Foreward: This is revised only slightly. No major changes, but since
Jurai-Knight's finally gotten to the point in Quantum Destinies where Roses
and Swords takes place, I thought it'd be a good idea to repost it so
readers can famiarize themselves with the events that happen here. The
effects of it should start to be felt in chapter 12 of QD.
Roses and Swords
A Quantum Destinies Side Story
Chapter 1
This is a story set in Jurai-Knight's 'Quantum Destinies' universe, and you
will have to be familiar with that piece of work to follow this story. The
events within take place after chapter eleven of Quantum Destinies.
Standard Disclaimer:
The Quantum Destines universe is Jurai-Knight's. Many of the characters
within are not. Revolutionary Girl Utena is also owned by someone else.
Any and all C+C is appreciated. You can contact me at sommer@3rdm.net
All of my stuff is now stored at:
http://angcobra.jumpfun.com/dbsommer.html
Jurai Knight now has a homepage. Previous chapters of Quantum Destinies are
now at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~sthesken/fanfics/qd.html
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Professor Hiro Fuji walked through the vast halls of the Ministry of
Science towards the room his monthly meeting with the other scientists of
Project Phoenix was scheduled to take place. As important as the project
was, he would have thought that they might have been permanently assigned a
chamber of their own. However, since they usually only got together once a
month to review the test subjects, it had been deemed been a waste of
space, never mind that the entire future of the Empire might be decided by
the project. Sometimes he wondered if it was nothing more than a matter of
pride for feeling so strongly about the subject. Pride. That was something
he still retained in abundance, though some claimed it was closer to
arrogance, several of his fellow scientists among them.
Fuji ran a hand through his close-cropped black hair, a holdover from his
time in the Security Directorate. The routines that had been hammered into
him there had remained with him his entire life. He still ran five miles
every morning, then performed six sets of fifty push-ups followed by the
same number of sit-ups. Despite being nearly fifty years of age, physically
he appeared to be no more than in his late thirties. The appreciative
stares he received from women told him that. He was still quite the
physical specimen, and hardly the type most would have considered to be one
of the premier geneticists in the world. Of course, with Project Phoenix
underway, the next generation of the Empire might all turn out like that,
if not better.
Fuji checked his watch; there was still a half hour before the meeting.
News reports had said traffic was heavy today, so he had left early. Of
course the reports had been exaggerated and now he would be forced to wait.
He was still lamenting his luck when the sounds of children playing from up
the hall caught his attention. As he turned the corner, he spotted two
familiar faces involved with the project as well: Doctors Naoko Akagi and
Yuji Katsuragi. Along with the pair were two young girls, no more than six
years old or so, playing with one another. A close look at their faces told
Fuji which girl belonged to whom.
"Doctor Akagi. Doctor Katsuragi." He bowed before both, who bowed to him in
return.
"It's nice seeing you again." Akagi gave a warm smile. "I don't think
you've ever met my daughter." She turned to the two girls. "Ritsuko. Say
hello to Professor Fuji."
The blonde girl broke off the tug-of-war she was having with the other girl
and politely said hello. Ritsuko didn't have a chance to do anything else
as the black-haired girl then shoved her aside and took her place before
Fuji. "My name's Misato," she declared with a smile.
"Don't shove me, Misato," Ritsuko complained.
"Why don't you make me?" And with that Misato stuck out her tongue and
shoved Ritsuko again. Ritsuko responded by shoving her back, then the two
began to roughhouse in earnest. Fuji noted that there was no actual
meanness in either girl's features, implying it was more of a convenient
release for the excessive energy such children always had. Though it was
obviously more enjoyable for one than the other.
"Play nice with Ritsuko," Katsuragi warned as Misato continued to press her
advantage, much to Ritsuko's irritation.
"Kids," Akagi said in the tired voice that only people with children could
use. "My nanny canceled at the last minute, so I had to bring her here."
Katsuragi said the same thing and complained about the problems of being a
"single parent in this day and age." Fuji was suddenly glad he had never
married and had to deal with any children, or more specifically, children
that young. In truth, his life now almost completely revolved around a very
special set of youths; a life mirrored in the others that were coming to
the meeting. "Since we have a moment to ourselves, I wanted to ask you
something kind of off the record. How do you think the project has been
coming along? And I just want your basic opinions, not some long-winded
speech. We'll have more than enough of those at the meeting."
Akagi and Katsuragi looked at each other, then laughed. Katsuragi spoke
first. "I should say we have complete faith in it."
"After all," Akagi continued. "We've already given Ritsuko and Misato the
treatment. Sort of putting our money where our mouth is, so to speak."
"I guess that does pretty much say it all." Fuji was surprised. Neither one
of them was known for their blind faith. It was surprising that they would
be willing to give their own children the treatment at such an early stage
in the project. Of course, given the age limitations with the current form
of the treatment, if they waited too long neither child would be eligible
for the process. That would eventually leave them behind when the treatment
was made available to the rest of the public. There was still a safety
factor to be considered, though. Certainly, Fuji was not so overconfident
as to believe that the treatment was one hundred percent reliable, but what
in life was? And it was not as though they were his children. He decided to
just stop worrying about it and moved the discussion onto other topics.
Time passed quickly as they became absorbed in their conversation. A
handful of other early arrivals joined the trio. Eventually, the children
became more of a nuisance as they began to grow bored with all of the
"grown-up talk" and tried harassing their parents into doing something with
them. The doctors sent their daughters to another waiting room where a
secretary could keep an eye on them. It was shortly after their return the
remaining project members showed up, and everyone entered the room.
