[ ] indicates thoughts.
      Spoiler Warning:  This chapter begins "spoiling" certain
revelations in the anime.  Those who want to be surprised should probably
save this until they see at least Episode #8 ('The Great Curry High-Trip').
        C&C and MSTs welcome, but please see the Authors' Notes.

      Dear Mom and Dad,

      Hi!  It's Skyler again, still "enjoying" life as a student at
Ohtori Academy here in Japan.  I'm still not sure if these letters are
getting to you, since neither dreams nor alternate dimensions are noted
for their mail service to the real world.  But it's worth a try, right?
      So, where was I?  Oh yes, Juri was confronting me on why I,
supposedly an American, spoke fluent Japanese and little English (hope
you've found a translator for these letters...).  Naturally, I told her
the truth, or as much of it as I thought relevant.  And naturally, she
was a bit skeptical.
      Over lunch, Juri told me that someone named the "Ends of the
Earth", that's "ends" as in "border", had organized a contest of duels,
with poor Anthy stuck as the prize, a "Bride of the Rose".  And my
uniform and ring (did I mention the rose signet ring?) mark me as one of
the contestants.  The very thought of treating a human being like a cheap
trophy disgusts me, but Anthy seems resigned to it, and I suspect the
"Ends of the Earth" has ways of forcing me to participate.
      I finally had a brief meeting with Utena, Anthy's roommate, when
a ball she hit just missed my head and smashed the gym window.  She has
the brightest pink hair!  The fencing club was meeting inside, Juri's the
captain of that, and she wanted to speak to Utena privately.
      So I ended up talking to Miki, the second-in-command of the
fencing club.  He's a classmate of Utena and Anthy (they're in junior
high).  Very bright, with a major in math, but a little shy about girls
and seems to have had a sheltered life.  I like him.  He also plays
piano.
      I got to know Utena a bit better back at Higashi-kan.  She's the
current "Victor of the Duel", which is why Anthy is her roommate.
Unfortunately for Utena, this means she's also the one everybody
challenges.  She was mighty relieved when I didn't automatically pick a
fight.
      After dinner, where I learned Utena lived with her aunt various
places around Japan before coming to Ohtori when Auntie moved to Europe,
I went out for a walk.  Much to my surprise, I wound up sleeping under
the stars!
      When I woke up, I saw two girls acting suspiciously, so I tailed
them back to the school, where they put on a shadow play.  This wouldn't
seem quite so weird if I hadn't seen their last performance--in a dream.
      They caught me watching, but I didn't get much of a chance to
talk to the New Experimental Shadow Theater--Ultimate Kashira before
something else strange happened.  I felt a weird liquid chill in my
bones, a premonition something was going on in the woods north of
campus.  So I bid farewell to the shadow girls...

                  MA VIE ET ROSES
            by Scott Johnson and Scott K. Jamison

      (All characters and settings except Skyler Sands and the state of
Minnesota are the creation of Saito Chiho and BePapas.  Publishing rights
to "Shoujo Kakumei Utena" are held by Shogakukan and Terebi Tokyo in
Japan, and Central Park Media in the United States.  No challenge to
these rights is intended.)

      Chapter Three:  Mihatenu Shitsumon ("Unfulfilled Questions")

      The campus was already lit by the first orange rays of dawn, a
striking contrast to the earlier darkness.  Skyler might have been
worried about having slept in the open or how long he'd spent with the
shadow-play girls if he hadn't already had something more pressing on his
mind.  Adrenaline gave him more stamina than he'd had in the afternoon,
but he was already beginning to pant by the time he reached the
chain-link fence.
      He glanced around for a moment.  The campus still seemed
deserted, and though the sign forbidding entry was as prominent as ever,
the gate opened at a touch.  [Obviously depending on the honor system
here.]  Gathering his nerve, he opened the gate and stepped through,
passing the two long pools stretching off to either side and ascending
the weathered marble steps.
      At the top, the walls recessed somewhat, forming a plaza flanked
by another pair of smaller, preternaturally calm and smooth pools.  What
had to be the main gate through the walls loomed ominously, looking like
nothing so much as a very stylized bird of prey.  Engravings of two roses
flanked the central panel, and from the heart of the spiral design on
that panel rose a handle that resembled rather too strongly a
gracefully-engraved pistol's grip.
      Skyler took another quick look around.  There weren't any other
visible entrances, and no one else in sight.  [In for a penny, in for a
pound.]  He grabbed the handle.
      *Ka-chnk*
      He was able to pull the handle back slightly, but it wouldn't
give any more than that, and wouldn't turn.  [Odd, that.  So how...?]
      *Plink*
      He jerked his hand back reflexively.  [That's *cold*!]  It felt
like a drop of ice-cold water had spattered on his signet ring.  But
where had it come from?
      Then, the water started.  From several sluices he had thought
were purely ornamental, arrayed around the top of the wall, gouts of
water began pouring into the pools, throwing mist into the air and
sending the overflow down two dry channels flanking the stairs into the
pools below.  And as the falling water arced far enough to almost form a
wall between the gate and the stairs, the gate began to move.
      It wasn't exactly opening.  With the scraping sound of stone
against stone, the gate was pulling apart into separate sheets of stone,
rising and rearranging itself.  He watched as the sections directly
before him pulled back to reveal iron bars, which in turn pulled apart as
well, both to the sides and upwards, leaving an open arch before him.
      With a final clash of stone against stone, the movement was
complete.  The sluices shut off their waterfalls, leaving Skyler looking
at what appeared to be a small arched doorway with a giant, multilayered,
blossoming stone rose above it.
      [Very impressive display of hydraulic engineering.  Wonder if
that creativity extends to punishment of intruders?]  He moved through
the doorway.

      The stone walkway within was flanked by a number of white marble
posts, intricately engraved with flowers and vines curling their way up
them.  The trees beyond were thin and shadowy, shrouding the path from
the dawn's light.  Two side paths split off from the walkway, leading to
what looked to be grey stone towers, but ahead...
      Ahead, Skyler could see a massive, tilted pillar, fluted and
carved with arches, easily twenty feet around if it was an inch.  The
walkway wrapped around it and became a massive, unsupported spiral
staircase, without railings or, indeed, any sort of connections to the
column.  The pillar and staircase rose unsupported through the branches
of the trees, becoming lost in the mists above.
      "Oh.  Oh no."  Fear clutched at Skyler's heart.  Acrophobia, to
be precise.  It was mild, usually, not really a problem.  But if he was
going to have to climb those stairs...He reached back into his mind for a
modicum of calm.
      "One step at a time and don't look down," he reminded himself.
"Keep looking up."

      His pulse racing, he walked up to the base of the staircase.  It
was quite wide -- easily wider than many one-lane roads he'd known, if it
came to that.  If he stayed in the center, Skyler told himself, there was
no chance whatsoever of falling.  It didn't help.  [It isn't attached to
anything!] a part of his mind screamed.  [It must be attached to
something.  Maybe at the top?]  He steeled his nerves enough to will his
foot onto the first step...
      "I wouldn't."
      Skyler jumped, startled by the sudden voice from behind him.  He
whirled around, heart very nearly skipping a beat, only to meet the cool
gaze of Juri.
      There was something different about her, he realized as he vainly
tried to put a halt to the adrenaline rushing through his veins.  Perhaps
it was something in her eyes -- they were colder, harder somehow, even more
so than they had been the previous day.  Or perhaps it simply had
something to do with the unsheathed sword she was carrying.
      "The Duel Arena can be quite a dangerous place for those who
aren't Duelists.  if you have to watch at all, I recommend the bell
towers," Juri continued, either not noticing or not caring about his
state of shock.  "Then again, it might be best not to watch at all.  Once
you've seen what lies up there, you'll doubtless find yourself drawn into
all this soon enough."
       "Huuh...bell tower, yes, that might be better.  Don't think I
really have much of a choice about finding out, and better sooner than
later."  The distraction had eased his fear a little, and Skyler was able
to breathe a little more easily.
      Juri shrugged.  "As you like."  With that, she brushed her way
past him and began calmly ascending the stairs.  He watched her climb
for a moment, with a slight shiver, then walked back to the left tower.
      This tower was a sharp contrast to the central one -- square and
blocky rather than round and elegantly carved, vertical rather than
tilted, grey granite blocks rather than seamless white marble.
Fortunately for his nerves, its stairs were on the inside, through a
small doorway.  With only a touch of anxiety, he began his climb.

