Disclaimers: The primary characters in this story are the creation and
possession of Chiho Saito, Ikuhara Kunihiko and Be-Papas – all rights
reserved by them and their representatives. The secondary characters and
situations are copyright 2000, E. Friedman.
Japanese terms are defined in the Glossary at the end of each section.
Notes to follow the story.
Please let me know if you enjoyed this story at e.l.f.@ix.netcom.com or
stop by my site at http://www.worldshaking.net

A Special Case

Chapter 10

Miiko was right – I *had* seen some of Juri’s work and not known it. And
she was right again when she said that Juri was good, very good. It was
if she could access the soul of a person right through the makeup and
clothes, right through the pose or the background. I spent about an hour
looking at some of Juri’s portfolio, while she stayed conspicuously
away, claiming to have some work that needed to be finished.

Eventually Juri came back into the room and shot Miiko a meaningful
look. The younger woman was right on it. She thanked me for indulging
her and said that after a good night’s sleep, she’d let me go home.
Then, with a quick kiss for Juri, she was gone.
We sat facing each other, each lost in our respective thoughts. There
was too little time here and we both knew it. Too many things that
needed answering and too few answers.
"I expect you have already figured out that I am not the one who hit
you." Juri began. I nodded, but said nothing. "Do you know who it was?"

I didn’t say anything for a while, then, "No. I think I can make an
educated guess, but I’m still not entirely sure why."

She looked surprised. "You don’t? Surely it’s obvious?"

"I’ve learned nothing at all, what could I possibly know? I’m no closer
now to Tenjou Utena than I was when I began." I felt tired, and bitter.

Juri leaned forward and pinned me with that feline look. "You have all
the information you need. Someone else knows that you do, or they
wouldn’t have knocked you out. Obviously, they feel that you are getting
close to the answer…close to Tenjou."

"You know," I diverted the conversation, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.
"We still haven’t had a chat about her. What can you tell me about her?"

Juri was miles away and I had to repeat the question before she heard
me. "Tenjou Utena." She said, and then smiled. "I owe her quite a bit. A
remarkable young woman."

"Saionji said that he owed her too." I commented.

"Really?" This seemed to surprise Juri. "If, as you say, he has managed
to find happiness, then yes, he probably does." She paused. "Would you
mind if I told you a story? It’s not a particularly good one and it
might not help you, but, then again, it might."

I gestured for her to continue.

Juri closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "Once upon a time," her
lips quirked slightly at that, "there was a girl. She was beautiful – or
so people said - and good at anything she tried to do. She was popular
too, but had two special close friends. The three were inseparable
until, well, until puberty hit. Terrible thing, puberty. Because, you
see, two of the three friends fell in love. Only, not with each other.
It became the classic love triangle. And like all love triangles, it got
ugly. One day the two friends ran away together and the girl thought she
was relieved, since it took away the temptation to do something that
wasn’t good, wasn’t right…wasn’t natural.

"Some time passed. One day Tenjou Utena showed up and something happened
to the girl. She had thought that after all this time she was pretty
much over the whole love triangle thing, that she had pulled herself
together and had moved on and all that. But when Tenjou showed up, she
realized that it was all a lie – that she was obsessed, unhappy, and
worse, had grown cold. Of course, this had to stop; no one wants to feel
that they have become inhuman. So the girl took it out on Tenjou. But
Tenjou was young, and idealistic. She hadn’t grown cold and inhuman. At
first it enraged the girl, and it strengthened the girl’s desire to hurt
her. Then something happened…"

"You fought with Tenjou over the girl Anshi." I interrupted.

Her eyes snapped open. "Yes. So you know about them. About the duels."

It was like something in my head shifted at that very minute. The
Kiryuu’s, Kaoru – who had loved Anshi, Saionji – who thought he had, and
now Juri. They had all dueled with Tenjou Utena over my client. Several
times. And they had all lost. Whatever it was that had happened to them
– it had to do with those duels.

"How is it, that you remember them, where the other Council members
don’t or can’t?" I wondered out loud.

