First Knight By Lane Kramer Author's Note: Well here is where I take my first stab at writing a Utena fic. I have high hopes for this series and hope it fits decently into the TV show continuity. I am writing this as if it fits into the episodes themselves... sort of an untold chapter you might say... I hope things turn out ok... Email me at: lkramer@bellatlantic.net for comments and/or flames which I will accept from all... This takes place during the Akio Ohtori Saga of TV Utena. It takes place after episode 21 and finishes before episode 36... and partly after episode 39. Prologue: Dream of the Rose Bride... Anthy Himemiya was turning in her bed. She had not slept very well in the last couple of days. Each night in a dream she heard a voice call her name. It had a chilling effect on her soul, therefore she would often wake up, sometimes crying out. This usually caused Utena Tenjou to come in to comfort Anthy and try to discover what was causing her the discomfort in her sleep... As so often was the case in many ways Anthy told Utena it was nothing and just a little bad dream. Anthy hid so many things from Utena, no matter if they ranged from her and Akio's weekly "sessions" or about what she wished to happen in the battle for revolution. Utena was the closest thing Anthy had to a friend and she wanted to tell her, but she couldn't exactly explain it herself. She knew the voice but just couldn't exactly explain it. The voice was familiar to her, something from the past that was coming to haunt her again. As Anthy turned under the sheets of her bed she was hearing the voice again, but this time she would see the whole dream and face the inevitable truth that a further trauma from her past was about to catch up with her. Anthy found herself in mist covered field. She felt very disoriented and found herself calling "Utena... Utena... where are you? Brother help me... please someone help me..." she looked down to the ground tears welling up in her face "I don't want to be alone..." causing her to collapse to her knees on the ground. Just then she noticed a shadow starting to work its way toward her. She at first felt some fear, but as it got closer it took the shape of a human male. "Brother?" she called. The shadow made no reply until it was standing over her. "Unfortunately dear princess I am not the Prince, only his humble servant." With that Anthy looked and felt utter shock at the person who now looked down upon her. His facial features were all blacked out, but she could make out his eyes. Those deep forest green eyes were unmistakable. The stranger gave Anthy a helping hand to help step her up. He then took a gracious bow and spoke " So do you do Rose Bride. Its been a while my lady. How are you and the prince doing." This last statement having a very condescending tone to it. Anthy was forced to blink for a second at what he had just said. She could not believe that tone in the last part of his sentence. But before she could think anymore about it the mysterious figure backhanded across the face and she fell to the ground. A bruise on her cheek, tears in her eyes, and she looked up at him. All that could be scene was his eyes burning a hole through her heart. "You are so very selfish my princess. You believe you are the only one who has suffered. That is thinking way to highly of yourself. Do you forget how you have made Akio suffer or how you have made me suffer." Anthy merely looked up at him unsure of how to respond. Then her eyebrows curled over her eyes slightly and she felt a bit of anger roar up in her "How dare you think that I have not suffered enough. How is it possible you have suffer when you failed in your duty? You have experienced nothing as to what my brother and I have. You are the one who is pathetic and looking for sympathy when it is you who should give me some. That was your role as the knight." Just as Anthy finished her venomous rant the stranger's hand flew forth and gripped her by the neck. She felt his powerful grip tightening on her neck, the air starting to be cut off. She reached her hands up to try and pry his hand loose, but his grip was to strong. She could not break it. The next moment she looked at him he was suddenly in a jacket similar to the ones the student council wears. "I figured you would rather see me in something more appropriate for your current surroundings at Ohtori academy." His grip still tight on her neck, his eyes looked deep into her eyes and then to her very shattered soul. "Let me tell you a story Rose Bride. A story about a prince and the million swords of hate... A story about a selfish princess and the protect full knight... Let me tell you about how they fell..." Then Anthy started to feel herself losing consciousness. "Once there was a prince who saved all the princesses of the world. The prince, Dios, was a kind and wonderful fellow who defended all and brought justice wherever he did travel. But with the prince travelled his squire and his best friend. Those two were inseparable. They regarded each other with honour and respect. They had formed a bond that could not be broken, except when one day the sister of the Prince wanted to keep him for herself and the people cried for the Prince to help them all, but he felt the obligation to stay with his sister. Therefore the million swords of hate were upon the Princess and they did destroy her... This caused the Prince to fall and lose himself... This did then also cause the knight to lose his way for his purpose was the prince and to protect the prince and princess from harm. He did fail in both respects. He lost his best friend because of the princess which fuelled his anger at her, but more importantly she took a part of his heart with her... Thus was the tragedy of the Rose even greater for not just two souls were forever changed by three instead... And it was the princesses fault..." Suddenly Anthy found herself regaining some resemblance of awakening. She was still in the death grip of the stranger, but she did not feel terror any more merely pity. "Now do you understand. My cruelty to you, even my hate towards you can only be half hearted for part of me is forever trapped with you. I can never truly harm you in the end." His hand released her and she fell to the ground now fully getting air into her lungs. The stranger collapsed before her, onto his knees, tears of blood red falling down his cheek. Anthy slowly put her hand to his cheek. His head did raise and look to her. " I had no idea. I am sorry. I think understand now. You have suffered as well. Perhaps we should just sit here and hold each other for a while." She reached her other hand over to him, but he pushed it away while taking her other hand from her cheek. "I am sorry Rose Bride but I cannot for now I must leave you. May you not forget this." Suddenly the stranger began to decompose before her fading into shadows and disappearing. The Anthy was in utter horror and she suddenly found herself crying out. Just then she awoke in the arms of Utena who was hold her down. "Anthy... are you ok. Anthy its me Utena..." Anthy dug into Utena's night gown and cried. "Utena-sama, Utena- sama..." is all she could say. Utena just decided to hold her for a while and let her cry. Sometime in the future she would ask what this dream was about. Somewhere farther away a figure looked up to the moonlight from his hotel room. His green eyes basked in the moon and sat back in the chair in the bedroom and looked at the letter again. He was glad her started his new school tomorrow and should be asleep, but something about tonight made him think about someone from his past. He saw her face in the moon. He then picked up the letter he had received just a week ago in the mail. He sighed and decided to go to sleep. Tomorrow was his first day at Ohtori Academy and it would do him well to get some sleep. @July 7th, 1999 Lane Kramer. Used with permission. All characters are copyright of BePapas @1997. Ryo Yagami is @1999 Lane Kramer. Thank you for reading!