      Skyler blinked as he emerged into broad daylight, slightly winded
from a climb that felt like it had to be at least ten stories, probably
more.  [But don't think about that.]  The sky above was a clear, bright
blue, with only a few wisps of clouds, curving as if around a center
point.  Skyler glanced around, getting his bearings a moment.  That was
when he saw it.
      He'd seen fairy-tale castles before, of course.  He'd been to
miniature golf places that swiped the Disney park design, and seen
pictures of the one that inspired them, commissioned by an eccentric
German king.  He'd seen similar in fantasy art and even some anime.  This
one at least matched them all, with its pale, softly glowing spires and
crenelations, the glowing lights around all of its edges, and its great
central tower stretching past its rivals.  It was beautiful--even
majestic, in its way.
      Where it differed from all those like it was its positioning.
Somehow, this castle was hanging inverted from the sky, its spires
stretching downwards like iridescent stalactites from an invisible
ceiling.
      An instant of vertigo had Skyler clutching the wall, until his
inner ear reassured him that he was indeed right-side-up.  "How the heck
do they *do* that?" he wondered.  It could be some sort of projected
image, but where it was being projected from was impossible to tell.
Certainly it couldn't be a physical object without direct magical
intervention...  there was no way this world was technologically advanced
enough to do it otherwise.
      There didn't appear to be any people visible...

      Skyler's gaze followed the line of sight down along the central
tower (carefully avoiding looking at the unbroken layer of clouds far
below him.)  A good distance below the castle, the circular pillar had
widened into a massive platform, ringed with a low wall and inlaid with
the sweeping red arcs of a very familiar rose signet.  It had to be at
least a good hundred yards across, if not more, judging by the size of
the two figures standing there.
      Skyler leaned on the battlements, trying to get a better look.
One of the small figures had to be Juri.  The orange hair and glittering
sword blade were visible even at this distance.  The other, in a dark red
dress...
      Anthy?
      He glanced down as his hand brushed against something.  A pair of
opera glasses was lying on the battlements; the handle and rims were
painted a shade of purple similar to that of his own uniform.
      "Coincidence?  I think not."  [But how would anyone know I'd take
the *left* tower?  Unless there's an identical pair in the other, which
is not beyond belief.]
      He picked up the opera glasses, checked for lampblack, then put
them to his eyes.  He couldn't tell the exact magnification, but it was good
enough for Skyler to make out facial features.
      Yes, that was Juri, still with that cold expression, obviously
waiting for something...or someone.  The other figure was indeed Anthy,
in a red dress that seemed familiar, probably from the anime magazine
pictures.  It was cut like a cross between a ball gown, and the uniforms
the duelists wore, without sleeves, but with rather silly-looking (in
Skyler's opinion) separate large cuffs.  On her forehead was a golden
tiara, rising into several points just above her hair.
      "A `princess' indeed."
      She didn't seem to be carrying any weaponry herself, and the dress
wasn't exactly suited to combat.  Her face was calm but obviously  aware,
eyes closed in what seemed to be concentration.
      "So we're still missing the second duelist.  Three guesses,
ladies and gentlemen, and the first two don't count."  Skyler put down
the opera glasses for a moment to locate the other bell tower.  [I'm not
likely to be the only witness...]  Unfortunately, the view was
blocked -- while the stairs had ended at this balcony, a smaller tower
continued to rise a few more stories up, and the balcony was on the exact
opposite side from the other tower.  The balcony itself was quite large
enough for several people -- in fact, it extended a good ways farther than
Skyler had thought the tower could support (which he forced himself not
to think about.)
      He raised his glasses again, trying to take his mind off the
height.  A speck of movement on the stairs caught his eye--it was Utena,
dressed in her uniform.  [Like I thought.  Don't see a weapon,
though...]
      A shiver abruptly ran through Skyler's body, derailing his train
of thought.  Simultaneously, a glittering flash of light ran across
Utena's upper body.  Skyler steadied his hand and realized her uniform
had changed -- now the jacket bore large, circular red epaulets with thick
white fringes, and a cord leading from them to the new gem at her
throat.  Another shiver, another flash of light, and a thin layer of
white, like an extremely short skirt or a petticoat, was between the
bottom of her jacket and her shorts.
      [Transformation sequence?  Well, that means she's definitely the
star of the show.]  The hentai part of his mind protested her not losing
her clothes in the middle.
      He watched as Utena entered the arena and stood facing Juri, with
Anthy between them and off to one side a bit.  Anthy was now holding a
pair of roses to her chest -- one orange, one a pale pink, almost white.
She moved to Juri's side and placed the orange one in her breast pocket
as Juri spoke.  Oddly enough, given the distances involved, Skyler could
actually make out what she was saying, even if it was a bit faint.
      "The point of this is as I said last night," she stated flatly.
"If you defeat me with your `power of miracles', you're entitled to your
conceit."
      Anthy moved to Utena and tucked the other rose into her breast
pocket.  "Power of miracles or no power of miracles," Utena replied,
matching Juri's stern gaze, "there's no way I'm losing to you."
      Her roses placed, Anthy moved back off to one side, then bowed
her head, clasping her hands to her chest.  "O rose of the noble castle,"
she intoned quietly.
      Skyler blinked.  Something between Anthy's hands was glowing--a
bluish-white light, flickering rapidly.
      "O power of Dios that sleeps within me..."
      It was growing now -- a sphere of light cupped between her hands,
hovering over her chest.  Streaks of light were sparkling towards it from
all across the arena, drawing a strong wind -- even from the tower, Skyler
could feel it tugging at his hair and clothes.
      "Hearken to thy master...  Reveal now..."
      A refracted wave of light poured off the sphere as Himemiya
pulled her hands away from it, her skirt flaring from the wind.  Slowly,
she began to lean backwards, further and further, almost so far that she
would surely fall...
      But then Utena was there, gracefully sliding an arm beneath
Anthy's back, her other arm out for balance, supporting Anthy as she
leaned until nearly horizontal.  The light grew, and built...
      And the hilt of a sword emerged from it.
      A rather ornate hilt, at that, with a red rose pommel, gold
highlighted with black enamel as the hilt, and a large oval emerald on
the hand guard.  Protruding from Anthy's chest.
      Utena's other hand swept in and grasped the sword, pulling it
further and further out, almost as if she was unsheathing it from
Himemiya.  "The Power to Revolutionize the World!" she exclaimed as she
removed it fully, the streaks of light converging at the tip of the blade
as Tenjou raised it high above her head.  For a moment, the light
sparkled on the point, then flickered down the blade to glint off Utena's
signet as she stood there, staring at Juri.
      Somewhere below and off to one side of Skyler, what sounded like
church bells began to ring, their clamor apparently marking the start of
the duel.
      "Magic..." he breathed.  "And some pretty hefty symbolism.  But
symbolic of what?"  [And is the power of miracles the same as the Power
to Revolutionize the World, related, or completely different?]
      Skyler scanned the two duelists, and realized something.
[Dramatic necessity says Juri can't win this round.  One way or another,
Utena will come out on top.  So the real question is Anthy, and what she
thinks of this....]