Juri shrugged, as she shifted position. "I’m not sure, but I can hazard
a guess. The Kiryuu’s both lost a lot in those duels – their
self-assurance, their innocence, their power. Miki, well, poor Miki. I’d
say he was too young, but he was the same age as Nanami. I don’t know
why he hasn’t managed to remember. At the end he seemed free, but maybe
something happened since then to trap him. I wonder if his sister…"
Juri’s voice faded out again.

In some way I was enthralled. I felt like I knew these people; who they
had been, who they were now. Almost as if I had been there, ten years
ago, while this drama unfolded. Almost. But I was still missing pieces.
I watched Juri as she searched the past for clues, hints.

"Who is Himemiya Anshi?" I asked suddenly. Her only reaction was to
purse her lips.

"I have no idea." Juri admitted. "She was the Chairman’s sister and the
crux of the duel, but to be honest, I can’t see her face at all. I see
Tenjou as clear as day – pink hair, blue eyes, standing in front of me
stretching, while she talked of things she didn’t understand…" Juri’s
blue eyes met mine. "but Anshi is a shadow in my mind. I couldn’t tell
you what she looked like, even if she stood next to you right now."

I felt a chill pass along my spine. Even if she stood next to you right
now. I resisted the temptation to look around me, just to make sure she
wasn’t.

I gestured again. "Please, finish your story."

Juri’s eyes closed again. She wrapped her arms around one knee, looking
as graceful and beautiful as ever.

"In the end, the girl decided that life was too damn short to take so
seriously. And at that moment the chain that had enclosed her heart
snapped. She was free. It was that easy. Later she left the school, went
to university, and became a teacher. But she didn’t fall in love, you
know, because that chained one’s heart." Her eyes opened to meet mine.

"So…" I prompted. "What about Miiko?"

Juri laughed. "She was very subtle. First she asked my assistance with
her class work. When she ran out of classes to take, she asked if there
was anything she could do to assist me. I was oblivious through all
this, of course. I just thought she was a good kid – dedicated,
energetic. Students had crushes on me all the time, all through school –
it wasn’t anything different, I thought. As soon as she met someone
else, someone her own age…"

"I don’t think she was thinking of it like that." I laughed.

"No," Juri admitted. "She knew what she wanted. It took her a long time
to get it. She tells me she nearly lost her patience."

"Is it all worth it?" I asked. "Losing the job, I mean?"

Juri gave a short bark of laughter. "Worth it? Had I known it would end
up this way, I’d have given in a lot faster." And we both chuckled at
that.

Silence fell again. It was a comfortable silence, the kind that falls
between old friends. It felt good and I didn’t want to ruin it.

It was Juri who finally broke the silence. "Somewhere, somehow, you must
already know where Tenjou Utena is. Find her, please." There was a plea
in her voice that surprised me. "If I can help, let me know. Tenjou
Utena was a good person and I’d like to see her happy."

I sighed and closed my eyes. They hurt and my body was filled with a
low-level ache. "What next?" I thought. I must have spoken aloud though,
because Juri replied.

"Ohtori, obviously. Where else?"

I couldn’t even nod. My eyes wouldn’t open and my head felt thick. I
could hear Juri moving, and feel myself lowered to the couch beneath me.
I was asleep before my head was level.

I took my leave of Juri and Miiko early the next day, but not until I
promised to let them know when I reached home. Before I left, Miiko
threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. Her slim form was rather
nice to hold - I envied Juri. Juri and I shook hands, but I lingered,
not quite wanting to part from these two.

"Look," I said a bit abashed, "if either of you are ever in Kyoto…"

"You’ll be the first to know." Miiko assured me. She beamed at me and I
grinned back. I left then, but my mind stayed behind with those two
women. I hoped I would see them again.


Chapter 11

My apartment had never looked so good to me. There were several messages
on the answering machine, but there was no rush to answer them. I called
Nikki and told her that I was back and to be in the office bright and
early. She yelled at me for not checking in, but I told her that I’d
explain the next morning.

I made myself some strong coffee and watched TV until the dinner I
ordered had arrived. Chinese tonight. Juri and Miiko ate too healthy for
my taste and I craved fried rice - it tasted better than usual. I was
feeling satisfied and happy with my place in the world when the phone
rang. I let the machine pick it up.