Upon entering, Fuji saw that the room they were using was more comfortable
than what they had used before. Director Saito, the head of the project,
must have arranged for it. The long table, which could seat as many as
twenty, was of a very visually appealing redwood, undoubtedly imported from
the Western North American Prefectures and costing an exorbitant amount of
money. The chairs were also very plush, covered with a material that
reminded Fuji of satin. They were a far cry from the uncomfortable plastic
backed ones they had previously used at all of the other meetings.
Fuji looked all of the other project heads over. All twelve were present,
including his old friend, Professor Kouzou Fuyutsuki. Almost directly
across from him was Doctor Yoshiki Matsuda. That was the one Fuji wanted to
see the most. This was the meeting where he got his overbearing ego
deflated a bit.
Small discussions had broken out among the various members. It was not
until the head of the Project, Director Saito, entered that the others
quieted down. He said a simple greeting to the others and took his seat at
the head of the table.
"Are there any urgent messages or problems that demand some sort of
immediate response or attention?" Silence was all that met him. "Good. Then
I don't see any reason why we can't begin the meeting. I want Professor
Fuji to open the review today. His preliminary reports seem to give us some
unique insights as to how the project is progressing."
A wide grin spread across Fuji's features; this was exactly what he wanted.
He opened up his bag and passed copies of his monthly report around the
table. Once everyone had a copy and had a chance to open to the first page,
he began. "Allow me to review a few things before I begin. As most of you
are aware, we arranged for several of the children to be placed together in
Ohtori Academy. Unlike most of the other children, who we were going to
allow to awaken first, then bring together, we wanted to see what would
happen if they were in close proximity to one another beforehand. Now that
they have had time to assimilate with one another, I'm proud to announce
that the study has garnered some very interesting results.
"Each of the seven members of the test group have shown excellent scores in
both intelligence and physical activities, all of them high above the norm
for children of that age. On their own and without any outside
encouragement, they have taken over the entire membership of the student
council. They have even managed to spread their influence to some of the
teaching staff. Combined, they represent the primary driving force at the
school itself. It is their voice that is heard above all others. There is
no non-project child even close to them in influence and power there."
Fuji watched as all of the project members listened intently to his speech
with satisfied looks. He had known that placing the children in the school
was an environment that would produce conclusive results. Again, he had to
suppress the satisfied smirk he wanted to give, since most of the others
had originally met his idea with skepticism.
"Exemplary leadership qualities are only one facet of this experiment that
has met with our project goals. The children have also organized a formal
way of producing a hierarchy to choose who the alphas of the group will be.
They have formed something of a duelists club, whereby they engage in a
number of duels per week. The results of these fights serve to enforce the
rule of the alphas of the group. I have the informal ranks on the sheets
before you."
The others looked over the individual test numbers in comparison to the
apparent alpha rankings among the Adams and Eves. With only the exception
of Saionji Kyouichi, who was ranked fourth among his peers when he was the
third highest in the test scores, the rankings followed the numbers pattern
from highest to lowest, just as Fuji had thought they would.
Fuji continued, "As you will note, Utena Tenjou has the highest scores of
all of the test subjects at Ohtori. In fact, I believe only Nabiki Tendou
is currently rated higher than her, and Tendou is a year older. In less
than two months after her awakening, she has become the alpha of her group,
defeating even Touga Kiryuu, whose score is only slightly lower than hers."
He resisted rubbing his hands in satisfaction as he looked towards Matsuda.
"Since every other member of the group comes from a noble family, and she
is nothing more than of common stock, I believe it is safe to assume that
the theory about the noble bloodlines containing superior genes and
automatically becoming the alphas of the group is blatantly incorrect. Or
as Miss Tenjou is apt to say, 'Nobility is carried in the heart, not in the
blood'."
Doctor Matsuda gave a refrained evil glare. He and Fuji had argued from the
beginning about the superior genes that the nobility possessed. That
Matsuda was from a prominent family, and Fuji had only come from a lower
class background, only served to widen the rift between their viewpoints.
"You've been spending a lot of time with that test subject, haven't you,
Professor?"
"Not so much more than the others," Fuji said, noting the venom that had
dripped from Matsuda's voice. It was true that he had spent more time with
Utena, convinced that she would blossom into an alpha that would show up
the rest of the noble-blooded children. However, he had done nothing to
tamper either with her or with the project itself. He already knew that the
theory of the superiority of noble blood was nonsense. Trying to cheat by
altering any part of the program for his benefit would have done nothing
but show his doubts about his own theories. It was true that Utena was a
personal favorite of his, especially since her scores were so high, but he
would never have allowed that to bias the project.
"She has received extensive training in both armed and unarmed combat, but
that was only an attempt to gauge her abilities. The others underwent the
same training upon their awakening. The only difference is she has
continued to rise at a phenomenal rate, much more quickly than any of the
others did. You can see that on the weekly measurement charts in comparison
to the other children. It's all in the file I gave you."
Matsuda ground his teeth quietly enough so that the others did not hear.
Apparently, Fuji was telling the truth, much to his irritation.
"Don't feel so bad," Director Saito told Matsuda. "I thought there was a
good chance the noble bloodlines would prove superior to others. However,
as time goes on, it appears the process is more random than we thought."
With the head of the project all but ordering him to calm down, Matsuda
forced himself to relax. There were also indications from the other
children that the purity of the noble bloodlines made no difference in test
scores or becoming an alpha of a group. There was possibly still a chance
that, in a larger test group the nobility would prove superior, but it was
becoming less likely as the time continued and more results came in.
Fuji took silent note of his victory. Now he had something he could cut
down Matsuda with the next time he became too pompous. However, it would
have to wait, Director Saito made his wishes to continue all too clear:
keep the meeting impersonal.
Fuji switched topics. "There have been several other discoveries as well.
Extensive psychological profiles and observations clearly showed that Juri
Arisugawa demonstrated lesbian tendencies in her pre-awakening days.
