"Right," Eiko echoed. "Loosen up a bit. If you bumble it up,
so what? Better than freezing up and letting the world pass you by,
knock you in the gutter and steal your wallet. Or something."
Skyler cocked an eyebrow and smiled.
"I mean, where would I be if I'd worried about everything that
could go wrong when I started Experimental Stage Shadow Theater
Kashira Gravity?"
Skyler tilted his head. "Wasn't that `New Experimental Shadow
Theater: Ultimate Kashira'?"
"Pfft. That's so...last week. Stop living in the past,
DeMille." Eiko pushed on. "But I didn't hesitate. I didn't worry
that Shiiko might suddenly get shy, or that the Theater Club might
kick us out, or that we might get spied upon by perverts!"
"It all happened, though, didn't it?" asked Biiko.
"Sure! But did it stop us? We overcame! We strove! We grew
in numbers!"
"We hit future members over the head with tractor tires."
"Exactly! See, see?"
[Artistic temperament. Gotta love it.] "I'll take that under
advisement, then." Skyler brushed some dust off his uniform. "See
you later!"
"Aww, so soon? C'mon, hang out a bit! It'll be fun, right?"
Eiko nudged Shiiza, who blushed slightly and closed up the last box
of props.
Biiko rolled her eyes. "Hey, if he's gotta go, then he's gotta
go, right? We'll see you tomorrow."
Skyler waved as he headed out of the school.
Time for some alto sax practice. Skyler set up the stand, then
carefully assembled his instrument. The familiar scuffed brass of
the saxophone was comforting. It really had been too long since he'd
last played.
He ran through a few practice scales, wincing at a couple of
sour notes. He readjusted the reed, and tried again. His playing
was definitely rusty.
Skyler did a few finger exercises, then looked through the sheet
music in the battered gray case. Most of it was the familiar
standards, but a couple of the sheets were new to him.
["Fly Me to the Moon: Techno Version?" Frank must be spinning
in his grave.] Skyler began to play, slowly at first, then picking
up speed as he gained familiarity with the tune.
The door to his room opened, and Utena stuck her head in. "Hi!"
"Hi, Utena." She didn't look happy.
"You know, they got rooms over at the school for practicing
music. Miki's over there all the time."
Skyler suspected she had an agenda here. "Really? Where?"
"Down in the main building, near the home ec rooms."
"I'll check it out."
"Swell!" Utena smiled. She took a look around the room. "See
you redecorated."
"Yup." [Though I don't think Juri would entirely approve.]
He'd unpacked several posters and other decorations from his
luggage, a weird mixture of things he'd actually owned at sixteen,
things he might have owned if he were sixteen "now," and things he
*did* own now. A stuffed T-Rex fought for domination over the lower
bunk with his equally plush great white shark and timber wolf.
Sailor Moon graced one wall in poster form, while opposite her hung
the astronaut curtains Skyler had had since age ten.
"Hey, this your family?" Utena picked up the picture from his
desk. "Your parents look a little...stern."
"That's just their way. They're good folk when you get to know
them."
"Okay. By the way, you seen Himemiya?"
"No, though I came straight up here. Your night to cook,
right?"
Utena waved a hand in warding. "Yeah, it's almost done. But
it's not like her to be late for dinner. She's always home by--"
Her thoughts were interrupted by a distant ring.
"I'll get that," volunteered Skyler. "You're more likely to
know where Anthy would be."
"Could be her on the phone, even." Utena headed down the hall
to check the other rooms.
Skyler walked the other direction to pick up the rotary phone
sitting on a small table in the upstairs hall.
"Moshi moshi, Higashi-kan. Sands speaking."
"Himemiya Anthy has been spirited away."
The voice was completely unfamiliar to Skyler. It was older,
male and slightly breathy, with a whispering, conspiratorial tone.
"Go to the Duel Arena."
"Who is this?"
There was a click, and then the buzz of a vacant line.
Utena, back from checking the rooms, asked, "What's wrong?"
Skyler took a deep breath. "First, promise me you won't rush
off recklessly."
"Okay, I guess so." Now she looked worried.
"The person on the other end claimed that Anthy's been `spirited
away' and we should come to the Duel Arena. Sounded male, I didn't
recognize the voice, though that could have been due to a voice
changer."