      Utena and Juri were standing a good distance apart, each holding
her sword at arm's length, perfectly horizontal.  [Unusual stance...]
Anthy was almost precisely halfway between them, off to one side, with
her hands clasped demurely in front of her and a perfectly placid,
neutral expression on her face.
      The two duelists held their stances for a few charged seconds,
until Utena drew her sword arm in slightly, tensing, then lunged forwards
on the attack.  Juri just stood in her place, stock still, until Utena
was almost upon her.  Then there was a clash of steel as the swords
struck against each other...
      And Utena was staggering past Juri, a prisoner of her own
momentum, desperately trying to keep her balance.  Juri continued the
turn she had begun as she had stepped out of Utena's path, casually
swishing her sword through the air twice as she faced Utena.
      Utena recovered and turned, sword at the ready for defense, then,
as it became apparent that Juri wasn't going to move, charged once
again.  Juri parried and sidestepped as easily as she had before, but
this time, as Utena stumbled past, Juri helped her along with a hard
shove to her back.  The added momentum was too much for Utena's feet to
keep up with, and she tripped, stumbled and finally fell to the floor.
      Juri flexed her blade between her hands as Utena tried to push
herself up.  "Are you all right, `my prince'?" Juri asked mockingly.
"We've barely begun."
      ["My prince"?  Obviously more going on than I know about.  Or is
it just a joke on Anthy's being a "princess"?  And what's Utena's
gimmick?  Obviously isn't superior swordplay.]
      Utena managed to make it to her feet just as Juri lunged at her.
Utena desperately managed to parry three lightning-fast slashes, but
could do nothing but cringe as the final thrust streaked straight towards
her face, with her sword hopelessly out of position, as Anthy just
watched with no expression whatsoever...
      Utena cracked open an eye as the expected stroke failed to land.
Juri had stopped her lunge barely an inch from Utena's face.  Juri
smirked.  "You could at least try to step aside, couldn't you?"
      [Uh-oh.  Toying with the opponent.  Bad move, Arisugawa-san.  It
*always* bites you in the end.]
      Utena just managed to dodge as Juri pulled back and thrust
again.  She tried to rally with an attack of her own, but Juri parried
close to the body, shoved her back, and continued to drive her back with
relentless attacks.  Utena was just barely holding her own, never getting
touched but with less and less margin of error as --

      [Three people standing against a wall, the boy and the girl
looking at each other over Juri's head...]

      Skyler blinked, almost dropping the opera glasses in shock.  An
image of some sort had just popped into his head...
      [Where'd that come from?  And can I get it back?]  He tried to
concentrate on the image.  [Could that be a love triangle?]
      The image refused to return, but there was *something* there.  He
watched with only half an eye as Juri and Utena pulled away and took up
defensive stances, barely noticed Utena breathing heavily, only
half-heard as Juri spoke to Utena.  "You poor thing."

      [Again:  A red thread, stretching before Juri's unseeing
face...]
      There.  he focused on the image, trying to fix it in his mind,
struggling to grasp it...
      "You're already exhausted."
      [A full view:  the three again, him and her talking into tin cans
as the thread linking them stretched past Juri in the middle...]
      "But I'll show no mercy."

      Skyler blinked back to reality.  Juri was lunging just as Utena
jumped back.  It looked as if Juri was overextending herself horribly,
but she managed to shift her weight to her leading foot, swing her rear
foot around to support her, and keep on lunging towards the retreating
Utena.  "Hasn't your `miracle' happened yet, `prince'?" Juri shouted as
she moved in for the kill.
      And then...
      Skyler's eyes were suddenly drawn upwards.  There was a beam of
light descending from the central spire of the castle, a soft, glittering
glow connecting to the center of the arena... right where Utena was
landing from her jump.  And within the beam was a man.  Or perhaps just
the image of one -- Skyler only caught a glimpse of a cape, a white
uniform, dark skin...
      Then he was gone, merged with Utena as both landed.  For a
moment, Skyler could swear he saw Utena flickering back and forth into
the man as she crouched, every muscle in her body a tensed spring, but
then she *leapt*...
      "So fast!" he heard Juri gasp.  It was, and yet somehow it almost
seemed like slow motion.  He could see Utena's sword, outstretched just
enough, streaking perfectly towards the rose on Juri's breast; see the
energy and will in Utena's face; see Juri's shocked expression...

      [See the girl, sitting in a chair against the wall...]
      [See her standing, a smile on her face, a flower in her hands...]
      [See her face, violet eyes and wavy brown/burgundy hair, smiling
as she offers an orange rose...]
      ["But I don't regret stealing him from you.  You must hate me for
being like this..."]
      And Juri's voice, faint but definitely there, tinged with regret as
the sword came within an inch, half an inch, a centimeter of her rose:
["`Believe in the miracle that your wish will come true.'  It was always
your favorite phrase.  But..."]
      The clash of metal against metal shocked Skyler out of it.
Juri's blade slammed into Utena's, driving it away from the rose with
barely a millimeter to spare.  "Miracles don't exist!" Juri almost
screamed as sparks flew from the blades, the point of contact sliding
down Utena's sword until Juri could twist, raise and flip, just enough
that Utena's sword went flying out of her hand and high into the air.
Utena, stunned, almost stumbled past Juri again, but Juri caught her,
letting Utena knock the wind out of herself on Juri's outstretched arm,
and threw her roughly to the ground.  Utena landed on her back, wincing,
and had barely managed to push herself to a half-sitting position before
she found Juri's sword pointed straight at her throat.
      "At the point of greatest danger..." Skyler murmured, caught up
in the moment.
      "It's over."  Juri was now the picture of cool detachment,
completely in control again, meeting Utena's panicked gaze with calm,
unconcerned eyes.  She was right.  Utena hadn't a prayer.
      Then Utena's eyes widened as she looked up.  Skyler followed her
gaze and saw the sword.  The sword that Juri had flipped into the air.
The sword that was now plummeting to earth, point down, directly above
Juri...

      [An image, the point of view sliding downwards past it, of Juri
sitting, her eyes covered by the girl who is kissing the boy above her
head...]

      The sword embedded itself in the floor of the arena.  A moment
later, Juri's rose slid down the blade, completely intact, pierced
through the heart.
      "...the impossible happens," Skyler finished.  [So that's Utena's
gimmick.  All the skill in the world wouldn't have given Juri a prayer of
victory.  But what was all that other stuff?  I can see other people's
flashbacks?  I'm pretty sure that telephone line was symbolic though.
Definitely a love triangle in Juri's past.]

      He switched his view to Anthy again.  She was standing now with
her back to the bell towers, so he couldn't see her face, but by her
posture, he didn't doubt she was just as calm as before.  Juri, on the
other hand, was utterly stunned, mouth gaping, breath shaky as she turned
to look towards the sword, and past it towards Anthy and the towers.
Utena, for her part, looked almost as stunned as Juri.
      "N-no," Juri gasped.  "This was just coincidence.  It's got
nothing to do with miracles."  She didn't sound as if she expected anyone
to be convinced, least of all herself.
      [Define "miracle", Arisugawa-san.  You know philosophy, define
miracle.]
      Anthy walked towards Juri, turning slightly to face her (and
coincidentally affording Skyler a view of her face.)  With a smile, she
held up another orange rose to Juri.  "Some day, may your wish come
true."
      [That pose,] Skyler realized.  [From Juri's point of view, she
must look exactly like that girl did...]
      Juri's gaze was dark and unreadable.  For a moment, she just
stared at Anthy, every muscle tensed.  Finally, she turned away, bowing
her head with a sour expression.  "Don't concern yourself."  Her stance
seemingly trying to salvage some small measure of dignity, she stalked
off towards the stairs, Utena's eyes following her every inch of the
way.
      "I'm sorry, Juri," Skyler whispered.  He felt dirty, guilty.
He'd seen inside her head, without her permission, perhaps even against
her will.  He wanted to comfort her, but how could he, without revealing
that he knew her secrets?  It would be awkward enough, because she would
know he'd witnessed her defeat.
      Still, he would have to do his best when the time came.
[Time -- I'd better get back and pick up my homework, school will be
starting soon!]
      Skyler turned his back on the arena and began the long climb
down.