However, shortly after her Phoenix qualities began to surface, she has been
interacting with the Adams of her group in what is almost surely sexually
interested ways."
"You're certain she wasn't bi-sexual all along?" Katsuragi asked.
"Psychology isn't a perfect science, of course," Fuji said. "But all the
evidence indicated she had no interest in men."
"So it appears that the biological attraction factors we built into the
children are capable of overriding deviant sexual tendencies," Katsuragi
said with a measure of satisfaction drifting into his voice.
"Must you be so crude?" Professor Anno asked.
Katsuragi held his hands up defensively. "I only mean deviant in the sense
that it interferes with the procreation with the species, which is the
ultimate goal of the project. Perhaps 'sexual preferences' would be a
better term?"
Anno nodded reluctantly in agreement.
Fuji cleared his throat. "I wouldn't go so far as to declare that a
statement of fact. This is only one test subject, and there is no guarantee
that her interest in Adams will hold, or that she will give up seeking
same-sex partners either among the Eves or outside Project Phoenix
altogether. We'll need more test cases to see if the pheromonal cues of the
Adams and Eves is capable of overriding inherent sexual preferences, or if
it's some kind of psychological change that the Phoenix Children undergo
themselves. We will be keeping a closer eye on her, of course."
Director Saito broke in. "Still, if she has suddenly expressed interest in
the Adams, and none of the Eves, then it's not unreasonable to assume that
the pheromonal cues are playing a role in this. I want a very close eye
kept on her. Double the amount of people assigned to observe her, while
still being surreptitious about it. This is exactly the sort of thing we've
been looking for in the Mark II process. Please continue."
Doctor Akagi had been listening to the conversation while leafing through
the information on several of Fuji's test results. Something on one of the
later pages caught her eye, and she interrupted Fuji before he could
continue. "I'm concerned about this unusual attraction Nanami Kiryuu seems
to have for her brother, Touga. Is it as bad as it appears?"
Fuji nodded. "She has been showing a very unhealthy interest in her older
brother. There might have been signs of it before her awakening, but now
they're conclusive. She has definitely shown extreme signs of
possessiveness and, of more concern, possible sexual interest."
"Do you think it's a breakdown in the genetic 'circuit breakers' we put in
the children to keep siblings from showing interest in one another?" Saito
asked. It had long been a worry of both himself and the others that the
attraction factor would carry over to siblings. It had always been the
opinion of the Council that having an Adam and Eve living under the same
roof, without any other Adams or Eves available, would result in a coupling
over seventy percent of the time. If they could not develop a way for
family members to resist being interested in one another, the whole project
would have to be scrapped. Inbreeding was still a problem, even with the
genetic restructuring that Project Phoenix children had undergone. To
combat that possibility, they had put genetically placed responses in each
of the children that if a pheromonal lure was similar to theirs, they would
not feel any attraction towards one another. Simulations indicated it would
be effective up to a first cousin level. Any relation beyond that and the
buffer was apparently ineffective. They also had no accurate data on how
effective it would hold up among half-sisters and brothers, a situation
which none of the test subjects was in.
Doubt was apparent on Fuji's features. "Unknown. But even if that is the
case, I don't think it's cause for alarm. None of the other project
children that are siblings have demonstrated similar behavior."
"Indeed," Fuyutsuki agreed. "Two of my test cases, Tatewaki and Kodachi
Kunou, have never expressed that sort of interest in one another. And I
believe Professor Fuji's own test subjects, the twins Miki and Kozue Kauru,
have not either. Not only that, but Touga has expressed no interest in
Nanami, correct?"
"True," Fuji said. "There's never been any indication that he has any
desire for her. On the contrary, he's rebuffed all of what we think are her
advances. We are also fairly certain he's had intercourse with Kozue, so we
believe his physical attractors are probably working correctly."
"It could be a genetic flaw," Matsuda admitted. His previous anger was now
forgotten as he delved once again into the project's results. "We always
knew there would be as much as a three percent error ratio built into the
process. Admittedly, that's a lot better than the initial ten percent we
were suffering in the Mark I children, but it's still room for error. It
sounds to me like this might be an instance of it."
One of the other members that had remained silent up to that point, Doctor
Kunikida, leafed through several sheets until he came upon a curious
detail. "What's this about an esper that hangs around the alpha of the
group?"
"Oh, that." Fuji was surprised Kunikida had gotten that far through the
report. "Her name is Anthy Himehiya. From what the Mobius Institute tells
me, she's a telekenetic of enormous power. She'd be a valuable member of
the Institute except for one tiny detail: her personality is complete
passive. She wouldn't harm a fly on her own. She was transferred to Ohtori
to see what her reactions would be in a school environment in the hopes
that she would become more aggressive, but there has been no noticeable
changes in her personality.
"Curiously, shortly upon the formation of the duelists club, Anthy began
spending time with them, or, more specifically, remaining close to whoever
the current alpha of the group is. It's more than a general attraction. Her
initial interest was in Saionji, but the moment he fell to Touga, she
switched her attentions to him. I had assumed it was some sort of sexual
attraction, until now. Utena has become the alpha of the group, and Anthy
is now... well, almost completely subservient to her, as near as we can
tell."
"Do you think she can sense their pheremonal scents?" Futuysuki asked.
There had been little study done on a possible link between espers and
Phoenix Children. Too little was understood about the genetics involved
with psychics, and considering the last doomed attempt at genetically
creating espers, all such projects were shelved until more studies could be
done to understand them better.
"The Institute has theorized that she has somehow subconsciously tapped
into their hierarchy, perhaps through a low level of telepathy, and that
she's following the alpha of the pack. Given the number of times she has
switched to the alpha, I think it's a distinct possibility."
"I haven't seen any indication of this at the Imperial Academy. We have a
couple of espers registered there," Fuyutsuki said, then admitted,
"Although I haven't exactly been looking for it either."