"This is Himemiya Anshi. Please call me at your earliest convenience."
The noise of a disconnect. Hmmm. I walked over to the machine and hit
the replay button. The first message was from a friend. Second one was
from a credit card company offering me a great deal on long distance.

The third was more interesting. There was silence, then a voice hissed.
"You bastard!" Then a scratchy silence. "Stop looking for Tenjou Utena
or something much worse than being knocked out will happen to you." The
phone was hung up. Well, now, that was interesting. Of course, the voice
was muffled and unrecognizable. The last call was from Nikki, wondering
what was up – not panicked, just worried.

Not one call from my client. And I was gone three days longer than
planned. No call until just now. How fascinating. I stared at the phone
for a long time, debating whether to call her or not. It was obvious to
me that the only way I was going to get to the bottom of this was to
find out what secret my client was hiding. I picked up the phone.

She picked up on the first ring. "This is Himemiya."

She recognized my voice and I proceeded to apologize for the unexpected
delay. She sounded unconcerned and suggested we get together yet again
to discuss business over a meal.
"My treat this time. Meet me outside the Kyoto National Museum."

We agreed upon a time and rang off. "Curiouser and curiouser," was what
kept going through my mind, over and over.


I brought bento boxes I picked up from my favorite street stand and met
my client in front of the museum. We ate outside in the sun on a bench
and watched the people streaming into and out of the Museum grounds. She
was, I noted, not uncomfortable with my choice of location – or food. In
fact, she was completely at ease, just as she had been at Capital
Toyotei. A rare woman indeed, and an enigma on many levels.

We finished up and wandered into the museum and began to stroll through
the permanent collection. I gave a concise, somewhat edited report on my
visits with Saionji and Juri.

She stopped in front a large piece of calligraphy from the Edo period,
as I told her of my little brush with discomfort. Her eyes were dark
with concern. When I had arrived at our assignation, she had noticed the
now-faded bruises on my cheek and asked about them. I told her that we
should eat first – that I like to keep business and eating separate. She
had smiled at that.

Now as I told her of being rescued by Juri, watched all night by Miiko
and my recovery in their care, she looked genuinely concerned. I was
touched by it, but unsure what it meant. I finished my report and we
continued to walk.

"The school records you gave me." I said conversationally, "They’re
fake, aren’t they?"

Miss Himemiya said nothing. She stopped in front of a Heian painting – a
representation of the Buddhist hells. Demons at the various levels
tortured their victims with their own desires. She stared up at the
painting, her hands clasped behind her back. She looked young all of a
sudden. Like a schoolgirl on a field trip. I could see her in that
photo, embraced by Tenjou, her smile bland but sweet. Her voice snapped
me out of my reverie.

"Yes, they are. But they are also the "official" records of the school.
As far as Ohtori Academy knows, Tenjou Utena did all the things in those
records – one more in an endless succession of students." She sounded
distant.

We stood and looked at hell together in silence. As one, we turned away
and continued into the next gallery.

"Did you change those records?" My voice was softer than I had expected
it to be.
She looked up at me, her eyes bright with some memory. "Yes. It was the
last thing I did before…before I left." That look, the one of remembered
pain, settled across her face once again. I turned towards her, stopping
where I stood. I held her by the shoulders and look hard into her eyes.

"Anshi – please tell me the truth." She reacted with surprise to my use
of her given name, but she didn’t correct me. She turned her head away
from me and said nothing.

"Please…" I begged.

"I…can’t." her voice was tortured, broken. I let go of her shoulders and
she put her hands over her face and began to cry.

I pulled out a handkerchief and she took it, but did not look at me. I
could feel my heart breaking for her. I was at a loss. I had no more
leads and my client had lied to me. And all I wanted…all I wanted was to
take her in my arms and hold her and tell her that it would be alright.

I tentatively reached a hand out for her and when she didn’t flinch at
my touch, a second hand. Her sobs grew quieter, but did not stop. At
last I gave in completely and held her tightly to me, stroking her hair
while she cried. I could feel her tears soaking my shirt and feel her
body quaking with her grief.