"Damn." Utena was tensed to run already, holding herself back
with difficulty. "Something smells here. It's gotta be a trap. But
I can't just leave her."
"I'll go and make sure nothing will burn or spoil while we're
gone. You write a quick note explaining where we've gone, just in
case Anthy comes back while we're away; after all, we don't know that
she's really kidnapped. I think you should probably bring along your
spare sword if you have one, since the kidnaper might want to deprive
you of the use of the Sword of Dios. I'll bring my crossbow, in case
you need backup."
Utena ducked back into her room. "Thanks. I dunno who this is,
but if they've hurt her...." There was a clattering noise as of
items being tossed out of a closet, and then Utena emerged with a
shinnai in her hands. "Let's go."
It was dark when Utena ran up to the base of the forest, Skyler
catching up a few steps behind. For a moment, she just looked up the
steps into the darkness. The gate was shadowed by the overhanging
trees, but there was a gentle flow of water coming down the channels
on either side of the stairs. Obviously someone had opened the gates
very recently.
Utena glanced back at Skyler. "You ready?"
He nodded. The two of them began to climb the stairs, eyes
fixed on the darkness ahead, completely missing the body until Utena
tripped over it.
"Ow! What the heck..." Utena winced as she rolled onto her
side, looking back to see...Saionji. He was lying face-down, with
the upper half of his body in the water, green hair floating around
him like seaweed. Bubbles trickled out of his mouth to pop on the
surface as his air slowly escaped.
Skyler knelt quickly to pull Saionji out of the water. [This is
serious then. Nobody leaves a man to drown for a joke.] He put a
finger to the kendoist's throat to check for a pulse, then looked for
injuries. [Nothing obvious...pulse a bit weak I think, but
okay...check breathing...]
Utena knelt down beside him, worry and impatience warring on her
features. "He okay?"
"Not sure. I think he got some water in his lungs...."
Skyler's limited first aid knowledge refused to provide the
absolutely correct method, so he tried a Heimlich maneuver.
Saionji jerked with a series of sputtering coughs, small amounts
of water spraying from his lungs. His eyes fluttered weakly.
"Uuhhh..." he groaned weakly as he slumped backwards. Skyler let him
down gently.
"Saionji? Yo, Saionji, wake up!"
Saionji's eyes flickered open, focusing blearily on the two
figures in front of him. "Ten...jou? And..."
"Where the heck's Himemiya?" Utena was almost frantic, although
she seemed to be controlling it well.
"Anthy..." Something stirred in Saionji's eyes at this.
"What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you couldn't take
her back without fighting me in a duel of something?"
Saionji struggled to raise himself on one elbow. "What
possessed the two of you to come here?" he managed.
"A phone call we received," explained Skyler. "Someone claiming
Himemiya-san had been `spirited away' here."
"Spirited away..." Saionji's eyes lost all focus. for a
moment, Skyler realized, the kendoist was lost in the past, seeing
something that had happened...when? He could almost feel it,
flicking at the corners of his mind. There was something there, but
weak...
Then Saionji sat bolt upright, shocked into full consciousness.
"Anthy! Where's Anthy?"
"That's what we've been asking you!" Utena had lost any vestige
of patience in her manner.
"Where..." Saionji looked wildly about, then froze, staring up
the stairs towards the gates.
Which were open. The scores of petals of the great stone rose
interlaced about the open archway, staring down impassively on the
Duelists below.
"Did...did you open it?"
Utena shook her head. "No way."
"Must have happened after you were knocked out, then. Did you
see anything before--"
Saionji grabbed his katana from the side of the path where it
lay, stood up, and ran for the gate. Utena was only a fraction of a
second after him. Skyler was delayed only a moment by picking up his
crossbow, but he was well behind the others. Then he saw where they
were headed.
The Arena tower. The one with the spiral staircase leading up
into the clouds. The staircase with no railing.
"Skyler, hurry up!" shouted Utena as she ran up the stairs
without pausing. by this point, she had passed Saionji.
Skyler looked up. And up. Anthy was in danger, he couldn't let
a niggling little phobia stop him. [God, grant me courage, and keep
Anthy safe.]