"It could be just this particular girl. If she's that passive, she might be
looking for someone like an alpha to follow," Saito said, having more
familiarity with espers and the Institute than the others. "We still know
next to nothing about the creation or mechanics of psychic abilities. It's
not a priority, but I think it would be advisable to keep an eye out on
interaction between the children and any espers they meet to see if similar
reactions occur."
The others nodded their heads in agreement, their minds staring to race
with the new possibilities.
"It's been an eventful session today, and it's just beginning," Katsuragi
said to the group.
"Heh. Small surprise," Matsuda said in better spirits. A great deal of the
information that he had learned today was going to be applied to the
children under his observation. "This project represents perhaps the
greatest single achievement in the history of man. And it is entirely the E
mpire's. No one can even come close to what we have achieved here, and it
is largely thanks to us."
Fuji took note of the number of heads that nodded in satisfaction around
the table. It really was amazing what people could intentionally forget
when they chose to. He took it upon himself to burst the pleasant little
bubble they had wrapped themselves in.
"Lorenze Keele," Fuji said softly, and found himself rewarded with the room
falling into a deathly silence.
Matsuda recovered first, then shot Fuji an evil stare. "Look, the Germans'
Human Instrumentality Project was an abysmal failure. Over ninety percent
of the children became complete psychopaths. The Germans themselves were
planning on redoing the project from scratch before we took care of the
matter."
"And what of the remaining children that were not failures?" Fuji asked.
"They were liquidated. The Germans were afraid that any children they
produced would turn out like the other test subjects. We got that from
Keele's own personal files when we captured them."
"Yes. Very convenient, that. We were never able to get our hands on
anything else of his over the years, except that one time," Fuji said as he
watched Matsuda light up a cigarette. Talking about Keele always aggravated
Fuji's older rival to no end. Starting to smoke was always a sign of that
aggravation. Fuji took delight in the time he had gotten Matsuda to go
through an entire pack in one meeting.
Director Saito entered the conversation. "We back checked it through the
Directorate. Files and the bodies of all the test subjects were accounted
for through alternate German resources."
"Besides, it doesn't matter," Matsuda reassured him. "Black Ops teams
killed Professor Oppenheimer. He was the mastermind behind the genetics
portion of the Human Instrumentality Project. Once he was dead and all of
his notes and experiments were destroyed, the whole thing was completely
scrapped. They couldn't have recreated the project, even if they wanted
to."
"And Keele's dead," Akagi provided. "He died when his Antarctic base was
destroyed six years ago."
"Did they ever find the body?" Fuji asked, fully knowing the answer.
"Of course not!" Matsuda snapped. "The whole base was vaporized, along with
over three hundred members of the Empire's best special forces units. I
should know. My son was among them."
"We all feel for your loss," Director Saito said, then turned to Fuji.
"You're personal obsession about Keele is showing again, doctor. He's long
since dead, and everything about the Human Instrumentality Project has
ceased to exist."
Fuji had to shake his head at that. His fellow project members were
becoming more desperate to reassure themselves that there was nothing to
fear. "Keele's been declared dead by our own much vaunted intelligence
service four other times in the past, once while I was still a member of
it, and he always had a nasty tendency to turn up alive anyway. Forgive me
if I am a bit incredulous."
"Paranoid, you mean," Matsuda murmured just loudly enough for everyone to
hear.
Fuji shrugged, his respect for Matsuda deteriorating further. "I just find
it terribly convenient that everything and everyone related to whatever it
was he was working on in Antarctica was completely destroyed. We still have
no idea of what he was up to. The whole thing reeks of a set up."
"That is irrelevant to this discussion," Director Saito informed him, his
patience at losing the direction of the meeting at an end. "We are here to
discuss Project Phoenix, not whether or not Lorenze Keele is still alive.
Let's continue with the discussion."
That declaration ended any further talk of the matter. Fuji completed his
presentation. Others followed, though none were as full of the number of
new discoveries that Fuji's had been.
It was as the group broke up (and Fuji shot Matsuda a smile, causing the
older man to leave in a huff) that Fuji took the opportunity to talk to
Fuyutsuki. He was met pleasantly, and the two began a private discussion
about the session's events.
"I hope to have a great deal more to share with the others the next time we
get together," Fuyutsuki said.
"Hoping to one up me?" Fuji knew Fuyutsuki would not take that seriously.
The two had been friends for too long.
Fuyutsuki gave a light-hearted grin. "Top you? Never. But I think things in
my group of children are about to happen. My gut instincts tell me it's
going to be something big."
Fuji took note of how eager Fuyutsuki was. That would make what he had to
say even easier. "Speaking of big, I was thinking..."
"A dangerous pastime."
"I know," Fuji chuckled. "Seriously, I have an idea. I know that Utena is
the alpha in my group and likely to remain that way. Touga is close to her,
but I want her tested against someone new. Someone that might be tough
enough to give her a run for her money."
"I suspect this is where I come in," Fuyutsuki said.
"Yes." Fuji took the plunge. "I'd like to test her against one of your
children. Either Nabiki Tendou or Ranma Saotome. Utena's scores are right
in-between the two. And we know that a differentiation of less then thirty
points is insignificant."
Fuyutsuki considered that. Testing either one of them against Fuji's 'pride
and joy' would be a valuable experiment. It would give one of his children
experience against another highly ranked Eve from outside the test group.
Certainly, it was an opportunity he was reluctant to pass up. Also, if
either Ranma or Nabiki defeated Utena, it would give Fuyutsuki bragging
rights to the top alpha in all of the test groups. All he had to do was
choose which one.
"Saotome," Fuyutsuki decided. That way he would still have his number one
child in reserve, just in case Tenjou somehow defeated Ranma, not that
Fuyutsuki thought that was likely. He had seen Ranma fighting with Nabiki.