At last the tears subsided. Anshi pulled herself together, wiped her
face and with a self-deprecating laugh, suggested we leave. "I believe
I’ve made a sufficient spectacle of myself for one day."

As we left, I offered her my arm and when she took it, she gave it a
slight squeeze in thanks. It made me very happy.

We walked to my office, so she could clean up before she left. I was
sitting on my desk when she came in. Her face was shiny and a little
puffy and the sight left me breathless. I stood quickly, but she held up
a hand to stop me.

"I’ve made up my mind." She announced. "I can’t tell you everything. But
there are a few things I can tell you. And so, I will."

I sat back down on the desk and waited while she gathered herself
together.

"I hope you aren’t tired of hearing my stories." She said. I shook my
head and she gave me a small smile. "Good, because there is another one
you need to hear. You remember the story I last told you?" I nodded.
Then she did. "Good." Deep breath.

"Well, then. The Prince had the sister, you remember – the witch. The
Prince came up with an idea that he could get his power back, but he
needed to take it from someone else. So he created a situation in which
a group of children, who all excelled in many things and were strong and
capable, would be gathered together. And the finest of them would be
rewarded with power and prestige. But there was a small price to pay –
nothing unreasonable. Silly, even. They would have to fight duels for
the possession of one of the students. Well, one after another, students
stepped up to take this challenge, but in the end, none were truly
strong enough. And the Prince at first grew desperate, then forgot
entirely why he had created this situation in the first place. He grew
to love the duels for themselves and forgot that he and his sister were
trapped in their pain-wracked and weakened bodies.

He. Forgot." Anshi stared at the floor. She looked like she wanted to
speak, but some force held her back. Her body was tense with some pain I
couldn’t identify.

She took another deep breath. "And by the time Tenjou Utena," her voice
cracked, "came, neither the Prince nor the Princess believed that they
would ever be free." She looked at me, pleading with me to understand.

I cleared my throat. "But Tenjou did believe, didn’t she? And she freed
the Prince and the Princess?"

Anshi nodded and swallowed hard. "But the Prince didn’t, couldn’t even
realize it, so enamored was he with his games."

"But you did – and you left Ohtori." My head was pounding with all this.
It was like a tale from my childhood – something barely remembered. "But
Tenjou…" my voice was hoarse. "What happened to her?"

Anshi shook her head, tears cascading down her cheeks. "I…please." She
swayed where she sat and I leapt to support her. On my knees I held her,
while she groaned in frustration or pain. It was a long time before we
moved.

And then the moment was gone. Anshi pulled away and her eyes were dry. I
felt like my head was on fire, but my thoughts were clear and concise.

"Anshi. I have to go to Ohtori."

She looked at me, frowning. "I know. I had hoped…but then, if it comes
to this, then this is what must be." She stood and smoothed her dress. I
stood as well and walked her to the door.
She turned to face me, then leaned forward and placed a small kiss on my
lips. "Please be careful." After the door closed behind her, I touched
my lips where she had kissed me. I could feel her in my arms the whole
way home.

Chapter 12

As I packed a small bag for this next trip, I pondered what little I
actually knew. It wasn’t Juri who had hit me – all she had had to do was
leave me there and I’d have been little further trouble. Someone wanted
me to think it was Saionji, and had gone to a lot of trouble to follow
me to Kagoshima, so I would think it was him. But Saionji had left the
past behind – he wasn’t the one who had done it. That left three choices
and I was pretty sure I knew who, of those three, had the most to lose.

I thought hard about this quest of mine. I knew now that I wasn’t even
*trying* to find Tenjou Utena at Ohtori. She wasn’t there – hadn’t ever
really been, in fact. Her presence had been a cipher, a catalyst. And at
the center of it all had been my client, the beguiling Himemiya Anshi. I
whistled tunelessly, as I admitted to myself exactly why I was going to
Ohtori Academy.

Juri had her wish – she was able to assist me. I had called her the
night before and asked to borrow that helicopter of hers. Hoou was out
of the way and it would be difficult to get there on short notice
otherwise. She sounded pleased to be able to help. Now, as I sat in the
back of a cab heading towards the airport where my novel form of
transportation waited, I thanked her silently. This wasn’t going to be
fun, but one way or another I had to go.