Deliberately keeping his eyes to the tower itself, he began to
ascend.
[Anthy needs us. Anthy needs us. Don't think about anything
else.] Again and again, hammering it into his head to prevent
himself from thinking about just how high up he was as he passed
above the branches of the trees, into the mists of the clouds, ever
upwards with Saionji and Utena just before him, running tirelessly.
[She needs us. We've got to help.]
Skyler could almost *feel* the presence of the castle before he
could see it. There was something powerful there,
something...spiritual. Even before the first shafts of light broke
through the cloud barriers, he could imagine the bulk of the palace
in his head, drawing up flickering images from his
subconscious...birth and death...time folding in upon
itself...something shining at midnight--
And then he burst through the clouds, into the light of the
clear blue sky, and the Arena loomed above him. And edging out from
behind it, as the staircase drew wider and wider circles and the
pillar expanded--the castle.
"Himemiya!" Utena cried as she burst through the archway into
the Arena proper. A moment later, she skidded to a halt, Saionji and
Skyler stumbling to stops right behind her.
The arena now wasn't the vast empty space Skyler had seen
before. Instead, just past the center, there was now a rose. A
giant rose, easily three times as tall as Skyler, formed out of what
might be red enamel, or perhaps rubies of impossible size and
quality, sat in the center of the Arena, its blossom facing the
archway. And nestled within the petals was a coffin standing on end,
black and smooth, with the red seal of the rose raised from its
surface.
"That..." Saionji whispered.
And then, with a clank of motion, the coffin lid began to swing.
[Don't open it.]
A child's voice, whispered, but Skyler jerked back at the power
and clarity it resounded with in his head. He could see a girl,
indistinct but young, curled on a bed of roses in despair--
[There's no such thing as something eternal....]
A lock of hair slipping through fingers, a heartbeat, the creak
of the coffin continuing to open--
And then the lid opened fully, and faded into nothingness. The
shadows within lifted, revealing a bed of white roses--and Anthy, in
full Rose Bride dress, curled up almost fetally. Her eyes were
closed, and her hands clasped in front of her, as if in supplication
or prayer.
"Himemiya..." Utena whispered in shock.
Saionji stared for a moment, then bolted for the coffin.
"Anthy!"
He made it to within a step of the coffin before the Arena
erupted. The rose shot into the sky on a pillar of blocks form the
Arena floor, a good twenty or thirty feet in the air.
"What in--" Saionji managed, staring at the rose high above.
"Himemiya!" Utena cried out, then wobbled as the Arena rocked
again. More pillars erupted within moments--to all sides of the
trio, behind Saionji, just in front of Skyler, directly under Utena's
feet--
"Tenjou!" Saionji cried in genuine concern, turning as Utena
soared into the air.
Skyler's fear made him hesitate a moment too long, and his
fingers just missed the top of the pillar as it rose to its full
height. [Not again!]
He moved to one of the remaining clear spots so he could see
what was going on. Saionji stood in shock, looking up at the rose,
though from this angle neither of the boys could see Anthy. Utena
looked a bit wobbly on her feet, but maintaining her balance.
"You okay up there?" Skyler shouted. He looked briefly at the
pillars trying to determine if they could be climbed. Probably
not--the bricks were too closely set. Maybe if he got his arms
around one--but then he'd still be far from Anthy.
"Yeah, I think so, but Himemiya...!" Utena pushed her way to
fully standing, looking at the pillars between her and the rose.
"Just hang on...there might be something I can--"
The rumbling ran through the Arena again, lower and stronger
this time, forcing Utena back into a crouch and almost making Skyler
lose his footing. A cracking noise drew Skyler's gaze upwards, to
the Castle of Illusion--
Which was breaking apart. Not entirely, but the vibrations were
ten times worse above, and stones and mortar were shaking themselves
loose and lazily tumbling downwards, looking like fine dust from this
distance.
Saionji looked up in disbelief. "The Castle...the Castle is
coming down..." Then he began to laugh, half in disbelief, half in
almost insane glee.
"I'm here!" he cried out. "Ends of the World! Keep your
promise to me!" He reached out a grasping hand to the sky. "Give me
eternity!"