Tenjou might have been good, but the skill with which Saotome, as well as
Nabiki, fought would be difficult to match. No, Fuyutsuki thought, there
was little doubt that when it came time for the next session, he would be
able to proclaim that his test subjects were the best of the best.
"When should we have them meet?" Fuyutsuki asked.
"I think a couple of days should be enough,' Fuji said. "Why don't we
surprise them? We'll inform them on the same day the match is to take
place."
"I would like it at Imperial Academy," Fuyutsuki said. Home field advantage
never hurt.
"I was thinking the same thing." Fuji did not want the possible loss of
status to occur on the Ohtori Academy grounds. On the offhand chance Utena
lost, one of the others might try to press an unfair advantage and take her
position as alpha. It would be best that the fight occur at the Imperial
Academy.
"I'll call you with more precise details."
"Good," Fuji said. "I want to go over some of the new information we
received today. Then in two days we'll meet."
Both men decided to break up the discussion and departed. Fuji got into his
car and drove off, wondering exactly how to tell Utena that she had a duel
of a different kind coming up.
Sweat poured as the elegant clash continued, wood striking wood, yielding
an oddly alluring symphony only broken intermittently by the sound of a
strike on flesh. Blows rained in on one another, each wooden blade seeking
its target so as to gain victory for its wielder. In an ever-widening
circle, the two duelists met, thrusting, parrying, swinging a blow in an
overhead arc only to meet with air, then being forced to back off lest the
other connect with a sword stroke of their own. And so the dance continued.
Everything about the dueling pair was a demonstration in opposites. One was
a tall, powerfully-built man with a greenish tint to long hair that curled
at the ends. His opponent was a girl, shorter by a head and slender, though
tightly muscled, with pink tresses that flowed straight down past her neck.
The man was using a technique that relied upon his superior power, whereas
the girl's relied more on speed. Even their school outfits were different
despite a similarity in styling: stark white for the man, jet black for the
girl.
The heated duel was just entering its third minute when the man, Saionji
saw the opening he needed. His opponent had at last made the mistake he
knew would eventually come. He brought his bokken over in a wide swing,
knowing that he would strike with a resounding blow into Utena's skull. A
wide smile broke out across his features as the satisfaction of his
long-awaited revenge upon the girl overwhelmed him.
That damned Utena Tenjou! In an instant, his mind flashed back to the day
he had first set eyes upon the odd girl with the pink tresses and who wore
the elegant black styling of a boy's uniform to school. The one that had
the audacity to publicly challenge him to a duel on only her fourth day at
the Academy. Even then, he knew it would be a day to remember. The instant
she had issued her challenge, the hushed whispers of the crowd that had
gathered to admire him (and he had many admirers, though not as many as
Touga) gave him the information he needed to know.
"It's the new girl."
"Her name's Utena Tenjou. I heard she's a second year cadet."
"No. She's only in her first year. Why does she wear a boy's uniform
though?"
"Who knows? She might be a little strange, but there's something about her
that's just so...sensual. It makes her handsome, yet still feminine."
"Ha! It sounds like you're in love, Wakaba. You're giving up on Saionji
pretty quick. Though there is a presence about her..."
Saionji ignored the rest of the comments and scoffed at the insolence of
the bizarre upstart. He approached her, intent on delivering a reprimand
that would remind the others to remain in their proper place as well. As he
got closer, he could have sworn he detected the odd scent of something in
the air, and suddenly felt himself drawn to her. The effect was even more
powerful than the one he had when his fellow Student Council members, Juri
Arisugawa or Kozue Karou, were around him. Looking at the new girl's face,
a face full of confidence yet lacking in arrogance, he found himself in
agreement with the others. There was a sort of sensuality around her that
made the cross-dressing seem somehow appropriate. He silently decided that,
after delivering his reprimand, he would make her his before Ohtori's most
infamous playboy, Touga, had the chance to.
The crowd, which had already parted when Utena had delivered her bold
challenge, gave an even wider berth as he approached her. He stood towering
above her, looking down into eyes that held no fear of him, just righteous
determination. The girl was far too impertinent for her own good. He
brought his hand back so quickly that only a few in the crowd were able to
follow the movement. With one blow he would put her in her proper place.
The hand descended and the girl...
...ducked almost too quickly for Saionji to follow. In missing the slap, he
found himself off-balance, giving her the opening she needed to deliver a
kick into his stomach, driving the air from his lungs.
She stood over him, a smirk on her face that would have enraged Saionji if
he had still been able to breathe. "If that's all the speed you have, it's
not going to be much of a fight."
She turned without giving him another glance and made her way to the
gymnasium. The crowd followed her, not giving Saionji a backward glance.
His anger swelled as he vowed to hurt the soon-to-be-not-so-pretty-girl. No
one humiliated Saionji Kyouichi like that. No one.
He moved to the gym, shoving the people aside that moved too slowly to make
way for him. He saw that the girl had already drawn a bokken from a nearby
rack and was going through a basic kata with it, loosening up. Only later
would he remember that she had moved with an exquisite grace that even the
best swordsman among them, Touga, paled in comparison to.
However, his rage blinded him as he tore a bokken out of the rack, nearly
destroying it in the process. No time was taken to warm up as he brought
his weapon up in a guard position, giving only a moment for Utena to
prepare, then attacked. Adrenaline pumped through his system, exciting him
even further as he lashed out with vicious strikes, trying to break through
Utena's defenses to deliver unto her the beating she so richly deserved.
But somehow her defenses held. He tried harder to power past the blocks,
and in so doing, made a mistake. She brought the bokken up into his
stomach, then lashed across his face with a power that he had not thought
possible for her lithe form. The blow sent him reeling across the gym. He
recovered long enough to try to defend himself from her increasingly
powerful attacks, but it was to no avail. A third and fourth blow found
their marks. A fifth one caught him across the temple, driving him into
unconsciousness.