      He emerged from the tower just in time to almost literally run
into Juri.  For a moment, she regarded him with the same expression she
had looked at Anthy with, then averted her gaze and walked on.  "I trust
you found that amusing," she remarked bitterly.
      "I didn't laugh.  And for what it's worth, you are the better
fencer.  You just weren't prepared for probability manipulation."
      Juri paused, half-turning to look back at him.  "That's what you
call it, then?  The words you use to dismiss it out of hand?"  She shook
her head and resumed walking.  "I've heard many words to explain away
what one does not understand, but that's a new one."
      "Classify, not dismiss.  See you in homeroom."  Skyler turned
towards Higashi-kan, but hesitated a moment, just in case.  To no avail,
though -- Juri walked on, alone.

      The sun was well above the horizon now, so Skyler went quickly to
his room, picked up his homework and left without checking on his
housemates.  He'd just have to eat a large lunch.

      As he approached the school, Skyler saw Juri off to one side,
sitting underneath a tree on a small hillock.  A red-haired young man in
a Student Council uniform -- Touga, Skyler remembered -- pushed himself up as
Skyler approached, standing with his back to the trunk and Juri.  He said
something casual to her that Skyler couldn't hear, then walked off.
      As he did so, Skyler caught his eye for a moment.  This time, he
was sure Touga smiled -- just a bit, but enough to be clearly visible.  It
was almost a smirk, a tight, knowledgeable glimpse of amusement that no
one else shares.
      Skyler stepped towards the tree, stopping so that he was not
quite facing Juri.  She was looking at something in her hand now,
something gold.  "We should talk about what happened this morning.  Maybe
not now, but we should talk about it, and what I saw.  I want -- I want to
help..."
      At the sound of Skyler's voice, a gentle motion of Juri's thumb
clicked the gold locket closed.  For a moment, she just sat there, still
musing upon it.  Then, she glanced up, cool, dispassionate eyes meeting
Skyler's.  "Really?" she asked in a measuredly neutral tone.  "And just
what do you mean by that?"
      He turned all the way towards her.  "I saw things, heard things,
during the duel.  Flashes of the past.  You came to the fight with
baggage, a wound to the heart, didn't you?  I want to help it stop
hurting so much, if I can.  And no, that doesn't mean I want to be your
boyfriend.  Just your friend, if you'll let me."
      She raised an eyebrow at this.  "I've never objected to
friendship, provided we end up able to tolerate each other.  That's
something of a prerequisite, I've found.  But as for the rest...  Forgive
me for not exactly having confidence in your claims of perception, much
less your belief you can `fix' what might be wrong.  I don't suppose you
have any specific thoughts to improve your credibility?"  Guarded,
definitely, and wary.  Still, she didn't quite seem to be dismissing him
out of hand, which was something, at least.
      Skyler took a deep breath.  This was going to hurt, no question.
      "I saw a girl, with violet eyes and wavy hair.  She handed you an
orange rose, and said, `But I don't regret stealing him from you.  You
must hate me for being like this.'  And something about believing in
miracles, I think."
      At the mention of the girl, every part of Juri visibly tensed.
Her right hand closed around the locket, clutching it so tightly her hand
quivered with the strain.
      She looked away, visibly forcing herself to calm down as she
replaced the locket down the collar of her shirt.  "So.  You know.  What
exactly do you plan to do, then?" she asked.
      "Well, talk to you.  Talk *with* you, if you'll let me.  Not
everything I saw was personal, and I'd like to sort it out.  I know more
than I should, but not enough to understand it.  `A little learning is a
dang'rous thing, drink deep or taste not the Pierian spring.'"
      "As you like."  She rose to her feet, slowly regaining a bit of
her composure.  "I'm rather surprised.  Most people in your position
would be more curious about the inverted castle, or the girl drawing a
sword from another's body than about someone else's love life."
      "Well, you've already noticed my priorities tend to be a little
skewed.  I was going to get to those eventually, and the caped guy."
      Juri nodded.  "Reasonable, then.  Perhaps if you wait long enough
someone might even have answers."
      "Himemiya-san or Tenjou-san would probably be better to ask about
the sword thing, anyway, since they're the ones that do it.  And I think
that caped guy is Utena's Prince."  Skyler looked up and saw that the
bulk of students had already passed by.  "Shall we talk on the way?"
      "Very well."

      "It's a simple enough story," Juri began as they walked towards
the class buildings.  "The three of us were friends in junior high
school.  He was infatuated with me.  She had a crush on him.  She valued
his love higher than the friendship we all had, and as such convinced him
I was in love with someone else."  Her head bowed slightly.  "He ended up
falling for her, of course."
      Skyler nodded.  [She didn't say who *she* loved...]  "Sounds
familiar.  I've seen that happen a lot, in one combination or another."
      She nodded back.  "It's an old story, in all its forms.  Still,
it's over now, for me at least.  After graduation, they transferred to
another school while I remained here.  Aside from occasional letters,
we've drifted out of touch."  She sighed.
      "But from that one bit I heard, it kind of soured you on talk of
miracles, so when Tenjou-san started going on about her `Power of
Miracles' you couldn't help but call her on it.  Does that sound right?"
      "Not precisely.  I'll admit my... experiences did not endear me to
the concept.  But I had considered and dismissed the idea of miracles
long before.  As for Tenjou... it was less specifically her faith in
miracles than her naivete."  Juri shook her head.  "She believes in a
prince on a white horse -- a man who comforted her when she was young, and
who she thinks will return one day to make everything perfect.  She
relies on fairy tales to cope with life.  That, more than anything, was
what angered me."
      "The scary thing there is that at least part of Tenjou-san's
fairy tale seems to be working out.  Her Prince certainly seemed to help
out when she needed him."
      "Do you really think so?  Perhaps.  Or perhaps someone is using
her preconceptions for his own benefit.  Or perhaps it is something
totally unrelated.  We just don't know, and pretending we do would be
quite foolish."
      Skyler considered that, allowing himself to lapse into silence.
      They entered the classroom building, and Juri had a bit more to
say.  "Perhaps there is someone responsible for it -- I must admit, sheer
luck isn't a very convincing possibility -- but that does raise more
questions than it solves."
      "A riddle wrapped in an enigma inside a puzzle.  Or however the
quote goes.  Is the Power of Miracles the same as the Power to
Revolutionize the World?  Is the Ends of the World related to
Tenjou-san's Prince?  And if I'm a pawn in a game, whose game is it?
This is a lot more interesting than my old life."
      She nodded.  "We all find something to fascinate ourselves in
this game.  The allure is different for everyone, but I don't believe
anyone who's seen the Castle of Illusion has ever turned away."
      "The Castle of Illusion... now there's a name to conjure with..."
By this time, they'd reached the main hall, and Skyler broke off to fetch
the school footwear.  He saw Eiko and Biko briefly through a gap in the
crowd, bickering genially about something or another, and waved to
Nanami, who waved back as she left the room, accompanied by that young
boy from the kangaroo fight -- Tsuwabuki, wasn't it? -- who was reading
something to her from a small notebook.

      In the classroom, Kyoto-sensei stopped Skyler as the latter was
on the way to his seat.
      "If you don't mind, I'd like you to watch over a junior high
cooking class today -- the usual teacher is out sick, and we haven't been
able to find a replacement with a free period.  It wouldn't be too
hard -- the students all know what recipes they're working on.  We just
need you there in case any accidents happen.  I'm afraid you'll have to
miss English..."
      "I don't think that will be a problem, sir."  Skyler grinned,
then flinched when he realized there could easily be an Akane-sized
problem...
      "Good, good.  The room's in this building on the first floor.
Arisugawa-kun, if you could escort him there?  And perhaps come back
afterwards, to help him make sure everything's cleaned up properly..."
      Juri turned from the window fixing Kyoto-sensei with a curious
stare... much as a butterfly is fixed by a steel needle.
      "Ah... of course, if you like, you could stay there as well, or do
something under your own supervision... You're far enough ahead in English
that..."
      The stare didn't waver.  Kyoto-sensei pulled out a handkerchief
and mopped his forehead with it.
      "Or, um, you don't have to at all if there's a problem... I can
always--"
      "I'd be glad to go," Juri interrupted flatly, then turned back to
the window.
      "Ah, good.  Um... well, since that's settled..."  Kyoto-sensei
beat a hasty retreat to the front of the classroom.

