Quicksilver wrote:

Quicksilver's Quill Offers
Afterimage
mbsilvana@yahoo.com
standard disclaimers

Notes: Thanks to Lyra Stormrider and Alan Harnum for
graciously prereading this for me.   Yes, I know I
dabble in enough fandoms and should finish some of my
other stories, but this has been one of my pet
projects for the past few months.

Sometimes you just have to get things off your chest.

Dedicated to Gerald Tarrant, who some would say is my
better half.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Part One: Phantasmic Reality

Which is a pretty good label for the series itself. :)

*Countdown: 2:00:00*


Music I adored, not for its artistic merit, but rather
for the mathematical quality inherent in its notes.
Piano was my favorite, as the notes were so staccato
that they left no memory in the air- not like most
stringed instruments, which continued to vibrate well
after the note should have been forgotten.

Interesting look through the character's eyes.

I used to

be quite a pianist, but that was a while ago.   It had
been two years since I had sat at the bench, caressing
the ivory keys that brought life to so many songs.

Fencing, too, used to occupy my time.

Miki, perhaps?

I sometimes wondered what had changed.   Many things,
myself most of all.   But I did not know the reasons
for the change, and I wished the answers would come to
me.   X=Y.  Cause=Effect.  I had seen the effect, but
what was the cause?

One would think he wants a little mystery in life.

Perhaps it is because I returned.  I never should have
accepted Kiryuu Nanami's invitation to play at her
graduation party.  Still, I owed her a favor, and now
my debt is clear.  I will have nothing to do with her
again.

Awww. I liked Nanami. Sure, she was a self-centered brat, but she was
devoted to her brother. :)

Juri was worried when I told her I would be returning
to our Alma Mater,

Hmm. He stayed in touch with her? Interesting. Assuming it is Miki

*1:32:12*


I arrived early to check the piano.   Nanami herself
greeted me at the door, acting sweetly pleased.   She
had grown into a true lady, a golden rose that was as
deadly as it was enticing.   Her hair was loose to her
waist, a cascade of sunshine.  She kissed both of my
cheeks, a floral perfume assaulting my senses as drew
close to me.  "Miki!"

Yep.

I laughed to shrug away her acusation, and headed into
her ballroom, knowing that she would likely forget
about me now that I was here and she had what she
wanted.   Nanami is Nanami, after all, and there's no
reason for her to change.   Her methods had always
gotten her what she had wanted before.

Well, not everything. Just many things.

 Why change

what works?

Good point.

Miraculously, in spite of my neglect, none of my skill
seemed to desert me.   My fingers began to move in
familiar patterns,

It's like falling off a bicycle; you never forget how to do it.

*1:16:52*


I'm not sure how long I played for before

think you can drop the 'for'

 someone

touched my shoulder.   I'm not sure who I was
expecting to see,  but Saionji Kyouichi would have
been on the bottom of the list.   He and Kiryuu Touga
had always been rivals, no matter what claim to
friendship they may have made for the other.

Oh, there was a weird sort of friendship there, at least as close as Touga
could ever have one.

"No," I replied coolly, trying to unobtrusively shrug
him off of me.   Saionji and Touga had always radiated
a casual sensuality that made me uncomfortable.

Them bishonen boys do that, though. :)

Saionji smiled, the sly, slightly superior smile that
only he could do.   He ran his fingertips along the
fine silk of my shirt, over my back and to my other
shoulder.  "Calm down, Miki," he whispered softly into
my ear, his breath hot against my cheek.  "You're like
a skittish colt," he practically purred.   "Didn't we
used to be... friends?"

Heh. Not those two, especially the way Saoinji smacked Anthy around.

"Horses have good instincts for people, and you were
never my friend."   I picked up his hand and shoved it
off, rising to my feet.

It must have been almost two years since I had seen
him, and I was surprised by the fact that I was almost
able to look him in the eye.   I remembered being so
much shorter than almost all my fellow Student Council
members.   Even Nanami had been of a height with me,

I thought he was only a year older than her. Could have sworn he was the
youngest regular duelist.

but that was no longer the truth.   I guess there's
nothing like going back to realize how much you've
gone forward.

I nodded at Nanami, who was surrounded by her usual
coterie of admirers.

My, I don't think I've ever seen 'coterie' used in a sentence before.

She looked at me, her mouth parted slightly.   I could
almost see the protest form in her eyes.   "At least
stay until the gifts have been exchange!"

exchanged (and doesn't she mean 'opened'?")

 she

protested.

"Exchanged?" I asked in surprise.

Oh. Never mind.

 >

"I AM graduating this year!" I protested.

"From college.   With your Doctorate.

Heh. He was able to achieve almost anything when he was able to focus. The
key was always maintaining the focus.

I sighed and nodded my agreement, and Nanami rewarded
me with a smile as bright as her hair.   "Good!   I
have something for you!"

I blinked, unable to prevent myself.   "Something for
me?" I echoed rather dumbly.

It's not going to be good, methinks.

"How would you know?   Since you graduated Ohtori, I
haven't seen you."   She sounded genuinely hurt.

Which means it's an act.

Had that hurt her? I wondered, and was surprised to
see that it had.