Later, he woke up, head bandaged and ringing as though he had a concussion,
though he was able to think clearly. He saw Touga sitting in a chair at the
foot of his bed, which he quickly realized was in the school infirmary. The
first thing that went through Saionji's mind was surprise that his old
friend had cared enough to see how he was. However, that illusion was
quickly shattered when, after asking a few cursory questions about
Saionji's condition, Touga began interrogating him about the "fascinating
new girl" that he had heard about. Saionji informed him that it had been a
lucky blow, and that the girl would lose the second time they met.
But that had not happened, and Saionji had met defeat a second time, even
more quickly than he had the first. Shortly after that he dropped a match
to Juri, one in which he had challenged her in an effort to improve his
morale. Fearing he had lost his touch, he had gone into intensive training
to improve both his conditioning and skills. Dean Fuji had even helped him
by having several special trainers run him through an intense physical
regimen that was far more difficult than anything the school's normal
curriculum carried. After completing it, he was certain that it would make
the difference.
And it had. He was now poised to take his long awaited vengeance. All he
had to do was connect with Utena's undefended head. He brought his bokken
across, committing the scene to memory as the wood was only a split second
away from impacting with her skull. The thought turned sour as, at the last
second, Utena ducked under the blow; the bokken striking nothing but her
trailing hair. As what happened all too often when he fought Utena, Saionji
found himself off-balance for a moment. It was a moment Utena took full
advantage of. Her right hand, the one holding the bokken, came up and
caught Saionji full in the nose, breaking it. Pain overwhelmed him as blood
poured from the broken proboscis.
She quickly followed up with another blow even as the first cry of pain
escaped Saionji's lips, bringing a knee up into his stomach and doubling
him over in pain, driving him to the ground. The bokken slipped from his
grasp and clattered to the floor. It was as he was trying to regain his
footing that he heard the words that cut in over his agony.
"Hey, Saionji. Remember how you hit Anthy the other day?"
An image of Anthy came to him. The exotic, dark-skinned girl had once been
his. But the instant he lost a duel to Touga, she had changed suitors and
gone to the victor. When she was with Touga, there was nothing that could
be done; even Saionji would not cross him like that. But once Utena had
defeated Touga, Anthy had ignored the playboy altogether and began
following Utena. In Saionji's mind that meant she was available. So, on the
previous night he approached her, demanding they begin their relationship
again. Anthy politely rejected his advances, claiming she belonged at
Utena's side. In anger, both for her rebuff and for the implication a mere
girl was more desirable then him, he backhanded her across the face. It had
not been the first time he had slapped a girl for forgetting her place, or
even the first time he had struck Anthy. He left her holding her face,
warning her that if it was only winners she desired, then she would have
one come tomorrow.
And now tomorrow had come. Apparently Anthy had told Utena what had
happened or she had seen it for herself. Utena did not sound particularly
pleased either.
"Answer the question!" she spat.
"Yes. I remember."
A bokken crashed into his skull, hard, driving him into unconsciousness.
"Big mistake," Utena said, nudging Saoinji's prone body with her foot to
make sure he would not be getting up any time soon.
A finger hit the button on a stopwatch. "Three minutes, forty-five seconds,
Miss Utena. An impressive time considering Saionji's increased skill
level."
"Thanks, Miki." Utena turned from Saionji's fallen body to the others,
whose forms were partially hidden of the shadows of the room. The room
itself was very strange, located in the highest tower on the campus, and
prohibited from everyone but the Dean and the Student Council, and whomever
they chose to bring with them.
The circular design of the room itself was odd. It was large, about forty
feet long and fifty feet wide, and an ideal size for dueling. As with
nearly everything else with the academy, intricate roses of wood had been
sculpted and adorned the top of the room where the walls and ceiling met.
The large windows that dominated an entire side of the room allowed the
morning light to bathe the chamber in a soothing yellow glow. During noon
the whole thing was brightly lit, and Utena would occasionally go there to
enjoy the day. But as the sun set, it would produce shadows that hid
everything on the opposite side of the room, giving the whole area a very
sinister feel. Perhaps that was why most of the duels tended to take place
during those early evening hours.
The other six occupants that had witnessed the fight emerged from the
shadows, varying degrees of emotion on their faces. Touga Kiryuu turned the
smile that so many of the school's girls swooned at, upon Utena and
appeared truly impressed, while his sister, Nanami, hid nothing of her
jealousy as she scowled in Utena's direction. Miki Kauru had a friendly
smile for Utena, mirroring their own easy friendship, while his twin
sister, Kozue, had nothing but disdain directed at the girl with the pink
tresses. Juri Arisugawa had her usual imperceptible look, while Anthy
Himehiya rushed over and practically gushed over Utena.
"That was a wonderful victory, Miss Utena." The fading sunlight glinted off
of Anthy's glasses as she plucked the pink rose, that she had given Utena
for luck, from the lapel of her left breast. After that, Anthy offered the
sweating girl a white towel.
Utena took it, mopping the sweat from her brow as she accepted Touga, Miki,
and Juri's congratulations. Occasionally, she still felt as though she were
the odd girl out, especially since she was the only one that wore the
standard black uniform of the school while the others, save Anthy, wore the
white version of the same outfit, identifying them as the representatives
of the Student Council. The one reassuring thing was that even the girls
wore the same uniform as the boys. With the style of clothing Utena usually
chose, she didn't seem out of place among the female Student Council's
uniforms, that were much more masculine in style than what most women at
the Academy wore. The only one in the room others would have been easily
able to identify as a woman, from a distance, would have been Anthy, who
was dressed in the standard white shirt and blue skirt of a female student
of Ohtori Academy.