      After a series of not too difficult, but not overly boring,
morning classes, the two high-schoolers walked to the home economics
room.  Skyler, for once, kept his mouth shut.
      Skyler and Juri turned the corner, just in time to see a group of
students coming from the opposite direction, and making their way into a
classroom/kitchen in twos and threes.
      "Hey, sempai!"  Utena waved to Skyler from among the students,
and Anthy, next to her, smiled.  Utena hesitated slightly as she saw
Juri, but then kept on walking.
      "Good morning, Tenjou-san, Himemiya-san," Skyler said as he got
closer.  "I take it you're in this class?"
      "Yeah.  You came to watch?"
      "More like supervise, actually.  Your usual teacher's sick today,
so I got called in as a substitute of sorts."
      "Neat.  I--"
      "U-te-na!"
      Skyler just had time to blink as a cheerful shout rang out
through the hallway and a girl ran out of the pack of students, leaping
on Utena's back and clinging to her, almost bowling her over while
talking a mile a minute.
      "Ne, ne, Utena, you're gonna try my udon, right, 'cause I think
it's gonna be really great this time, and I really like the sauce I've
been working on, and I mean sure I'll try your and Anthy's curry too,
and..."
      Utena, for her part, managed to gasp out, "...Wakaba...omoi..."
      Skyler leaned in.  "Good morning, Shinohara-san, was it?"
      Wakaba blinked.  "Yeah, that's me.  Um...Who're you?"
      "Sands-sempai is watching our class today," said Utena in a
slightly strained tone of voice.
      "Oh yeah, you're that guy who moved in next door to Utena,
right?"  She beamed broadly, looking him up and down.  "Pleased to
meet'cha!  Wow, you really are as cute as everyone says."
      "Er, likewise," said Skyler nervously.  ["Cute?"  Me?  Must be
local slang for "foreign-looking."]
      "Wakaba..." Utena groaned, blushing slightly.
      "Oh, C'mon, don't get jealous," Wakaba laughed, grappling Utena
with something that looked to be half-hug and half-nelson.  "you know I'm
yours and yours alone!"
      Utena just sighed resignedly.
      "Perhaps we should move this inside?" asked Skyler, putting on
his "professor" mode again.
      "Right, right.  Let's go!"  Wakaba gestured grandly forwards, as
Utena proceeded into the room, with the brown-haired girl still riding
piggyback.  A softly smiling Anthy followed a moment later, with the
bemused Skyler bringing up the rear, putting him in exactly the right
position to get jostled by a girl leaving the classroom.
      He blinked, turning after her.  It was one of Keiko's girls,
Yuuko, wasn't it?  He briefly wondered what had delayed her in the classroom,
but put it aside for the moment.  After all, Skyler had a class to keep tabs
on.

      Skyler stood at the head of the room, making sure to check for
the location of fire extinguishers, water buckets and exits in case of
disaster.  He sent up a brief prayer for smooth operation of the class.
      Fortunately, the class quieted quickly, perhaps just because he
was an interesting novelty.  It was, fortunately for his nervousness
levels, mixed genders, all about the same age as Utena and Anthy as
nearly as he could determine.
      "Good morning, everyone!  My name is Skyler Sands, and I'll be
watching your class today, since your regular teacher is ill.  I'm told
you all know the recipes you're going to be using, so I won't take up
valuable cooking time.  Go to it!"
      Well, maybe they were chattering a bit more than their regular
teacher would have allowed, but the students did indeed seem to know what
they were doing, moving smoothly to don aprons and, for the girls,
handkerchiefs tied over the hair, and to get ingredients from the
refrigerator and cupboards.
      Anthy took a covered bowl out of one cabinet, setting it down on a
counter and scooping spice out of it, while Utena retrieved some vegetables
and started cutting.  The two of them were making rice and curry, as had
been indicated earlier, and Wakaba, over on the far side of the room, was
mixing up noodles for her udon.  The latter seemed like an enthusiastic
cook, judging by her vigorous stirring.

      Things seemed to be going well, with Skyler only called upon to
fetch salt and other small ingredients a few times, and mostly to keep
busy.  The scent of cooking soon filled the air, reminding him that he
hadn't had breakfast.
      [It's only a half hour until lunch, even if it is just
institutional food,] he reminded himself, trying not to drool.  [Besides,
one of the traditions of home ec is sharing the results....]
      "Can you believe that stuff they were serving?" a girl walking
past the classroom asked her friend, just within earshot of Skyler.  "I
thought I was going to be sick!"
      "I know, I know!" her friend replied.  "Some cafeteria.  One week
we've got gourmet meals complete with parsley, the next, we've got stuff
I wouldn't feed a starving man."
      "Good thing we've got bentou, ne?"
      Skyler groaned inwardly as the girls passed.  [Wonder if the
gourmet chef is a regular or a substitute?  Let's just hope the folks
here are generous....]
      He looked across the classroom, scanning for trouble, only to
notice Juri, standing near Utena and Anthy.  Apparently she'd decided not
to go back to English after all.
      They appeared to be conversing quietly.  After the talk he'd had
with Juri before school, Skyler didn't want to crowd her.  On the other
hand, he hoped that whatever started the duel wasn't going to happen
again.
      He began a great circle of the classroom, ending up nearby just
in time to hear his classmate...

      "...Quite interesting," Juri was saying to Utena, who nodded
slightly uncomfortably.
      "Uh, thanks."  She took a deep breath.  "Listen, sempai, about
this duel..."
      Juri shrugged.  "You won.  I won't flatter your skill, but you
certainly couldn't have broken any rules.  You're still the Victor of the
Duel, for the time being."  She met Utena's gaze.  "But someday, I will
find out why that happened, and how.  Then... well, we'll see, won't we?"
      "Yeah, I guess.  So anyway, no hard feelings then?"
      "No more than the obvious.  I still think you're quite foolish
for what you said, but I won't try to convince you of it for the moment.
There's more pressing concerns.  For instance, your rice is about to boil
over."
      "Huh?"  Utena, thrown by the rapid shift of subject, turned to
the rice pot, then burst into a flurry to get the pot off the burners and
turn the stove off.  "Whew.  Thanks.  You saved me with that one."
      "The curry's ready, too," Anthy said.  "Would you like some,
sempai?" she asked, turning to face both Juri and Skyler.
      "Yes, please," replied Skyler automatically.
      Juri nodded.  "I've nothing better to do.  A peace offering of
sorts, then?"
      Utena grinned.  "Sure, why not?"

      The curry looked good, as curry went, brown sauce speckled with
spices and lumps of vegetables, spooned half-over the rice.  Anthy
cheerfully set four plates of it on the table before her -- Wakaba was
frantically trying to get all of her seasonings into her udon before it
overcooked, and was thus unavoidably delayed.
      "So what style of curry is this?" asked Skyler.
      "It's my own invention," Anthy replied as she passed a plate
along to Skyler.  The smell, at least, was delicious, if pungent.
      "Really?  I've had various Indian versions, London had a lot of
curry places, some Thai and once--only once--I made the mistake of
ordering `Molten Lava' level curry at a Sri Lankan restaurant.  Now that
was an experience."
      "Oh, it shouldn't be that bad.  I didn't put much spice in."
      "Only one way to find out," Utena replied.  "Let's dig in."
      Skyler had eaten spicy foods before.  Some he'd liked, some he
hadn't, but he had no objection to hot and spicy flavoring on principle.
However, there were different levels of spice.  A small amount makes a
meal tangy, or zesty, just enough to make the palate tingle.  Larger
doses or stronger spices can heat up the mouth to a mildly uncomfortable
degree.  Add in enough seasonings like the strongest peppers or tabasco sauce,
and even the boldest man will grope for a glass of water, as his eyes
stream and his face turns red, desperate to put out the fire in his
mouth.
      This curry made them all seem as mild as milk.
      In a detached corner of his mind, Skyler reflected that he'd
never felt his mouth exploding before, or tasted his tongue shriveling
into a charred lump while his eyeballs liquefied.  The still-rational
segment of his mind assured him that these were all just sensory
hallucinations brought on by the potency of the seasonings, doubtless much
like the sounds ringing in his ears (not unlike an elephant trumpeting, he
noted) and set out  to find an explanation for the feeling of flying it was
now registering, along with the brown smoke.
      Of course, this was of little comfort to the rest of his mind,
which just barely had time to register him getting blown backwards by an
explosion into the rubble of the wall before losing consciousness.