Oh. My bad.

I felt the blood drain from my face.   "What do you
mean?" I whispered.

"You know. seventh grade.   What happened that year?"
she replied.   She grabbed my hand.

Hmm. Interesting twist.

"You were obsessed," Nanami said cruelly.

"Was I?" I asked, disconcerted yet again.  This wasn't
how I'd pictured the evening going.   Nanami was
celebrating her graduation by arguing with me?
Unbelievable, but that's what had happened.

"You were. can't

Can't

I smiled gratefully for the change in topic and slowly
unwrapped the paper.   It looked like it might contain
a fencing foil, and I resolved to thank her, then
throw the thing away into my closet as soon as I got
home.   I didn't fence anymore.  Kozue had argued with
me about that.

Oh? I'm surprised. It's not like she fenced.

As I unveiled it, I was surprise to

surprised

I found the hilt, and before I knew it, it was in my
hand.  Then I dropped it just as soon as I recognized
what it was.

The Sword of Dios.

My. Now how did she get that, I wonder.

I didn't mean to do it.  I've never done it
before--not to anyone--but without thinking I gave her
a sharp slap across the face.

Fear for himself more than any anger towards her, though.

*00:46:03*


Juri lived in an apartment building with amazing
security, yet they all knew me there.   I was a
frequent visitor; perhaps Juri's only regular visitor.
  She didn't make friends easily, and I doubted that
she ever would.  She was undeniably the most beautiful
woman I had ever seen, yet there was always a core of
ice around her.   I was one of the few she let close,
and not even I had seen the real Arisagawa Juri.

Juri: (sobbing) I'm a lesbian trapped in a girl's body.

"It's just that you went to the party and found
something there you didn't like," she said, quiet and
knowledgeable as ever.  "Touga called- he's rather
annoyed at you for slapping Nanami, though she
wouldn't tell him what she'd done to set you off."

Heh. Juri already has it figured out.

Juri's tone hadn't reassured me.   She was going to
have one of her "talks" with me, and I rarely liked
those.   In high school, she had reduced a teacher to
tears... things hadn't improved since then.  She had a
sharp tongue on her.  If she'd been born two centuries
earlier, no man would marry her.

Err, it's real unlikely she wants to marry any men at all in any era. :)

Juri came back out with the formal tea set and I

set, and

 felt

the lump in the pit of my stomach grow even larger.
This was bad.  She was bringing out the big guns.

Heh.

She blinked, apparently wondering where this was
going.   "Well, we were on the Student Council
together.   Touga got sick, Nanami filled in for him,
Saionji got expelled then readmitted-"

"Juri, what did the student council do?" I pressed.

Heh.

"Juri, Nanami gave me the Sword of Dios," I said
grimly.

She didn't appear to have heard me.   "What?"

Err, that sounds like she did hear.

I couldn't believe what I did next.   I leaned across
the table and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to
meet my eyes.   My fingers dug deeply into her tender
skin, and I knew I was leaving bruises behind, but I
couldn't find it in my heart to give a damn.   This
was JURI, and for  her

extra space twix 'for' and 'her'

 to look at me like a mindless

doll hurt something deep inside my soul.

I can see that.

Juri never cried.   I admit to being frightened.

"Juri, I'm sorry..." I whispered.

"Ruka... forgive me, God.   I can't believe I forgot
Ruka...."

Me either. He was so tragic *sniffle* *sniffle*

  The tears spilled over and trailed down

her pale cheeks.  She looked up at me then, and I was
amazed at the deep sorrow there.   "Miki... how could
I forget Ruka?" she demanded.

Miki: Who?

"Perhaps that was your miracle," I said softly.   "To
forget your pain.   After all, you didn't think about
Shiori either, did you?"

Juri: Oh yeah, I remember that bitch. Still burn her in effigy every year on
her birthday.

"Neither can I, nor can Nanami.  All I know is that I
SHOULD remember her.   And then... Nanami gave me a
sword... a cursed sword that brings only despair.
The Sword of Dios."

"Dios... God..." she whispered.

"No, he wasn't," I said softly.   "People wanted him
to be, but he was only a prince."

Boy wasn't even a king, let alone an Emperor. :)

*00:22:69*


I stayed over frequently enough to leave spare
clothing there

Gee. No wonder everyone at the apartment thinks he sleeps with her.

, for which I was devoutly grateful as I

slipped out of my formal suit.   After calling Kozue
to let her know my whereabouts,

So she can sit in the dark all night and ponder if she has to kill Juri for
touching Miki. :)

*00:10:00*


Her name. her

Her

 name had been Tenjou Utena.

And she had changed the world through her absence.
Without her around, life had lost some of its beauty,
and the world had lost a prince.   And I had lost my
shining thing, though I hadn't realized it.


*00:00:00*


I want her back.

Hmm. Not sure what the time watch was for, since hitting zero didn't seem to
have any impact. Still, my interest has definitely been piqued (centering in
Juri and Miki is always a good way to do that) and will try to get to the
second chapter soon. As with most first person works, things flowed well and
with Alan having looked this over, I'm surprised I found any mistakes.

D.B. Sommer


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