Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ Utena: A New Life At The Academy ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

I stirred in my bed. I felt like I was intoxicated. The back of my right wrist smacked me in the forehead. Nightmares seemed to be the only dreams I could have. I realized that the covers were cold and damp. I was just waking up from a cold sweat. eew!!!

I sat up slowly and investigated my surroundings. From what I could gather, I was in my bedroom back at Saionji's dorm house. My hair was sprawled all over. I felt itchy enough to sit up. I looked around as I tried to understand my crazy dream. A cute pink haired professor, my brother, Anthy and her fraternal twin? This boy that was in my dream looked just like her…He wore a red suit with a green…feather…?

Utena in some kind of frilly knock off of a boys school uniform, and some weird looking ghost that fell from an upside down-airborne castle…these images made no sense to me, but they were all in my dream…

I struggled to sit up but the covers wouldn't let me. Rather than risk another potential bruise, I rolled over onto my right side. The smell of a cologne…or the scent of white roses… filled my nostrils. The sheets and bedspread were rather "choppy" feeling against my skin. I couldn't understand what was keeping me immobile. There was something green almost a foot away from me. Green? It was wavy green hair! Saionji was lying beside me. He was on top of the covers, preventing me from moving around too much.

My brother was actually sharing the same bed! True, he was sleeping above the covers but the mere thought of him in the same room was sending my emotions into overdrive. Did he really care that much for me?

He shifted in his sleep. Somehow the image popped into my head that he was more concerned about me than anything else. He wasn't in his student council uniform. I remembered him being in his uniform.

Saionji was wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans. He was in the defensive fetal position. He looked so innocent. I almost expected him to be sucking on his thumb.

I wondered if he knew my true feelings about this school…and about him.

I shook my head in an attempt to erase all my strange emotions. I wrapped my arms around him while he was still slumbering. His body felt so warm. I was sure that a peaceful sleep was in my immediate future.

Time passed as I slept.

"My head is killing me…" were my first spoken words in an eternity.

"There's a violent flue going around." He said to me as he applied a hot cloth to my forehead.

"Huh?" I felt awkward.

"You've been restless." He dabbed at my forehead. "A couple more underclassmen have been feeling the way you are, too."

"Flue?" I tried to think about the image of me pulling a sword out of my brother's chest, Utena pulling a sword from Anthy, an upside down castle hanging in a dome shaped forest…He said they were brought on by the flue?!

"I called the Chairman and a few of your teachers and explained what was going on." He lifted the cloth with his left hand. "I told them that you'll be back in school tomorrow." He turned and went into my bathroom to run hot water over my compress.

"Saionji?" I rolled over on my side.

"Yes?"

"You were expelled?" The words were hard for me to say. I remembered a lot of things but they were still blurry.

He came back to my bedside and put the cloth back on my forehead. "I was. The Black Rose organization lent a hand and got me reinstated."

"Black Rose…"

He removed his hand and twitched a little. It was like he had been reminded of something embarrassing or unpleasant. Suddenly my headache kicked in all over again. My eyes fixed on in his left hand. Maybe my condition wasn't brought on by illness after all. There was a pink ring on his finger. A ring with the school seal on it!

I remembered some guy with pink hair grabbing me. He had that same ring…

I wanted to ask my brother about where he got his ring but I had the feeling he would have yelled at me. "I'm glad you're back!" I whispered. I had a hard time remembering anything else. The darkness of sleep had won me over again.

I walked through the schoolyard merrily. Saionji had told me that same morning about Ohtori Academy's Chairman being concerned for me and wanting to know when I could start teaching again. I was overjoyed!! I ended up skipping through the courtyard.

I had come across an unfinished stone wall not far from the main building. The sound of girls arguing stopped me. The wall was two feet taller than I was. I jumped up and peered over the edge.

Nanami and her cheering section were on the other side. For the first time in weeks I was able to learn their names. Keiko, Yuko, and Eiko…I couldn't tell you about the other two but Keiko caught my attention. She had the oddest looking pigtails. I tried hard not to laugh.

They were talking about throwing a party of some kind. I hadn't been to too many parties. The last one I went to was for Touga's birthday. I pulled myself up a little higher to try and listen in.

It was no good. They were mumbling and screeching so much I couldn't understand them. The only thing I could hear without a problem was the three girls shouting out "LET'S DO OUR BEST!" The last time I heard a phrase like that was at an American football game. The players were in a huddle…it was the New York team against some guys from Texas.

I wished that they had been closer to me. My curiosity was killing me!! I turned slightly as I tried to look behind me. The back of my head bumped against something.

"Good morning!!"

I let go of the ledge and dropped to my feet. There was another sound of footsteps besides my own. I quickly turned around.

"Have an invitation!! The incredibly handsome Touga Kiryuu, President of the Student Council, needs your support!!!" It was the girl with the huge pigtails…Keiko. She grabbed my hand and forced a white card with rose colored writing into my hand.

"Do you even know who I am?" I protested. As expected, she ignored me.