      Skyler woke.  Not to a blue sky and the scent of roses this time,
but instead to a ceiling fitted with fluorescent lights and the lingering
taste of a warm mouth.  He was lying in a comfortable bed, covered by
thin sheets, and surprisingly enough was in no pain, aside from a vague
aching feeling that his body didn't fit right.  There was the slightly
irritating smell of antiseptic in the air.
      [A hospital,] he thought woozily, getting his bearings.  [I'm in
a hospital.
      [Or a nurse's station, more likely.  Okay, inventory time...]
Skyler wiggled his toes, flexed his knees a bit, then his waist.  He then
proceeded to fingers, elbows, and shoulders.  Maybe just a bit tight and
off-feeling, but nothing that couldn't be explained by falling to the
floor.
      [Okay, let's try sitting up.]  He fitted action to thought, and
winced as it felt like all the blood in his body rushed to his head,
setting his head aspin and almost making him lose his balance.  He sat
still for a moment, letting the feeling pass as he took stock of his
surroundings.  Bed.  Nightstands.  Two beds on the other wall.  Utena and
Anthy still knocked out in the beds.  Another bed visible out of the
corner of his eye, which he speculated he'd see Juri in if he could trust
himself to turn his head without it falling off.  Washroom visible out of
the corner of his other eye.
      Skyler took a few deep breaths as the last of the spots faded from
his eyes.  His brain still felt slightly stuffed with cotton wool, his
sense of balance was still trying to catch up, and his limbs felt like
they were being operated by rubber bands, but he'd been worse.
      "Boy, that was some powerful curry."  His mind cast back.  "Anthy
said it wasn't that spicy, and she's experienced enough a cook that she
wouldn't have made a mistake bad enough to put us all out..."  He
reviewed the day in his mind.  "Anthy was watching the curry from the
moment she got the spices out of the cupboard...but they were covered in
there, so they could have been switched...that Yuuko girl, maybe?  If she
still held a grudge..."  He realized he was thinking out loud again, and
stopped.
      "Anyone else up?"  Skyler figured his monologue would have
irritated his roommates into wakefulness, if he hadn't immediately bored
them back to sleep.
      "Barely," he heard Juri's voice reply from the next bed.  "What on
Earth--"
      She broke off abruptly.  Deciding to risk his head falling off,
he turned to look at her--
      Only it wasn't her after all.  It was some teenaged guy with
short brown hair and glasses, in a white and lavender outfit.  It took a
moment for it to click, due to the fuzziness of his thoughts, and the
fact that he hadn't worn that body for long, but everything came clear as
he instinctively brushed a lock of bright orange hair out of his face.
      Oh, dear.

      Of course.  This made absolutely perfect sense, in a Lewis
Carroll way.  Whatever mysterious force was guiding his destiny, writer
or mischievous demigod, it *definitely* had a nasty sense of humor.  Not
that it wasn't funny, even from Skyler's perspective.
      He started laughing hysterically, then cut off as the motion set
off another round of room-spinning.  Juri didn't look quite so amused, he
noted as he blinked the spots from his eyes.
      "The worst part right now is biting back all the obvious
one-liners.  If your head feels like mine, you wouldn't appreciate
them..."  He rubbed his (her?) eyes for a moment, trying to compose
himself, then looked to the other bed again...
      ...And found himself staring into his own eyes.
      Juri had gotten up and was now standing next to Skyler's bedside,
uncomfortably close.  The half-lidded eyes behind the glasses met
Skyler's own gaze, almost transfixing him with their calm stare.  There
was an awkward moment of silence, finally broken as Juri's hand moved to
cup his (her?) face.
      [Ack!  He's touching me!  No, wait, my body, Juri's mind, of
course she's curious....]
      Aloud, "Um, Ju--Arisugawa-san, I, er, you, ahh..."  All of
Skyler's wit had suddenly deserted him.
      She didn't seem inclined to respond as her hand traced its way
down to the top of Skyler's collar.  He wondered if Juri would be
satisfied with tracing outside the uniform.  [This feels really really
weird.  And she hasn't even gone anywhere intimate yet.]  Skyler
attempted to smile reassuringly, then realized what this was going to
look like to anyone who walked in.  [Eek.]
      His mental questions were answered unnervingly as she tugged the
top of the shirt open slightly and dipped her (his?) hand inside to his
(her?) neck, causing every muscle Skyler had to tense.  He opened his
mouth to try to protest, or question, or say *something*, but he couldn't
quite get his larynx to work as she slid her fingers around to the side
of the neck and pulled at something...
      ...And, with a single yank, pulled the golden locket and its
chain out of Skyler's shirt.
      With that, she turned and walked towards the washroom, tucking
the locket into her sleeve with a casual and perfunctory "Thank you,"
leaving Skyler with a look that he distantly realized resembled the face
of a stunned flounder.
      [Oh.  Well.  She could have said "Please."]  Skyler swallowed his
irritation, and decided to try getting out of bed.  The disorientation
had mostly passed, and he was able to stand.  [Thank God she doesn't wear
heels,] he thought.
      By moving carefully, Skyler was able to keep the changed center
of gravity from interfering too much with walking, though he had to
consciously keep his mind off the details of how it was changed to keep
his concentration, and he looked over to see how Utena and Anthy were
doing.  And, for that matter, which one was which.
      "Nnn...Sempai?"  Utena's voice asked as Anthy's body sat up
slowly, blinking blearily at him.  "What the heck was that all--?" she
began to ask as she raised a hand to rub her eyes, cutting off abruptly
as her knuckle hit her glasses.  She blinked a few times, then
managed to focus on the shade of the hand in front of her.  Not
unsurprisingly, her eyes got rather wide.
      "Oh, my," Anthy's voice came from the next bed.  "I didn't think
I made it *that* strong..."
      Utena-in-Anthy's-body turned to look, and her eyes got even wider
when she saw who was lying there.
      "Well, that confirms one hypothesis.  Anyone for mixed doubles?"
Skyler grinned as he let one of the one-liners he'd been holding back
loose.
      Utena turned back to look at him.  "Sempai, is there something
wrong with your thr--"  She did a double take.  "Wait a minute.  If I'm
Himemiya and she's me..."
      Anthy nodded, having sat up and started smoothing the black
jacket she was wearing.
      "...That means that you're... and Arisugawa-sempai is..."
      "Right here," Juri responded from the doorway to the washroom,
where she was looking herself over critically in the mirror.  "Attempting
to stay out of shock."
      Utena slumped, resting her forehead on her hand.  "Just when I
thought this school couldn't get any weirder..." she mumbled wearily.
She winced and adjusted her hand to avoid resting on her glasses.
      "I'm very sorry, Utena-sama," Anthy said as she demurely turned
to sit on the edge of the bed and face Utena.  "I didn't know this would
happen."
      "I don't think it's your fault, Himemiya.  I mean, it was just
curry, right?  I don't think it *could* do anything like this."
      "My best bet would be sabotage," said Skyler.  "Someone randomly
altering the spice selection."
      "I dunno..." Utena said dubiously.  "I mean, who'd do that sort
of thing?  Heck, who *could*?  I don't think spices usually do...this."
She stared at her hands in emphasis.
      "Normally, and in the proper proportions, no.  But randomly
misused...well, you know nutmeg is a hallucinogen in large doses,
right?"  [Of course a dose large enough to do that will give you enough
other medical problems that you won't care if you're hallucinating....]
      "Really?"  She shook her head.  "But...I dunno, this doesn't feel
like a hallucination or anything."
      "Though it would be a more plausible explanation than most
others," Juri added, joining the group by the bedside.
      "It would probably be best to treat this situation as real, since
it could be a while until we find out one way or another."  Skyler tried
to push his glasses up his nose, but since he wasn't wearing any,
succeeded only in poking himself between the eyebrows.
      "Agreed."  Juri nodded.  "Though I would be interested in finding
a cure for this as quickly as possible."
      "I'm really sorry," Anthy apologized again, Utena's pink hair
hanging down around her downcast face.
      "Jeez, Himemiya, it's okay," Utena sighed.  "It's not the end of
the world."
      "Given that it appears to be a chemical reaction of some sort,
I'd estimate a duration somewhere between eight hours and three days,
with a minimum of one really embarrassing incident apiece.  Let's just
hope it doesn't require another dose of curry."  Skyler looked over at
Juri, and remembered to button his collar again.  "So, did anyone have
any pressing engagements?"