My ride to Hoou was fascinating. I had never been in a helicopter before
(except for my unconscious flight a few days earlier) and thought it
rather exhilarating. I like speed, heights, things that get my blood
flowing and my heart racing. The pilot was a guy about my own age, who
was happy to tell me all about flying helicopters. It made the time
pass. When he set down on the helipad, we agreed that he could have the
rest of the day off, but that he should be ready to lift off any time
after 20:00. I didn’t know how long my visit would take, but I wanted to
sleep in my own bed tonight.

I was expected at the Academy. A minor official met me, gave me the tour
and answered general questions. He apologized and told me that the
Chairman would be busy for another half hour, but would see me then. We
walked amiably around the campus, while I watched the students going
about student-like activities. Everything seemed perfectly normal,
nothing out of the ordinary. I found it nearly impossible to believe
that these fantastic and strange duels had occurred in this posh,
pleasant school.

At last, the Chairman himself came to meet us. His smile was sincere – a
politician’s smile. I searched his face for signs of Anshi. His skin was
a lighter shade than hers, and where her hair was lush and dark, his was
pale, lit from within. There was little resemblance between them. For
some reason, I was relieved about that.

He gave me a polite greeting and let the minor official go about his
duties. He escorted me up the hill towards his office. As we reached the
summit of the hill, I began to feel something, a prickling down my spine
and I knew that this was what I had come for.

The Tower was visible everywhere in town, much less on campus. I had
seen it from the moment the ‘copter flew in sight of Hoou, but now, as
we approached it, it was as if a curtain was drawn from in front of my
face. I could *see* the Tower – it looked exactly the same as it had,
but now I could also feel the power emanating from it. It gave me the
creeps. I hesitated at the door, but the Chairman invited me inside and
I followed.

The Chairman himself was not what I expected. He was a slight man,
standing just slightly too close, letting a hand touch you lightly,
leaning down to talk to you…it was if he was letting you into his
confidence. An attractive man, he was obviously used to using his looks
to get his way. His whole manner was geared towards seduction. I
wondered how many of the teachers he had slept with…or students. I began
to dislike him instantly. I don’t care to be manipulated and he was
clearly a master manipulator.

As he spoke to me of the accomplishments of Ohtori students, I wondered
if you kept peeling away his layers, would you find anything underneath
or just more layers.

We took an elevator to the top of the Tower, and entered a vast room,
surrounded by palladium windows. From there you could see the whole of
the campus, and on clear days, most of Hoou, as well. I strode carefully
around the room, trying to find just what I had come here for. The
Chairman continued to talk and I continued to let him. Halfway around
the room, I found it.

"What’s that?" I asked, pointing out to a small, but dark and thick,
growth of forest behind the main area of the campus.

He smiled and came up behind me. A hand was laid gently on my shoulder
as he leaned his head next to mine to point. I tried not to flinch.

"Oh, that?" His voice was a soft purr in my ear. I could see where it
would have sent chills along the spine of a younger, or more naïve
person. Male or female, this man made you want him. He set my teeth on
edge. "That is a remnant of the old growth forest that once covered this
area of Japan."

I nodded. The hand on my shoulder moved to my back and I stepped away.
The Chairman hesitated, then stood to his full height. "We leave it
there to contribute, in our small way, to the conservation of the
environment."

I turned to face him partially, keeping the forest in my sight. "What is
that structure inside of the forest?" I kept my voice casual, but his
reaction was not casual at all.

A fist clenched by his side and the color drained out of his face. No
longer teasing or seductive, his eyes grew cold and hard. "Just a
memorial." His voice was clipped. "To past students."
"Not," I let my eyes drift back to the window, "the place where some of
the students fight duels?"

There was silence. I turned to face the Chairman and in his eyes I read
the answer. I had found what I was looking for. I could go home to
Anshi.

