Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ The Only Girl for Me ❯ Revolution of Touga ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4 - Revolution of Touga

 

Aiko entered his office as chairman of Ohtori Academy taking off his sports coat as he did. He head over to the small closet that he had in his office and opened the door to put his coat away. When he looked in the closet something stopped him dead in his tracks. A hand written note had been attached to the hanger rod. It said in simple words, “End of the World's presence is requested on the dueling field.” Aiko found it to be a rude joke of what he used during the Black Rose parts of the duels to lure the champion into the next duel.

 

However L-ko found the joke to not be rude at all instead she found it to be very appropriate for the situation. Her shadow appeared on the wall behind Aiko. She wore a cloak that made her form look like a famous vampire count against the wall. She crept up on Akio's still form and said, “I am the Vampire Count, all fear me for I am that which they fear most.”

 

L-ko then spun around and spread her arms her cape making it look like she had wings of a bat, “I play on the fears and insecurities of all mankind and I myself fear nothing!”

 

She laid down in a coffin suddenly and stated, “I now sleep and dream of new ways to use the fear of others against them.” As she lay there a bright light, seemingly from a window beams onto her. L-ko writhes around as if being on fire.

 

“I was wrong! I was wrong! The sun! I do fear something! An someone is using it against me!” she cried out, and soon she was no longer even there, the light becoming so strong that it got rid of the very shadows that the girls were using.

 

“Why would the vampire sleep in a room with windows anyways?” Akio said angrily and headed for the door.

 

* * *

In reality the dueling field was the observatory, it was the highest point at Ohtori Academy. It was where End of the World would lure his pawns together to battle each other and harness their inner strength into a sharp weapon. He expected that if he found the right duelist, who could win all the duels put to them, he would find a sword sharp enough to dig through the door to the power of Dios. The door was where the Rose Bride slept, for she was the only conduit to Dios's power unless someone freed her and took her place.

 

Touga always assumed that End of the World felt that since he was once Dios, he would be able to maintain his free will. Anthy seemed incapable of independent action when she was the conduit of Dios's power; he assumed that others would end up the same. That's why in the end, Touga was actually rather happy that he didn't win the duels. The final solution, as Anthy had explained it to him, the death of the winner, did not appeal to him the way that End of the World originally made it sound like it would.

 

Touga's private musings were at ended with the arrival of End of the World. Touga smiled to himself as End of the World arrived, as his foe looked rattled. End of the World was used to manipulating and using others, he was never used or manipulated himself. As such, Touga felt that he had an instant advantage of his foe. He had the upper hand now, as he knew that End of the World could be manipulated just like any one else. Touga was also pleased to see End of the World's sword was already drawn. That meant that Touga's message was completely understood.

 

“You!” End of the World hissed out as he stared with gritted teeth at Touga. “Honestly I should have realized that it was you. Who else would be so foolish at this point?”

 

“Foolish? Why am I foolish? You're the one who accepted my challenge when the `game' you set up no longer exists.”

 

“Challenge? What challenge?”

 

Touga's flair for the dramatic demanded to be satisfied he pointed his own sword, his new inner sword at End of the World and announced in a proud voice, “I challenge you for the hand of Miss Tenjou Utena.”

 

“You're an idiot, Touga! A true idiot! If I had any control of Utena do you really think I wouldn't have exploited it by now?”

 

“If you can control her or not is not the issue. The issue at hand is that you possess her, and I am here to reclaim her.”

 

“For what reason, Touga? Power to revolutionize the world?” End of the World spat out, his patience run thin.

 

“No, nothing so trivial or mundane,” Touga said clearly and seriously.

 

“Then for what?”

 

“For love,” Touga replied solemnly.

 

End of the World would have started to laugh at that point if it weren't for the fact that Touga picked now to strike. Charging forth at End of the World with a speed he hadn't ever displayed before. The way he moved was not the way that Kiryuu Touga charged with a thrust, it was someone else's move entirely. That fact threw End of the World off guard. He was expecting to know ever move that Touga could throw at him, not to be surprised right of the bat.

 

Touga continued the furious onslaught of blows from his sword. End of the World still managing to parry everyone, but just barely, losing ground with every strike that Touga made against him. The speed of Touga's attacks were matched by the force behind each of his blows, each blow knocking aside every parry that End of the World brought up. It wouldn't be long before Touga's attacks broke through End of the World's parries, and then strike him down. That was not something End of the World could allow to happen. He played the only card he had left, manipulation.

 

Which means that Touga was confused when End of the World started to chuckle to himself, not understanding what his foe could find so funny.

 

“You are quite the character, Touga,” End of the World said barely dodging another of Touga's thrusts. “You doing all this for a woman who hated you.”

 

“You're wrong!” Touga replied, his blow striking a bit slower than the one before it as his mind processed what End of the World had said, “She loved me, just as she knew I loved her.”

 

“She despised you, Touga,” End of the World casually announced, “Why do you think she came to me instead of you? Why do you think you're the only one who remembers besides me?” End of the World finally managed to make a thrust of his own that nearly struck Touga's shoulder.

 

“S-she, knew what she had to do. I remember because I loved her so much!” he stammered, his confidence shaking as he attacked with a low slash that End of the World easily jumped over.