      There was a long moment as no one answered.  Skyler could almost
hear the wind whistling by in the background as Anthy looked on in polite
confusion, Utena looked totally nonplused, and Juri looked slightly, if
darkly, amused.  He had the distinct impression that in other anime
worlds he'd have just provoked a minor face fault.
      "You're sure taking it well," Utena murmured at last.
      Skyler's reply was cut off by the sound of the door opening, a
cart rattling, and a nurse gasping in slight surprise.  "Oh, my.  You're
all awake already?"
      "Well, we only got a little of whatever it was.  I don't suppose
there's been time for the toxicology reports to come back from the lab?"
Having an active-duty nurse for a mother might not allow Skyler to
impersonate a doctor, but he did know the jargon.
      The nurse blinked.  "Toxicology?"
      "Well, yes," Skyler continued.  "You know, about whatever it was
we ate?"
      "You're not in here for food poisoning or anything...
Arisugawa-san, isn't it?" she asked, checking a clipboard.  "You were
brought in here because you were all knocked out in that explosion in the
cooking classroom.  You might be a bit confused--none of you had serious
concussions, but you've certainly had quite a shock...."
      "Explosion?"  [Well, there goes any evidence....]
      "Yes, the strangest thing.  People say it might have been a gas
line.  It blew a huge hole in one of the outside walls, too -- it's a
miracle more people weren't hurt."
      "What time is it?"
       The nurse looked down at her watch.  "It's about twelve-ten.
You've only been out for a little under half an hour.  Considering the
shock you've had, I'd say you were extremely lucky to get off so
lightly."
      [Lightly indeed,] thought Skyler.  [None of us look like we've
been in an explosion....]
      "Um, yeah, lucky."  Utena was trying to do Anthy's smile, it
looked like, and not quite succeeding.
      "I'll just go get the doctor."  The nurse hurried from the room,
and the patients looked at each other.

      Juri looked ready to say something, but the doctor came in,
apparently already having been on his way.  He was a rather nondescript
middle-aged man with the stereotypical white coat and thinning hair.  He
wasted no time with small talk, but did a quick check of each student's
pulse, respiration and pupil response.
      Utena and Juri discovered during the last the wonders of
nearsightedness, having had to take off their glasses.  Utena took off
and put back on her spectacles several times.  She also looked rather
curiously at Juri's face without the glasses.
      [Oh yeah, the scar,] thought Skyler.  He personally was trying to
avoid touching himself.  This wasn't helped by a growing itch a bit below
his collarbone.
      What did help was a curt "You're fine.  You can go now." from the
doctor.

      By this time, everyone seemed to have gotten the hang of walking
again.  Once outside the clinic, Skyler recognized the general decor as
being that of the main Academy building, and the view out the window
showed them to be on the first floor.
      "I'd like to visit the library, unless anyone else has a better
plan?"  After all, he still had to cook tonight...
      Juri nodded.  "The Student Council's archives are just off the
library, and slightly more private.  We'll be able to talk there."  So
saying, she took the lead through the corridors, guiding Skyler and the
others up to a third-floor hallway.
      "Utena, Utena!  Utena-sama!"
      Everyone half-turned at the sound of the voice and running
footsteps from behind them, just in time to see Wakaba leap onto the
pink-haired girl's back, hugging her with a bone-crushing grip and
chattering a mile a minute.
      "I was so worried, there was this huge explosion and I heard you
were hurt, and are you really okay, 'cuz..."
      Wakaba trailed off as Anthy slowly toppled to the ground under
the weight.
      "Enthusiastic, isn't she?" whispered  Skyler to Juri, who nodded.
      "On, no!  I'm sorry!"  Wakaba leaped to her feet.  "I wasn't
thinking, just hugging you like always, I really shouldn't since you're
still..."  She looked around frantically.  "We need an ambulance, or a
doctor, or, or..."
      "There is no need."  Anthy smiled softly.  Wakaba blinked and
looked down.
      "I will be quite all right.  I apologize for having worried you,"
Anthy reassured.
      "Utena...  there's something weird about you," Wakaba murmured,staring
at Anthy perplexedly.
      "We're all still a little disoriented from the effects of the
explosion," Skyler offered.
      Utena mouthed "A little?" then moved to help Anthy up.
      Wakaba still looked a little dubious, or perhaps just confused.
"Well...  if you say so.  It sure rattled everyone in class.  I mean, you
should have seen the look on Suzume-kun's face, it was just...!"
      Skyler relaxed slightly as the babble of classroom gossip washed
over him.  Wakaba seemed to suspect something, but she obviously wasn't
letting it concern her.
      It was a little over five minutes later when Utena finally
managed to disengage the group from Wakaba, though not without getting a
few more odd looks and a request that `Utena' call her if there were
anything she needed, anything at all.