"We'll see you at the President's house!!" She saluted me and ran off. This day was going from peaceful to moderately weird.

I opened the invitation. It was just as Keiko had said…er…ranted. The party was Nanami's idea. She wanted to throw it for her brother. As I figured he was depressed for some strange reason and she wanted to make him feel better. I was a little upset that no one had decided to throw a party for my brother.

It would be good to see Touga again. I did, after all, have a crush on him. He was the second best looking man on campus. Second?! That thought bother me. Saionji was third only because he was my brother. Who was the first?

As soon as I tried to remember who the best looking guy on campus was, I got smacked in the face by another invitation…and another. I shredded the new invitations. That wasn't very funny. I tried to find where they had come from and was hit by several more. I retraced the origin of the last envelope and saw Keiko. She was standing on one of the old Greek pillars tossing out invitations like the flower girl at a wedding.

I rolled my eyes and snatched another invitation from the wind. I wanted to give one to Saionji. I couldn't believe that I was directly invited. Maybe my small circle of friends was getting bigger.

When I got home, my brother was scratching his head. He had noticed the juice stain on the picture above the fireplace. "Uwe, Do you know what happened to my portrait?"

It was strange. I had almost no memory. Could vandals have broken in while I was asleep? "No, big brother."

He looked at me curiously than shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay. It can still be cleaned up." He saw the invitation. He really couldn't have missed it. I had it pressed firmly to my chest. "What's that? Touga's not having another birthday is he?"

That comment made me mad. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Haven't you heard?! The Student Council President has been feeling down lately and has been out of school for a long time!!!"

Saionji opened his mouth. He looked like he was going to say something insulting but thought better of it. "No, I'm not going to go." He said instead.

"Fine! I'll go and tell Nanami that you're going to stay here. Coward!" I stormed out of the dorm house. I wanted to tell Nanami about Saionji's unwillingness to attend. The only problem was that I couldn't think of a good excuse for him.

I knocked on the door to the Kiryuu dorm. Nanami answered. "You are?"

It had been a couple days since I was able to see her. "It's me, Uwe. Saionji's baby sister."

"Oh! Nice to see you again!! What brings you here?"

"I wanted to let you know that my brother won't be coming. He's got a lot of…" Think of an excuse Uwe. "…paperwork to take care of." good excuse "I'll be there though. Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Nanami flashed a smile at me. "Would you like to come in?" She seemed so friendly. "How could I refuse?"

She led me through the dorm house the same way that Touga had. For some reason my eyes came across a set of double doors. I don't think I had seen them before. I let it go. I was anxious to see where Nanami was taking me.

Another set of double doors was in front of us. She flung them open with ease. It was another entryway to the ballroom where Touga had his birthday party. It looked a little different. There was a long table in it with tons of red wall hangings and curtains. Nanami's friends were dutifully organizing the place settings. Keiko was making good time by moving around on roller skates. They were all dressed so nicely. I was going to have to dig through all my formal wear to be a match for them.

I walked over to one of the windows. Keiko was dashing about so quickly I was afraid of being flattened by her.

I stared out of one of the large windows and saw Touga walking in the darkness. What happened to him?

"Keiko I need you to help me to get some Student Council paperwork finished. I haven't had time to get to it yet." I looked over at Keiko. She wasn't rolling around anymore. She seemed kind of upset. I glanced out the window at Touga and than back at her. Did she see him too. No. She looked like she was going to cry but she had been looking at Nanami the entire time.

"But, Miss Nanami…?" she was stuttering.

"But what, Keiko?" asked Nanami.

The girl with the brown pigtails seemed to be a little more than upset. My crush on Touga was beginning to grow. I probably would have been upset too. I was glad that I wasn't part of the Student Council. Nanami seemed honest about her request. She didn't really look like she was too interested in the party herself. Touga's sister wanted to be at the party with him. It just didn't look like she understood…or really cared what the other three wanted. Oh well, it was their own choice to follow her. I was just a guest.

"Yes, Miss Nanami." Keiko said as she gave into the little tyrant.

"Well, I guess I'll be on my way." I interjected before Nanami tried to assign me some schoolwork. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow night."

Nanami waved at me and turned back to the girls. I made my way out to the hallway. I really wanted to see what was behind the other set of double doors.

I turned the handle and peered inside. There was nothing in the room. It reminded me of a sunroom. It was dark and empty. The only lights in it were from the glow of the hallway behind me.

There was a chair in the center. Someone was sitting in it. I couldn't tell who it was. The person's head turned toward me. I still couldn't see a face.

"Uwe, you're still here?!" I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I probably jumped a few feet into the air.

Nanami was beside me.

"I…uh…got a little lost…" I told her.

"Here than. Follow me. She shook her head and showed me the exit. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow night, Uwe. Tell your brother that he's welcome to attend when he gets some time off."

"I will." I waved to her one last time and headed home. Touga and Saionji seemed to want nothing to do with the Student Council. I began to wonder if there was more to this. Could Touga have been expelled for something?