"I warned Saionji he wasn't ready for this." Touga Kiyuu, the tall,
strikingly handsome third year cadet and president of the student council,
gave a disappointed shake of his head as he looked at the fallen form
before them.
"He had it coming," Juri, the second year cadet with the curly red hair and
lean, yet supple frame spoke with the air of authority. Miki ran a hand
through his own short cut black hair before nodding his head in agreement.
"So the 'Prince of Ohtori' wins again," Nanami snorted in disgust, refusing
to hide her contempt.
Utena ignored the sarcasm-laden use of her nickname and turned to Anthy.
"Could you do me a favor and take him down to the infirmary? I think I
broke his nose, and he's going to need it reset."
"Of course, Miss Utena." Anthy gave her usual pleasant smile. Of course,
Utena had now been with Anthy long enough to know that if she told her to
dance naked while reciting haikus to the student population, Anthy would
have smiled in the exact same way and gone off to do it just as happily.
Anthy made no move towards Saionji. Instead, he levitated off the ground,
as though a set of invisible hands had lifted him, and began to trail
behind the psychic girl. She went to the stairs that led back down to the
main part of the school, Saionji's unconscious form following.
Utena noticed Nanami and Miki shuddering slightly. They were still not used
to open displays of Anthy's telekinetic abilities. In spite of the girl's
power, unless Utena ordered her to, Anthy never used them. It was not as
though the dark-skinned girl was afraid of her abilities or saw anything
wrong with it; she simply never felt like using them. That was only one of
the many odd personality quirks of the girl who had all but become as much
Utena's personal servant as friend. She had tried to tell Anthy not to act
so servile and just be herself, but it was to no avail. She did anything
and everything Utena asked of her.
Utena was still pondering what to do about Anthy when the sound of clapping
alerted her and the rest of the students to a newcomer's presence.
"I saw your handiwork pass me on the stairs. I'm sorry to have missed the
fight."
"Dean Fuji!" Utena's heart raced as she stood before the man who had all
but taken her under his wing since she had transferred to Ohtori. He was
the one who had persuaded her to take the advanced physical training and
hand-to-hand combat courses. Now she was in far better shape then she had
ever been in her entire life and was nearly unbeatable in a fight, as any
of the people in the room could attest to. Only Juri and Touga could press
her anymore, and even then the outcome was never really in doubt; the
fights simply lasted longer.
She calmed down a bit as the dean of the school, Professor Hiro Fuji
approached her. "I might have been a little rough on him, but I'm sure he's
okay. I wouldn't really hurt him." No matter how much he deserved it, she
added mentally.
"Of course not. You're always in control and would never go out of your way
to hurt anyone." He patted her on the shoulder. "You know, I couldn't help
but noticing, you seem to be very popular in school nowadays."
Utena blushed. "I don't know what you mean."
"Come now, you're being too modest." Touga interrupted. "I hear the name
'Utena' on everyone's lips."
"Indeed," Fuji said, pleased at Touga's interjection. The boy was doing it
to impress Utena, of that much Fuji was certain, but it still assisted Fuji
in his own intentions. "Ohtori Academy finished first in the fencing,
kendo, and basketball tournaments, thanks in no small part to you."
"You're making too much out of it," Utena said, turning an even deeper
shade of red.
"Not at all," Fuji assured her. "I was just wondering if you were going to
run in the student elections that are coming up in a couple of months. With
the school expanding as much as it has, I was considering opening up
another position on the Student Council. You'd be the perfect
representative."
"I don't know," Utena said, suddenly unsure of the direction the
conversation had taken. "I don't think I'm cut out for politics."
"Neither is Kozue," Miki said. "But she's on the Student Council. I think
you'd be a wonderful representative." He was unaware of the evil glare his
sister shot at him.
"You have all of the abilities to be an outstanding leader. Besides, all of
your friends are already members" Fuji insisted.
Utena wondered where he had come up with the idea they were friends. Miki
and Anthy, who were first year cadets like herself, were the only ones in
the group she would call friends. The others fell into a variety of
different categories.
It was very odd how she had seemed to just fall in with the group, just as
they had more or less accepted her shortly after she had first appeared. It
was almost as though they had all felt an inexplicable urge to be around
one another. But they weren't really friends. Juri was more like an
acquaintance, though there was something of a polite rivalry between them.
She liked, but didn't trust, the silver-tongued Touga or the much more
quiet Kozue. And she knew both Saionji and Nanami hated her with a passion.
Despite the level of distrust she felt for many of the members, she still
felt herself inexorably drawn to the group, compelled to prove herself to
be the best among them. And she had proved that. Perhaps it was simply that
they could provide her with the challenges she sought to improve herself.
And then there was that odd, almost palpable sensation when she spent time
among them. It was only recently that she could admit that she found
herself attracted to most of the men in the group, especially when they
engaged in their regular duels, but it was not as though she actually
wanted to go out with any of them. Saionji was a conceited jerk. Touga was
admittedly handsome, but also a playboy that seemingly had over three
quarters of the female population swooning over him (including Kozue, much
to Miki's irritation). Miki was nice enough. Utena had almost asked him out
early on, but then quickly reconsidered. She felt it would be best if they
remain friends, especially since he was the only one on the council she
felt she could trust. No. Although she was tempted occasionally, she was
much more satisfied with the platonic relationships she had developed with
the men in the group.
As to actually becoming a real member of the council, well, she did tend to
hang around with them most of her time. And she did have problems with some
of the things they tended to do when acting as the Student Council. Perhaps
it wouldn't be so objectionable to at least consider running for one of the
seats.
Fuji saw the seeds of the idea beginning to take root. It was time to back
off. Pushing too hard would only make her resent the idea. "It's just a
thought. There is another reason I am here. I wanted you to do a favor for
me."
