long time. But now I know, it
was Shiori who has made me feel these things, she was the one who was
holding me back all this time. A feeling of warmth and purpose enters
into my heart and all at once I know exactly what I must do. I charge
at Shiori with all my strength, all my heart, and all my soul, "I will
free myself from you now and forever! For the revolution of the
world!!!" I feel my sword strike hers, and cut right through it, right
into the black rose on her chest, and following through. I turn to see
her drop to her knees, black rose petals blowing away in the wind. I
offer no words of remorse, no words of comfort, I only turn around and
walk away. And as I walk away, I feel myself reborn anew. I feel as
though all my feelings of hate and despair have blown away with those
black rose petals. For the first time in my life, I feel truly at
peace.

As I leave the arena, Anthy joins me by the front gate. Her fake smile
is replaced with a look of content, "Are you ok, Ms. Jury?" I simply
smile at her, "I'm fine, thank you. I want to thank you, Anthy. It was
you who showed me that I do indeed have a life outside of Shiori. I
finally feel freed from my chains of despair." She smiles back at,
appearing genuinely happy, "Well, I'm glad then." I smile back at her
one last time, "Anthy, I know you will never truly love me. And it is
for that reason that I wish to concede from my role as the dueling
champion." A shocked look appears on her face, "But Ms. Jury, why?" I
lean in close, saying softly, "Because I know how much you really do
love Utena. I want you to go to her and be her Bride again. I think,
in a way, she needs you too. You complete each other." Anthy smiles at
me, bigger than I have ever seen before, and jumps into my arms,
hugging me close, "Oh thank you, Ms. Jury!" I hug her back, "No, thank
you, Anthy. Thank you for everything." She pulls back. I grin, "Now,
go find Utena. Share the good news! And please say hello to her for
me." Anthy continues to smile, "I will!" And with that she runs off.
As I watch her leave, I can't help but smile. Taking a deep breath, I
look up at the rising moon. It's beauty still astounds me, but this
time for many different reasons. It's alone, yet it stands strong,
free, and capable. I return home and wrap myself up in my bed sheets,
pulling them close. As I drift slowly off to sleep, the smile never
leaves my face, and I find myself curious as to what wonderful
possibilities the future may bring...

Epilogue

"Yes sir, Shiori has failed. Yes, I know, she will be dealt with
accordingly. Yes, I hear that she wishes to resign her title as
champion duelist. No sir, I assure you, we will not allow that to
happen. Goodnight, sir." Touga Kiryuu leans back in his bed, hanging
up the telephone. He begins to speak aloud to himself, "So it appears
that even Jury's former love was no match. No matter. It is clear that
I was a fool to have taken Jury so lightly before, I understand that
now. If only I were able to duel myself, but alas the rules do not
permit me. No matter, the power of Dios will be mine. Jury Arisugawa,
you will not stop me."