[Is he insane? Doesn't he know what kind of "eternity" he'll
get if one of those stones falls on him?] Skyler looked up, pressing
his back against the pillar in hopes it would partially shield him
from any falling debris.
"Be careful!" he shouted. "If one of those pieces hits you, the
only eternity you'll be getting is eternal rest!"
He looked up again to see how Utena was doing. She was keeping
her balance at least, even if she looked extremely disoriented. But
above her, the castle, and the sky...
The sky was darkening, shading to a livid purple, and the
castle's lights had faded to black, plunging it into a stark,
featureless silhouette. The pillars, too, seemed to lose definition,
becoming towers of blackness stabbing into the sky. And then they,
too, began to crack from the bottom up.
Utena gasped as the stones under her feet cracked and shattered
to dust, pushing herself into a desperate leap towards a pillar in
front of her at the last possible moment. Saionji ignored it,
focused solely on the castle, which shivered and shook, tearing
itself apart.
Skyler gasped as the central tower wrenched violently and began
to drop free of the rest of the castle. So far none of the stones
had fallen anywhere in the arena, as far as he could see, but now
Saionji was in the center of a rapidly growing circular shadow, and
his expression had shifted to one of shock.
"Look out!" Skyler launched himself forward trying to knock
Saionji out of the way, but something was wrong. He felt the fabric
of the pillar behind him crumbling as he pushed off, and then the
stones of the Arena crumbling beneath his feet. he tried to stumble
ahead onto solid ground, but it fell away under his feet--
And then he was falling.
Above him, he could see Utena leaping from pillar to crumbling
pillar, trying to get closer to Anthy before everything fell away
from under her. He could see Saionji, his face turning to horror a
moment before the shadow tower crashed into him, fracturing the Arena
further and shattering into blocks of stone as it landed. He could
feel the rush of the air around him, the pull of gravity dragging him
downwards, ever downwards with the stones. He watched as Utena made
the last desperate leap towards the rose, crying out Himemiya's name,
and reaching the coffin just as it and the rose shattered into a
hundred palm-size crystalline petals, floating and falling as Utena
strained to reach the girl with her hands.
Part of Skyler's mind wanted to scream in fear, but now that the
worst had actually happened, another reaction came to the fore.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, not quite sure who he was talking to.
"I'm sorry." Tears welled up in his eyes. [God be with you
all....]
The tears stung with the wind passing him on the way down, and
Skyler screwed his eyes shut to clear them.
The feeling of falling stopped.
Skyler's eyes opened. Above him, he saw the castle, shining
brilliantly. Completely intact. Beneath his back, he could feel the
cold stone floor of the Arena.
He pulled himself into a sitting position. There was Saionji,
collapsing onto his hands and knees. There, off to the side,was
Utena, crouched down, cradling Anthy in her arms.
"Himemiya! Himemiya!" she cried out in distress.
Saionji slowly refocused. "What...what on Earth...." He
trailed off as he saw Utena.
"An illusion?" Skyler shook his head and wiped the last of his
tears away with a sleeve. "Everyone okay?"
"Himemiya!" Utena was still shaking Anthy, trying to get her to
wake up. Skyler could just make out the Rose Bride's closed eyes.
[Is she breathing? I can't tell from here.]
"No..." Saionji whispered. "it was supposed to be me...I was
the one who was supposed to save her this time...."
Images flickered at the edge of Skyler's mind. [A church
steeple, framed by lightning. Three coffins. A child, a girl,
curled up on a bed of roses. A lock of hair streaming through a
boy's fingers, the color not identifiable....]
Saionji slowly rose to his feet, sheathed katana in one hand.
"The Castle where eternity dwells...the power to revolutionize the
world...it was all mine...."
[Looks like it's this place that activates the visions....]
Skyler began to worry about Saionji. [He really wanted to be the
hero, didn't he? And he would have been here first, if someone
hadn't coldcoc--uh-oh.]
Skyler got to his feet quickly, and began looking around. "I
don't think we're out of the woods yet, folks." In a louder voice,
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." He turned to look for hints
of motion. Nothing on the battlements of the bell towers separated
from the Arena by a sea of clouds. No one by the archway where the
stairs ended. Nothing moving in the castle, far above. No sounds
except for Utena desperately trying to rouse Anthy, Saionji murmuring
to himself, and a clatter of wood on stone.