 

“You remember because she didn't bother to `correct' you. She must have decided,” End of the World countered another weak thrust and kicked Touga to the ground, “that you weren't worth making better.”

 

Touga hit the ground after End of the World's kick struck him. His brain reeling with one thought, the last moment before his last duel with Utena, the moment he felt that he had overplayed his hand with her. She only said to him, “I misjudged you, Touga.” Utena had said that to him when just the night previous he had gotten to experience what it would have been like to have really been her Prince.

 

Touga sat their in pain, his sword barely in his grip. End of the World's blade leveled at Touga's chest, “I can see you're coming to your sense Touga,” End of the World stated, “Why risk your life over a girl who could not give you a second thought? I consider you valuable property, Touga. I don't want to damage such valuable merchandise. However, you may have become a liability as well.”

 

For a moment Touga was resigned to whatever fate End of the World had now determined for him. Just as he had been resigned to it years ago. He felt the blade start to touch his chest gently, as to suggest a preparation for a strike. Then a moment flashed in his head. The last words he ever said to Utena, he hadn't had his last moment with her before the duel. It was after.

 

He remembered while the illusionary cars that End of the World had been using to up the ante of the duels had swarmed around them, he held her close one last time. “I will always protect you, Tenjou Utena,” he had said. He remembered looking into her eyes and realizing that she knew that he meant it, and that at that moment, she didn't need his protection. That was then. Their ultimate moment together, the moment where he truly dedicated himself to her, the five words that bound him to this path.

 

Touga's speed was back and he struck away End of the World's blade before the final blow could come. His eyes were like cold, blue steel as he stared at End of the World, “You will never understand, Akio, you never can understand!” he rose to his feet and began to press his attack.

 

“You were never a prince, never a knight,” Touga struck again this time swinging End of the World's blade to the side and dragging it out of his hand with the pure finesse of his attack. “You were always a manipulative bastard who cared for no one, even Anthy's sacrifice for you did nothing but give you a new reason to use people.”

 

End of the World watched his blade fly away from him in shock. He was considering how he went from the moment of a final blow to being disarmed and defenseless against Touga, “You don't even know what you're talking about, Touga.”

 

“I believe I do, I was this close,” Touga said indicating with his fingers of his free hand a very small space, “from becoming just like you. I wanted to be you so badly. But you are not what I really want to be. She was, I want to be someone who could be worthy to love her and to be loved by her.” He held the sword against End of the World's chest, ready to run him through.

 

“Touga. You… don't know what you're doing. Please!” End of the World pleaded. And for the first time in his entire life, Touga saw the fear in End of the World's face. End of the World knew, as well as Touga did, what would be the only resolution to this scenario.

 

“Do you hear it?” Touga smiled as he said the words that he used to seduce Touga and others into dueling one more time. “If you heart still believes in revolution, you will hear it's engine.”

 

He lunged forward with a battle cry thrusting the blade of his sword deep into End of the World's chest. End of the World make the gurgling noise of a man dying. For End of the World, this moment was the end of a thousands of years long existence. For Touga, it was liberation from the manipulations of a man who he had once aspired to be, but now despised. For them both, it was a release.

 

As Touga pulled the sword out of End of the World's chest, End of the World slumped to the ground finally at peace and rest. Touga looked at End of the World's body for a while, truly hoping that it were over now. That somehow this meant that Utena was as free from him as he felt right now.

 

He left End of the World's body behind and marched ahead to the Rose Bride's Chamber. The Chamber where he swore he saw her face. He walked down the hallway to it, not sure on what he would find. As he walked he felt that the path to the chamber felt longer somehow. He seemed to be walking past the same section of a hallway over and over, yet each time he passed the small painting of the caterpillar it seemed to be closer and closer to becoming a butterfly.

 

It was then that the thought entered his head, the thought that he was completely wrong about this. He began to consider the fact that Utena may have died long ago and that he was just deluding himself this whole time. He realized that he had never once actually seen Utena's face, except the ghostly apparition in the rose garden.

 

“Go deeper,” a voice in his head proclaimed. Touga wasn't sure if it was his or not.

 

But he did what it requested and considered that he may have just imagined seeing Utena in the garden. His look in the Rose Bride's chamber the first time, he hadn't really seen her, just a woman. When he nearly died at his friend's hand he didn't see anyone, just heard a voice. What if, he consider, it was all a ruse of Anthy and Akio. What if they had been playing with him like they used to do all those years ago.

 

Touga's slow march had turned into a run and he noticed that the paintings of the caterpillar had progressed to the point where it had almost hatched. He continued to doubt what was happening, considering that it all could be a trick. How could he have actually defeated End of the World? How could he have just happened to find Anthy? Why would he be able to open the chamber when everyone else failed?

 

He suddenly stopped himself. He decided that these were the wrong thoughts to have. He was right, he was always right. He was not a brash or impulsive man nor was he the type to fall for the same tricks twice. He was not a fool, only foolish for ever doubting his own resolve, his own eyes, and his own heart. Doubt was going to hold him back here, that he knew.

 

When he came to that realization he refocused his eyes ahead of himself. The chamber was right in front of him the whole time. He had been walking and running in place. His doubt had literally held him back. However, now his doubt was expelled and he could pass forward into the Rose Bride's Chamber, where he can finally live up to a promise he made five years ago.