Chapter 13

It was late afternoon when I left Ohtori. I felt drained. And in some
small way, I felt sorry for the Chairman, a lion with no fangs and only
stubby, dull claws. He’d never escape from that place; never gain back
his former glory. Tenjou Utena had destroyed that possibility. I
wondered how Anshi had felt when she understood that. And I wondered if
she felt any lingering pity for her brother, who had trapped her there
for so long.

I still had some time to kill before I had to get to the helipad, so I
wandered the streets of Hoou randomly, stopping at a café for a light
meal. The seats were full of students and I eavesdropped openly on their
gossip. It was all the usual kinds of things, which reassured me.
It was time for me to go. Time to go home and make my final report to my
client. Time to close this case. With a sigh, I headed down a small
street and watched people hurrying to their homes for meals. The street
became pedestrian only, then narrowed into an alleyway. I slowed my
steps, to give my stalker some time to catch up. It wasn’t hard to hear
the footsteps, even on the crowded streets. They had stopped when I had,
resumed when I had. I saw a small cul-de-sac to my right and knew that I
had found a good spot in which to make my stand. Stopping where I stood,
I hunched over my overnight bag, pretending to rummage around in it.

The footsteps made no attempt at muffling themselves and I knew
immediately when the knife had been swung. Putting one arm out to
intercept the swing, I stepped back and leaned into a classic
koshi-guruma. I took the knife from my assailant’s hand as she went
flying into the cul-de-sac, landing heavily on her butt with a "whoof."

I glanced at the knife – an antique tanto. Saionji’s, in fact. He had
played with it as he talked to me in his study. I looked down at my
attacker who hadn’t moved since she landed. She breathed heavily, her
face sneering with anger, but said nothing.

I ticked the questions off on my fingers as I talked. "One – why do you
hate Anshi so much? Two – why do you hate Saionji so much? Three – what
is so important that you feel murder is worth committing? Four…I can’t
think of a four right now, but I’m sure I will." I stared down at her,
as she glared up at me. "Four – are you going to sit there all day?" I
reached out a hand, which she ignored. Standing and brushing herself
off, Kiryuu Nanami walked past me with not even a word of apology.

As she passed me, I reached out and spun her around. She struggled, but
I grabbed at her arms and held them tightly. Her eyes narrowed. I
realized that I was the one holding the stolen knife…and I was
manhandling her. I wouldn’t put it past her to scream bloody murder and
get me arrested. I let her go and she stumbled back a few steps.

"You’re an idiot," she said. "Just like before – no one listens to me,
they think I’m crazy. But I’m the only one who sees what’s going on!"
Her voice had risen, become shriller with each word. "It’s just the
same! Don’t you see?" Her voice cracked and she stopped shouting.
Heaving with emotions I couldn’t begin to understand, she stood; fists
clenched staring at me, daring me to deny her challenge.

"No." I said, tired once again. "No, it’s not like it was. The duels are
over Nanami. You don’t have to fight anymore." My words seemed to suck
the anger right out of her. She slumped, defeated. I checked my watch.
The pilot wasn’t expecting me any particular time. I could wrap this up
before I left.

"C’mon," I said and took her arm, guiding her down the alleyway to a
larger street. I found a vending machine; got us some canned coffee and
sat her down on a bench. The streets were nearly empty, everyone inside
for their evening meals, TV and however else they forgot about how awful
the world was.

Nanami wouldn’t look at me, but I watched her. She looked young, younger
than me by a little, anyway. And she was the one who ran the company. A
lot of pressure for a young woman. I felt bad for her, but not that bad.

"Are you going to make me ask you again?" I said, at last. She shook her
head.
"Well?" When some time passed and she still hadn’t said anything.

"It’s all confused," she snapped. "I don’t know where to start."

"Start at the beginning," I suggested, but she shook her head again.

"No. The beginning makes no sense, neither does the middle. Only at the
end did it make sense. And now it’s not over." She looked up at me.
"That’s the problem, you see. I thought it was over. But it isn’t.
You’re here and you don’t understand."

I finished my coffee and tossed the can in a wastebasket. "You’re wrong,
Nanami. I do understand - I understand everything." And I met her eyes
evenly. She looked at me hard, for a long time, and then took a
shuddering breath.

"I hope to God you do. I don’t want to lose him again."