[What in--?] Saionji's sheath bounced across the floor of the
Arena to land near Skyler's feet. Looking up sharply, he saw the
green-haired boy advancing on Utena, naked blade in hand. He was
walking almost limply, muttering to himself. like a man on the ragged
edge of self-control who's been pushed too far too often.
Skyler walked as rapidly as he could manage to intercept
Saionji. The boy did have a history of violent reactions, after all.
"Saionji-sempai, are you okay?" He knew better, of course.
"Out of my way." It wasn't a shout or a threat. His voice
barely rose above a whisper. But there was iron there. "It was all
supposed to be mine." He took another step forward.
"What was supposed to be yours? Who told you that? Was it the
girl in the coffin?" Skyler didn't move, though he kept a careful
eye on Saionji's shoulders, looking for telltales of attack.
"Shut up." He shouldered past Skyler, shambling with a purpose
now, and more rage gathering in his eyes. His hands gripped the hilt
tightly, beginning to raise the katana.
Skyler grabbed for Saionji's sword wrist, trying to immobilize
it. He could stand punches, he hoped, but no one would be happy if
blood was spilt. "Drop the sword and you can pass."
Saionji's eyes snapped into focus as Skyler's hand closed around
his arm, but the rage in his face was anything but promising. "I
said out of my way!" His arm rose, katana in hand, dragging Skyler
along, then lashed out instinctively to throw the interfering
intruder off--
And Skyler's mind was filled with the sensation of cold metal
cutting flesh.
He didn't really notice the feeling of being thrown to the
marble floor for a moment. He didn't even feel the pain. All he
could see was the castle, high above, glittering so brightly in the
sunlight. [Where's the sun?] he wondered. Both times in the Arena
he'd seen such bright sunlight bathing everything in its glow, but
he'd never noticed where it was coming from.
There were noises in the distance, he realized. Something metal
clattering onto stone. A female voice, saying "Utena-sama." A male
voice in shock, muttering something about something going wrong.
Another male voice, strong and taking control of the situation. The
sound of bells.
"Why," he heard a female voice asking, "...do such a thing."
Then a closer voice, as several hands came to cradle and support him.
"Because he and I are alike." Green eyes, looking down at him
softly. Red hair. "And your prince was a guy like him..."
Darkness.
It was still raining. Skyler stuck his head out from under the
awning to check the street. No sign of her. He looked longingly at
the lobby of the movie theater, warm and dry.
"She'll come soon, she will. She said to meet her right here."
Skyler looked at his watch. Only five minutes till the next showing.
She should have been here by now. She'd promised.
The watch's hands spun, and an hour had passed. The rain had
stopped long before, but still no sign of her. Skyler was beginning
to get worried. He decided to head back to the college.
He was at the girls' dorm, approaching the lounge door. It was
slightly ajar, and Skyler could hear laughter.
As he touched the knob, he heard, "I bet he's still waiting
there! What an idiot! Believing I'd go out with someone like him!"
The laughter grew.
Skyler blinked as tears formed.
And opened his eyes to a now-familiar ceiling. It took a moment
to remember why it was familiar.
[The infirmary. Must've been a pretty bad cut.] Skyler took
inventory, stopping when he came to his left arm.
"Oww!" Well, that told him he was still alive, anyway. He used
his right arm to confirm that both left arm and torso were wrapped in
bandages. [Hope Anthy is all right.] Skyler laughed a bit as a
thought struck him. [At least I didn't have to worry about trying to
get down those stairs!] He then winced again as a sharp shooting
pain ran down his left side. [Great. The old cliche is true--"it
only hurts when I laugh."] Another wince. [Well, minus the "only"
part.]
He rubbed his arm as he glanced about the room. His uniform
shirt was hanging over a chair, leaving him bare-torsoed except for
the bandages, which admittedly covered a lot. His glasses were
resting on a side table, perched atop a card or envelope of some
sort. [A get-well card? How long have I been out?]
Out in the corridor, a cart rattled by, one sticky wheel
clattering back and forth. "...So weird, don't you think?" a female
voice echoed.
"I know, I know. But--oh, hey. Wonder if he's awake yet?"