Utena was relieved at the change of topic. "I'd be happy to help out
however I can."
"Excellent. There is something of a challenge match we have with the
Imperial Academy. I met the Dean from there recently, and he was going on
continuously about a student he has that is supposed to be an excellent
fighter. The Dean's claim was that he is the best there is. Since, like
you, I have such pride in our school, I could hardly let such a statement
go unchallenged. I thought you might be willing to help out since you're
the best fighter Ohtori has to offer. The only catch is, the match would be
held at the Imperial Academy."
Pride swelled in Utena's chest. "I accept. It's time we showed everyone who
the best school really is." Ohtori Academy had a tendency to be considered
somewhat less prestigious than Blackhall or Whitehall, and less academic
than the Imperial Academy, almost like a little brother to the other three.
This would be a chance to show the Imperial Academy, at least, who had the
better students. Besides, it would give Utena a chance to match her skills
against someone new. She was surprised to find herself already wanting to
meet whoever this 'best there is' person was.
Touga made his way to Utena's side. "I would consider it an honor to go
with you."
Utena made a deft move to avoid the hand that was about to end up on her
shoulder. Touga seemed to look for opportunities to come into contact with
her (he was a touchy-feelie person, Miki once said in private when
describing Touga), and every time he managed to brush against or place his
hand upon her, a not altogether unpleasant tingling sensation made its
presence known. Undoubtedly, that was how he had picked up other girls, and
Utena could almost understand the appeal. However, unlike those other
girls, she was able to resist his charms.
"Ah, I'm flattered by the offer," she told him. "But I think I'll pass."
"Oh, come now. Going into enemy territory alone would be foolhardy. Please
allow me to accompany you. I am one of the best fighters here." Touga
backed away from her, subtly moving in what he considered a graceful, yet
alluring manner. At least that was what the other girls claimed when they
composed poetry to him. He had the grace of a lion during the hunt, they
would say.
Off to the side, Nanami gaped in surprise. Why was her brother being so
insistent on accompanying that rude and impertinent cross-dresser? And how
dare Utena refuse his wishes, not that Nanami wanted the two of them alone
together for even a second. It had to have been Utena's doing. Somehow the
wicked little low-born, weirdo had hooked her claws into her brother and
enchanted him. Nanami had never seen Touga so fixated on any one girl like
this. True, he spent time with many different girls, but he just used them
to feed his ego and brushed them aside when he no longer desired their
attentions. Nanami did the same thing with the many boys that came onto her
(though was always certain to never let them get to far). Touga didn't care
about them the way he did Nanami. She knew she was special to him, just
like he was special to her. None of those other girls were a threat, so as
much as Nanami did not like them, she ultimately ignored them.
However, Utena was proving herself different from the others. Not only did
she appear resistant to Touga's charms, but now her brother was starting to
demean himself. It was not just in his choice of romantic partner, but in
his behavior as well. They were Kiryuus, one of the oldest, richest, and
most prominent families in the entire empire. They had made a fortune in
various business ventures and headed one of the most powerful zaibatsus in
the Empire. Their grandfather had even been a close advisor to the Emperor,
at least he was until he died at the age of ninety-five in the bed of one
of his many mistresses.
Many of her grandfather's traits had been passed on to Touga, including a
propensity towards decadence and women. That was one of the reasons Nanami
kept such a close eye on him. She had to make sure no undeserving woman
came too close to her brother, which was all of them She was the only one
that was worthy of his attentions. She knew it in her heart, which, lately,
would beat faster when he was close to her, or when she trained with him.
Surely that irresistible attraction, that burning desire that preyed upon
her thoughts all day long, was felt by him. Sooner or later he would come
to realize that. It would just take a while. Sometimes her brother was
awful thick-headed about the obvious.
In the meantime, Nanami would have to take steps to ensure that Utena would
be... unable to return her brother's affections. Obviously the trollop was
playing hard to get, all but demanding her brother pursue her. Well, her
teasing was going to cost her. Nanami would see to that. Already a plan was
forming in her mind. Utena was going to be away from the school, and away
from any assistance some of the others might give her should she be
threatened. It would be the perfect opportunity for something bad to happen
to her. And Nanami knew just who could take care of it.
Utena, unaware of Nanami's thoughts, decided to end Touga's harassment.
"You raise a good point. It would be kind of stupid for me to go alone. Hey
Miki, want to tag along?"
Miki was surprised at the unexpected offer. "Uh...okay. I would consider it
an honor too."
"I'll take Anthy along as well." Utena smiled sweetly at Touga. "I don't
think it would be a good idea for you to be there. It really is beneath the
president of the student council to attend such a small and insignificant
fight. Why, the Imperial Academy people might think you have nothing more
important to do here at the school."
Touga knew he had lost, but was too proud to hide even the slightest
indication that he had. "You are correct. It was merely concern for you
that I was showing. But if there is any one person in this school that can
take care of themselves, it would the 'Prince of Ohtori Academy'." A little
flattery about self-reliance never hurt. He bowed and headed downstairs.
Nanami followed closely in his wake, shooting a glare at Utena as she
departed.
Fuji smiled. Utena's mind was as sharp as a sword. "Then it's settled. I'll
have a car pick the three of you up outside the west gate after school in a
couple of days. Be sure to bring your best bokken and not a sword. After
all, this isn't going to be a death duel."
"I will," Utena said as the others began to filter out of the chamber. "Oh,
Dean! I almost forgot. What's my opponent's name?"
"Ranma Saotome," he told her.
Utena smiled in appreciation and thanked Dean Fuji for choosing her to
represent the school. Things certainly were happening quickly all of a
sudden. Excitement began to build as she wondered what sort of boy this
Ranma Saotome would be like.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx