Revolutionary Girl Utena: Generation 2 - The Rainbow Rose

"I'm fine. Don't you worry."

I said softly, almost reading her mind. I turned around now and unclenched my fists. I smiled softly and reassuringly.

"Sorry you had to see that."

I sighed and tried to see if she'd forgive me for my temper.

"*quiet but looking down* I see but it's good you are okay."Aiko just said nothing while being quiet but then looked around. She just continued to look down not knowing what to day but then turns to look in the other direction. Aiko knew she shouldn't but she feels bad now but held that part in so she didn't show it. "I guess we should leave now or head home, Miss Hana. I won't do anything to embarrass you or that is what Kaori would think."

"Aiko..."

I started to say softly and then I lost all confidence. Somehow that feeling I always get before I rush in for the final strike in a duel came upon me, and I felt all different, in fact I felt like I wasn't in control of myself anymore. Yes, it was me, but I had a firmer stand, and a taller look to me, as if confident in what I was going to say or do next. I had a build to me that spoke, prince. And it seemed I radiated the essences of power. My eyes kind of went dead for a moment, but they were back to being lively now, and had a slightly darker shade to them. I was me, but I wasn't. Instead, I'd been possessed by Dios.

"Forgive me, for I know not what I say. I am just a 14 year old girl who can't help but make mistakes and make them with the people I care for deeply. It is distinctly possible that the reason for error so much with you is because I have grown confused over the past few weeks with what it is I feel. I do care for you a superfluous amount, and yet, I cannot come to terms with it. In all respects here, what I am dictating to you, Aiko is... I do love you. I just haven't realized it fully yet. But I'm glad you have. So, if you'll just be patient with me, I'll continue to think about it and perhaps then maybe... Maybe... "

Dios faded from my possession and I began to say it back in my own tone of voice. I closed my eyes for a moment and repeated that word, trying to remember what I was saying.

"Maybe... maybe ...maybe... wait, maybe... maybe what? I ... don't remember saying maybe... uh Aiko was I saying something? Maybe?"

I questioned, confused, and obviously not remembering that little speech I'd said. I had no clue that Dios just possessed me and I confessed my inward love for her. He must have known all along. I looked at my hands and then shook my head, how weird.

Aiko said nothing but her eyes looked towards hana's own blue eyes before gently looking down at the ground too. Hearing her honest words, she smiled a bit more than before whie feeling happy again. She would tell her later on of a thank you but Aiko could think of something at the time. "Miss hana.."

"Hm, yes?"

I answered softly and smiled at her.

She said nothing before just gently looking away, hiding a baby smile on her face. "nevermind Miss Hana."

Time Skip: And so the Black Rose established themselves, and everyone seemed to revere them in one way or another. But it wasn't till weeks later I learned of their intentions, plans, and more or less what is they do through the worst possible way imaginable...

School was finally through today for me and I couldn't wait to just get home. I hurriedly went to my locker. Thinking, strange; It's been all day and I haven't seen Kaori around. I blinked, and opened my locker. Then I blinked again. A note? I read it out loud to myself.

"To the engaged, I will be waiting in the dueling arena at sunset. Signed anonymous?"

I questioned, not knowing who it was from. I crumbled the note and tossed it in my bag along with all my other books, and hurriedly went to the dueling arena to find out what this was all about. It had to be a duelist, someone who wears the crest and who knows about the dueling game. But I'd already beaten all the student council members, so, who could it be?

I made my way up the long winding staircase and eventually got to the top. And what I saw, I will never forget. I was all suited up and ready to go, but when before me stood my best friend; Kaori. Souped up and a black rose on her chest. My eyes went wide with shock. .. But ... Kaori?

Kaori said nothing but just looked at Hana with quiet empty eyes before having a empty look on her face. "I see you have gotten my note right?"she kept looking ahead where hana was.

OOC: Sorry totally wrong color above. I'm so tired. xD

"Yes, I did. Kaori... what's all this about?"

I looked at her and placed my hands up, ready for anything. Aiko was standing behind me a little in the distance. The air was tense and it seemed she could strike at any moment. Aiko walked over, gently, and placed the white rose in my pocket, then proceeded back to standing where she was. I looked at the rose in my pocket and then back at Kaori, and then the bells rang. Signifying the start of the duel. Oh boy. o.o

ooc:it's okay. Do you want to get some sleep?

bic:"You should know what this is hana. I mean, you are the champ here in the academy so shall we begin?" she grips her weapon in her hands tightly as she gets ready to Duel with hana. Aiko said nothing looking at them both but something about this didn't seem right to her.

OOC: Eventually. Not now.

"Dueling with me... but why, what's the point?"

My gaze shifted to her shirt and spotted the black rose. My eyes widened and I thought to myself: The black rose.... She immediately began to attack me with swipes and moves of all kinds. And I had to admit, she was a little hard to dodge, and harder to combat without the sword in my hands, which I hadn't drawn from Aiko. But nonetheless, I kept on my game and dodged the best I could, without using my sword. Aiko... Aiko I heard begging me to take the sword from her, but she'd have to know...

"Aiko.. I'm sorry... I won't use my sword against my best friend.. I ... I just.. can't.."

I sighed and she came at me again. I did a fancy movement to switch feet, and grab her by both wrists, she and I were both pushing against each other, hence stopping the momentum for a moment. I leaned on her shoulder and whispered...

"Hold on Kaori... I'm going to save you.."

She tried to stuggle to get away from Hana but she felt she did have a strong grip. "Let me go at once! I shall defeat you for this!"She tried sturgling again while glaring to Hana but Aiko stood where she was, not doing one thing feeling sad to see this.

To get me away from her, she kicked me directly in the stomach, to which I fell and stumbled, rolling in a fashion where I had no control over my body. I was one big heap of hurt, rolling there like a tumbleweed plant. I landed in one spot and was able to sit up, not before long did I find a shiny piece of metal (the blade) being held to my neck, and my hair being pulled upward so that I could stare directly into Kaori's eyes.

Her eyes.... they were filled with such hurt, such hatred. Such darkness. Gleams in them I'd never seen before. And gleams I never wanted to see in them again. She cried out to me, her voice in desperation, in determination. In anguish.

"Kaori.... think..."

I said weakly. And just as she went to take the final slash at me in anger, despite Aiko's cries from behind me of taking the sword, I jumped and rolled out of the way, to the side, just in time. I wouldn't use a sword against my best friend. My eyes looked at her in surprised and a little bit of strain as well. I needed to save her, I had to. She rushed into battle with me, dashing at me again. I had to believe, I took a deep breath and then began to rush in myself, unarmed. I could only imagine the look on Aiko's face at the moment as I bravely rushed in against someone whom was armed.

Quickly I did a move to get inside of her swing, and grab her arm with the sword quickly, demobilizing it. Once she noticed what I'd done, I did a quick change up of feet, that would have swept her leg and caused her to begin to fall backwards. And as she did, her arm was still in my grasp, so she wouldn't lose balance. I was basically counterbalancing her so she wouldn't fall. And in the process, I found the black rose ring on her finger, and tried to, intricately, work it off. I did and threw it away, letting it fall on the floor. And at that moment, took her sword, knowing no more danger, and slashed the rose from her chest quickly. She was saved, and a small tear from her eyes let free into the air.

I smiled and sighed, I'd done it. The wind blew by and the bells rang, signifying the end of the duel.

Meanwhile that evening...

Kaori was walking home as if nothing had happened. She truly didn't remember anything. And she went on about her days.

Late night tonight with Hana and Aiko...

Mom and Dad had already gone to sleep and now Aiko and I were up and talking. I mean, we'd gotten home a little while ago from the duel with Kaori. Man was that exciting. Although afterward, it was rather strange, she didn't seem to remember anything. I'd guessed that's how these cases worked. They weren't supposed to remember anything afterwards. Hmm, quite interesting indeed. But Aiko and I... were in my room, talking lowly about what had happened today.

"So this whole Black Rose business... it seems a little weird and sketchy. I guess they all duel because some part of their heart is black or something like that. I don't know, I thought I saw the guy who runs this whole seminar, he's a boy genius named Souji Sakkaku. He's... unique in a way."

I thought about it. Maybe he'd be able to tell me what exactly it was he did in this seminar and where all these black rose duelists came from. For a moment, I didn't connect the two, and that moment expanded on. The seminar and the black hearted duelists weren't connected. They couldn't possibly be. There had to be a third party behind everything. What would a boy genius want with the rose bride anyway? Silly me.

"Well, their are many reasons for that Miss hana but we don't know anything at the moment."Aiko just looked and listened to what Hana had said. She was still curious about why she didn't use the sword of Dios but she won't bug Hana about it.

I shrugged and sighed.

"You know, some force tells me maybe it's better off that we don't know. Like, we won't like what we hear."

I took a pause in my speech before resuming it and chuckling to myself lightly.

"But you can't help but be the least bit curious."

I added in, smiling to myself. I'd missed these nights and finally, they were back.

"As you say, things happen and some things just don't. We will find out about this sooner or later anyway but I am not the one to talk."Aiko just smiled looking down at her lap but her face didn't show much of how happy she was being back.

"Oh well, tomorrow I'll go and speak with him. Maybe he'll let me into what it is this whole thing is about anyway... I was curious myself."

I giggled and laid on my back, facing the ceiling now, and not looking into Aiko's eyes. There was something about these night talks that just felt amazing. I mean a sense of relief washed over me that she was back at my side and wasn't going anyway, not even downstairs to the couch. As well as a sense of happiness and relaxation both. I'd no longer have to talk to the walls, I had Aiko. And plus, these little thoughts shared were like our secrets. My parents couldn't hear them, and the only two that would think these things would be Aiko and myself. What wonderful nights indeed, spent completely in my best friend's bliss.

"If you say so, Miss Hana."aiko kept by Hana but she gently looked at her hands thinking about tommorow.

Time Skip: It was tomorrow at school, afterward all the classes of course, and during one of the periods, Hana had gotten a call to the seminar, as if he knew she wanted to check it out. And so after school, Aiko went to take care of the roses as usual, in the garden, and Hana went to talk with Souji.

I wandered in around where the seminar was supposed to be. I looked at the note in my hands.

"Come to outside of the building right outside the old gym. The seminar will be held there."

I looked up and around, the wind blew by briefly and still there was silence.

"Well, I don't understand. This looks all like rubble. And I'm here, so where could it be? Perhaps I was mislead?"

I blinked and began to check the paper again. Then, suddenly, I heard a voice, and that, instantly, made me look up from what I was doing.

"A little confused are you? Well, you are standing in the right place."

A masculine voice called out from what seemed like nowhere, and yet there he stood, looking at me with those intense eyes. Just a moment ago, he wasn't standing there, so where did he come from? I wondered this internally, but what came out of my mouth was...

"Oh hello. Well I got your note. And this doesn't seem to be the seminar. So then, where are we?"

I'm very glad you asked that question, Miss Tenjou. Or... may I call you Hana?"

"Hana's fine."

"Hana it is then." He paused. "You are standing, along with I, where the lives of some 100 boys once stood. This, my dear, is a place called Nemuro Memorial Hall, or the back of what's left of it anyway. You see, back in the olden times, way before you or I were even thought of, this building used to be a research center for young aspiring scientists. They were trying to solve life's unanswered riddle. They were trying to figure out, eternity."

"Eternity? But isn't eternity something you can't find? I mean, it's eternity, and we're all not eternal. We're... mortal. Right?"

"Yes, exactly. They all knew that and were reminded daily that their lives were going to fall short of immortality and a lasting experience. I mean, part of being mortal is the ever morbid reminder that all living things have to die at some point, and well, let's not get into the whole technical matters of 'reincarnation'. But, they were researching something along the lines of that, and each other them... Well, how do I say this?"

He sidelong glanced something that seemed to be on the ground and I awaited a continuation of his sentence. That's when the sun, conveniently hit my ring and he made a mental note of it in a different context, meanwhile outwardly continuing his speech, using the gleam.

"That ring! That ring your wearing, that same exact rose crest ring they all wore, different colors, designs and styles maybe, but they all wore it. They claimed it was their trademark, a way to be recognized as one of them. My father, he was a part of these boys as well. And though he was just as young as some of them, his brain excelled far far beyond what the normal capacity of a young boy's mind could be. He was incredulously bright and thus they made him a professor, to be able to teach and research without restriction, and to share his smarts with the world. It's really quite inspiring actually." He paused again. "It's what inspired me to become an academics buff. I study all the time. However, I'm rambling. The point is, the ground on which we're standing, Hana, is a spot that is scared and memorialized. It is because of this accident that many do not seek to come here anymore. There are rumors being tossed around about ghosts and such. The weird ideas people have these days." He shrugged it off. This guy was very intelligent, and I could tell, he really did know his stuff. I interrupted with a question.

"Not to bring up a sour subject, but, what happened here, the accident, if I may ask that?"

"A fire. A very devastating fire was set to the building and it burned everything into flames. The documents and paperwork, the furniture, the labs, and unfortunately, those boys that were trapped inside doing research at the moment. It was terribly unfortunate."

The boy seemed to say as if he remembered it, as if he'd lived through it or something. I didn't catch this, but perhaps someone more perceptive would have. I nodded in response before cutting in again with another question.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot. You already know my name, but introductions are always polite. My name is Hana Tenjou. It's nice to meet you."

I smiled and extended my hand for a shake. He hesitantly took it in his and shook back with a firm smile.

"Ah yes. Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself as well when I should have started with that. My name is Souji Sakkaku."

Both of our hands fell to our sides and then I couldn't help but ask another question.

"Well, gee, all this talk about these boys and your father has really made me curious. Well, as to who he is."

He turned his back to me, looking at some of the other decrepit architecture, touching one of the jagged pieces softly, caressing it. Out of his mouth, came his soft reply.

"My father was named Souji Mikage Nemuro, and he is the figure this building was once devoted to, named after. He did so much for the research facilities. All of his contributions... I guess they paid off."

There was a moment of tense silence between us. Neither of us knew what to say next and that's when he stopped touching the piece of rubble, turned his head so I could view on of his eyes.

"Come with me, we have to go further into the hall, you have to discover what the inside is like and meanwhile we'll have a chat. Let's go. I don't want to waste any more time dwelling here on events of the past."

He said softly and began to walk away. I followed him and wondered where we were going.

aiko was watering the rose quietly while her eyes at each one that has it's petals touched by water. She was wondering where Hana was but she thought she had to do something so she'll wait for her till later on.