"Who, Touga?" I wished I smoked or something – I was restless, with
nothing to do with my hands.

She nodded and finished her coffee. She stared at the can until I took
it from her and threw it away. Let her be restless too.

"Yes. My beloved brother." A slight, almost imperceptible stress on the
second word. Nanami looked around, then back at me. "You don’t have a
cigarette or anything, do you?" I shook my head. "Oh, well, that’s
probably for the best. I don’t really smoke." She clasped her hands in
her lap. When she began to speak again her voice was very low and soft.

"After he graduated, we all thought the worst was over. While she was at
the school, Tenjou did something to him, you know. He dropped out of
sight for a while. That was when I took over as acting President of the
Student Council. It was awful - I hated it. Miki was so serious, Juri,
well, she looked at me like I was a worm, you know. Saionji was gone,
and I was glad. He was a terrible person. He clung to my brother like a
barnacle, always pretending to be as good as him. When he came back I
tried to make him feel bad, but he wouldn’t. He took up his position
like he had never left. And worse, my brother and he seemed to have made
up – become closer even. Too close."

"Lovers?’ I asked. She shrugged.

"Well, at least it seemed that way. Whether they actually were, I don’t
know. Everyone was hinting, and hinting about other things. Touga and I
had a disagreement and I left home for a while." She sighed. "Up to that
point, I had always assumed it was Tenjou Utena’s fault. From the
beginning, my brother obsessed about her. But after I left home, I
learned something horrible and I had to come back. And that was when I
figured out that it wasn’t Tenjou – it was that Himemiya witch."

I stuck my hands in my pockets. "So you found out. About her and her
brother."

She looked at me with huge eyes. "It was disgusting. And Tenjou so
blind, so innocent…" Her words became a hiss. "Even when I warned her.
She pretended there was nothing wrong. Idiot." She put her face into her
hands, but when she pulled them away a moment later her eyes were dry.
"And then, all of a sudden – it was over. Tenjou was gone, Himemiya was
gone. And we all twirled like, streamers in the breeze, with nowhere
particular to go.

"I thought it would be better once they were gone, I really did. I went
away myself, for a while. Went to college, got a business degree. Then I
heard from my parents, there seemed to be something wrong with my
brother. I came home and found him wandering the house, as if he had
lost his memory. I tried to talk with him, but he barely remembered
anything at all. Like it had all been a dream."

I leaned back against a streetlamp while she went on.

"His memory had nearly disappeared…not just of the events at Ohtori. Of
*everything.* And I began to get worried. That’s when I began to run the
business. It’s been years since then, and he still fugues sometimes, or
gets depressed. He needs me now…." She laughed bitterly. "Do you know –
when I was a child, all I wanted was to be the most important person in
his life? And now I’m trapped by that very wish."

"And me?" I shook the pocket that held the knife.

"You? You started it all up again. Touga had been doing much better; he
was paying more attention to business, spending less time in his
dream-state. Then you came, asking all those questions about Tenjou and
Himemiya. The next morning he was gone."

"Gone?"

Her face was bleak. "Gone. When he came back two days later, I had no
idea where he had been, and he couldn’t remember. Or he wouldn’t say. He
said he’d gone to find Tenjou Utena, that he was her prince. I was
livid. After all this time, I thought we were free, at least of that
name. I tracked you down…and you know the rest."

I let the silence between us deepen for a while.

"And killing me would have solved the problem?" I asked finally.

She looked up, genuinely surprised. "If you can ask that, then you don’t
really know everything, do you?" And she smiled, a strange, twisted
smile. "Just like it was before."

I thought about that. I felt like she was telling me something, but that
the meaning was just beyond my reach.

"One more question and then I’ll see you to wherever you need to go." I
said. "Did the Chairman ever try to seduce you?"

She laughed that bitter laugh again. "No. It might have been better if
he had." But she fell silent and wouldn’t say more.

I offered her a ride anywhere she wanted to go, but she turned me down,
saying that she was staying with friends. I let her go, and watched her
slim form disappear into the night, all the time thinking about what she
had been trying to say to me.


Glossary of terms:

Koroshi-guruma: Hip Wheel. A throw in judo.