The door to Skyler's room cracked open a bit. Then--
"He is! Hey!"
Two figures in nurses' outfits cut similarly to the school
uniform burst in, slightly blurry without his glasses. Slipping them
on, he made out two nametags--"Ikuhara" and "Saito"--just before he
saw the faces.
"Jeez, you had us worried!" Biiko burst out.
Eiko nodded. "What the heck happened to you?"
"I'm not entirely sure...it was a little confusing. Oh, I
should say `Hi.' So, you're candystripers too?"
"Candy-what?" Biiko blinked.
"Never mind us, what happened to you?" Eiko poked his bandages
insistently, inspiring a wince. "Come on, DeMille, this is serious!
Nobody else would say a thing about what happened, so naturally
everyone's talking about it."
Skyler frowned. "I'm not sure how much of the story is mine to
tell. What do you know about what goes on in the forest?"
"The forest?" Biiko blinked again.
"Um, you mean the one behind the school?" Eiko puzzled out.
"Not much, I guess. I mean, only the Student Council's allowed in
there, and some people have seen a couple of the Council go in there
now and then, but that's about it." She glanced from side to side,
and leaned in closer. "There's a lot of rumors, though."
Biiko snorted. "Yeah, like everything from evil rituals to mass
orgies. Nobody's got a clue about anything real, so they'll say
whatever comes into their heads."
"Well, all I can say then is I don't think this was one of their
normal activities. Someone was messing around, and the whole thing
turned into one big nightmare. I'm not even clear how much of it
really happened. But the main thing is I got a little too close to
an angry person with a sword."
Both sets of eyes widened. "No way!" Eiko cried.
Biiko pounded a fist into her palm. "So *that's* what happened.
It was what's-his-name, the kendo club guy, right?"
"I guess word's gotten around," Skyler said.
"You could say that. Word just went up this morning that he's
been expelled."
Skyler nearly sat up, much to his regret. "Oww! Expelled?! I
didn't think they could do that to Student Council members. And he
wasn't exactly in his right mind at the time..."
"What was the first clue?" Biiko hmphed. "Besides his carrying
a real sword around and everything."
"It was the Student Council that expelled him," Eiko added.
"something about violating council rules. Probably that and a
half-dozen deadly weapon laws, I guess. But it looks official and
everything."
"Guess they thought it'd look bad if people knew one of them was
a sword-swinging psycho chopping folks to bits."
"It might at that. Oh, a candystriper is a volunteer hospital
worker. Back where I'm from, they used to wear cute little striped
dresses or aprons. Not that what you girls have on isn't
attractive," Skyler added hastily.
"What, this stuff?" Eiko tugged out the hem of her school
uniform's miniskirt a bit. "Come on. Honestly, you'd think they
could give us a few extra centimeters. I mean, okay, it's
flattering, but there's something called `too much.'"
"Or something more extra for the job than just caps and aprons.
'Course, I doubt *you'd* complain, but if I ever got my hands on the
guy who designed the getup..." Biiko smacked her fist into her palm
again. "I wish, I wish..."
[Wonder if the Ends of the Earth is behind the school uniform
policy too. Or maybe the Student Council is...I bet Touga likes the
short skirts.]
"I suppose I should let you get back to your rounds...but could
you hand me my chart first? Should be at the foot of the bed."
"Chart?" Eiko blinked. "I don't think they do that here."
"Wait, here it is." Biiko took the clipboard from the foot of
the bed and glanced at it before tossing it to Skyler. "Weird. The
nurses must've just started or something. Or maybe it's cause you're
in such miserable shape."
"Thanks. Although I don't see an IV, so I can't be that badly
off."
They tossed each other off-hand glances. "Or he's just too far
gone to be saved."
"Poor, tragic boy." Eiko raised a dramatic hand to her
forehead.
"He was so young, too."
"*Snrk* Heeheehehooch..."
"Ah, we have a response!"
"And laughter is the best medicine, right?"
"Or is it `it only hurts when I laugh' this time?" wondered
Biiko.
Skyler gasped a bit. "A little of both..."
"Well, then, our work here is done, right?"
"Did we really have work here at all, I wonder?"
And with that exit line, the girls departed.
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