      Juri shook her head.  "It won't work."
      The Student Council records room was packed with wooden filing
cabinets, stretching from the floor to the ceiling, with footstools and
rolling ladders allowing access to the higher shelves, as well as serving
as impromptu seats.  Skyler and the others had gathered in one of the
back aisles, out of the line of sight of the door to the library.
      "Do we really have much of a choice?" Skyler asked.  "I don't
think we can go around telling everybody that we've swapped bodies."
      "Yeah, but you saw Wakaba," Utena replied.  "I don't think Anthy
and I could fool her for long.  Same problem with Miki and Nanami, and
probably some others.  And what about Juri-sempai's fencing practice, or
that game the boys' basketball team challenged me to after school?"
      Skyler tried to fiddle with his glasses again, only to get his
hand tangled in Juri's orange hair.  [I'd forgotten what a pain long hair
is.  Oh well, washing it is the least of my physical worries.]
      "I'd guess fencing practice is a wash.  My knowledge of the sport
is limited to watching other people, mostly in movies.  On the other
hand, I did express a slight interest in joining the fencing club, so
Arisugawa-san has an excuse to be there in my body...."
      Juri nodded, brushing back a lock of hair, and setting Skyler's
glasses slightly askew.  "And if we were to step aside so that I could
personally evaluate your skill...  or from their point of view, vice
versa...  it might be easier to avoid prying eyes.  There's little chance
we could avoid suspicion totally, of course, but it might delay Miki's
curiosity an hour or two.  A stunning achievement," she added dryly.
      "As for you two," indicating Anthy and Utena, "you *could* say
that you've decided to take each other's roles for the rest of the day,
for reasons that are none of the questioner's business.  Roommates have
been known to do that in the past."
      This brought a few raised eyebrows.
      "An American custom, I take it?" Juri asked lightly.  Skyler
coughed nervously and pressed on.
      "Mind, this probably isn't going to allow you to win the
basketball game...."
      "Oh, I dunno," Utena commented, feeling her arm as she
stretched.  "I mean, Himemiya's not in the greatest of shape, but I could
probably still take 'em."  She blinked.  "Oh, wait, you meant if Himemiya
tried?  Yeah, that'd be a problem."  Anthy nodded solemnly.
      "Your choice how you handle it, of course, but I figure at least
one thoroughly embarrassing incident is in our futures..."
      "I'll bet," Utena groaned.  "If you ask me, probably the best
thing would be to just run with it.  Do what we feel like and not care
about the questions.  I mean, almost nobody's going to believe the truth
anyway, so why not tell it?"
      [She has a valid point, except that I'm already one step too
close to the booby hatch....]
      "Actually, aside from the gender dysphoria, Arisugawa-san, you've
got the easiest role.  Pretty much everyone who knows much about me is
here in this room.  You could walk down the halls in a tutu flapping your
arms and clucking like a chicken, and people would just assume it's some
weird American custom.  Though I'd prefer you didn't."
      "Hmf."  Juri smiled.  "An interesting image, but I'm not quite
that cruel.  Similarly, I expect you could approximate me simply by
acting aloof, though not when it came to close friends, or, say, English
tests."
      Skyler rolled his eyes.  She *would* bring that up now.  "English
is probably the least of our worries, unless there's a speech contest no
one's told me about.  Close friends is a lot more troublesome.  For
example, I don't know if you have a roommate, or have other living
arrangements.  Which could be tricky if this lasts past nightfall...."
[Hey!  She smiled!  I actually got Juri to smile more than her "I am
vaguely amused" look!]
      "You think it could?"  Utena asked.  "I mean, we don't know
anything about how this happened.  Maybe it's permanent, even?"  The
worried look on her face was matched by the concern on Anthy's.
      "It may be reversible, though," Juri said, looking over at
Skyler.  "If Sands is right about the food being sabotaged, the saboteur
might have an antidote."
      "If that's what she or he intended to happen...."
      "Even if not, it would seem reasonable that a second dose could
reverse it," Juri countered.  "If this was intentional, and we can find
the culprit, we might be able to clear this up."
      [We can only pray....]
      "In any case," Juri mused, "there's one thing about these
masquerades no one seems to have considered."
      "What's that?" Utena replied.
      "Our voices haven't changed."
      Skyler frowned.  "Define `haven't changed.'  Shinohara-san didn't
seem to pick up that her sempai suddenly is a baritone, even though she
noticed right away that Tenjou-san wasn't quite herself."
      "Well, yeah, but I don't think Wakaba's ever met
Arisugawa-sempai.  And she gets really worried about me sometimes.  I
don't think she really noticed.  But it's not really all that hard to
tell."
      Skyler grudgingly had to concede the point -- he could put down not
noticing changes in his own voice to psychological factors, but Anthy and
Utena's voices seemed to have swapped bodies with them, and he'd been
able to recognize Juri without looking back in the bed.  [Guess they
decided to keep the seiyuu with the characters.]
      Still, the nurse hadn't seemed to notice either.  [Or this might
be a nurse who's never met Juri before either... keep forgetting just how
big this school really is.]
      "We'll find out for sure the first time we talk to someone who
knows my or Arisugawa-san's voice," Skyler mused.  He looked at the wall
clock.  "Lunch is nearly over, any last thoughts?"
      Anthy nodded.  "I'm really very sorry."  That seemed to sum it
up.

      Class, as it turned out, was less of a hassle to get through than
he'd feared.  While he couldn't break himself of the feeling that
somebody or perhaps everybody was staring at him, piercing his facade
with ease, there were no major disasters.  Perhaps some people noticed
that "Juri" was acting a bit nervous, or "Skyler" a bit cool and aloof,
and a few seemed definitely surprised a little by their voices, but it
seemed largely put down to shock from the explosion.
      No, the real troubles didn't begin until fencing practice.

      "Ahem."  Skyler turned to see Juri standing apart from the group
of students heading for art class, which he had been among.
      "What's up?"
      "This way.  We're going to the gym."
      "Huh?  I thought gym class was every other day.  Isn't it art
today?"
      "Yes.  However, the sports teams have occasional exceptions to
the schedule -- and today the fencing team happens to have practice."  With
that, she turned and walked down the hall, followed a moment later by
Skyler.  Soon enough, at the gym, Skyler found himself at an impasse.

      "My locker is near the end of the rightmost row," Juri said
quietly as she walked past where Skyler stood, looking nervously at the
two locker room doors.  Juri, for her part, walked unhesitatingly through
the door.  The door marked "Men."
      [Brave soul.  Well, since I'm "Alice", it's through the looking
glass for me as well.  Hmm, I wonder if that was a deliberate pun on the
part of the writer?]

      Skyler's preoccupation with his thoughts allowed him to get
through the women's locker room door without undue embarrassment, and
after that he focused on the name marker for the lockers, which were at
eye level and thus didn't require him to look at anything below the other
girls' necks.
      But of course that couldn't last.
      It wasn't the girls and their deferential calls of "Good
afternoon, Captain!" that got to him -- those he could handle with a simple
nod in passing, without having to actually look around.  It wasn't even
the embarrassment in having to change clothes in a female body -- that was
awkward, true, but he tried to handle it in the most professional manner
possible, getting it over with without much thought as to what he was
doing.
      This, however, led to the real problem.
      You see, never in his life had Skyler had to figure out a sports
bra, much less while trying not to think about it.

      [Well, I don't think I made *too* much of a fool of myself.  Not
so much that anyone noticed, anyway,] Skyler, still trying to stifle a
blush, thought as he opened up Juri's equipment locker and pulled out her
helmet and foil.  [Now I've just got to find a way to convince people I
know how to use these things.]
      He proceeded into the gym proper, passing Juri on the way.  She
nodded to him as she eyed a foil critically, hefted it for balance, then
slid it back into the storage rack and pulled out another.
      Light slanted through the windows over the long balcony,
illuminating the mats on the floor and contrasting the large windows on
another wall, which looked onto the track and baseball diamond.  [Well,
at least they patched up the hole from yesterday.]  Nearly two dozen
students, who looked to range in age from elementary school to late high
school, were standing around the gym, dressed in fencing gear and
carrying foils.  He recognized Miki, who nodded and smiled to him.
      In fact, everyone was looking at him expectantly, the sounds of
conversation dying down.
      [Hoo boy.  Perhaps we should have planned this out better.  Well,
when in doubt, delegate.]
      "Good afternoon, everyone."  Skyler tried to look confident as he
smiled.
      "Good afternoon, captain," the class said in partial chorus,
though some looked slightly confused for some reason.  [Hope I'm not
flubbing her lines...]
      "Remind me, Kaoru-kun, what's on the agenda for today?"
      Miki blinked.  "Um, well, we were going to practice in pairs for
a while...and I believe that at the end of the session we were going to
go over the rankings from yesterday's evaluation tournament...."
      "Fine then, let's get started."
      Out of the corner of his eye, Skyler noticed that Juri had
emerged from the equipment locker room, a foil in hand.  "Sands-san, why
don't we go over there?"  Juri only nodded as the class slowly paired
off and moved to their mats.

      "Well, that went about as well as can be expected," Skyler
murmured to Juri as they took up positions at opposite ends of a mat.
      *CLICK*
      "Sempai?"
      Skyler turned to see Miki beside him, stopwatch in hand, a
concerned look on his face.  "Sempai...if I'm not prying, is everything
all right?  Something seems odd today.  Are you all right?"
      [That was quick.]  Skyler glanced over at Juri, who shrugged.  He
took a deep breath, and regretted it, as he apparently hadn't quite
managed the bra right.
      "No, I'm not all right.  Can you keep a secret?"  Skyler looked
Miki in the eye, noticing he was still a bit taller.
      "i-I guess so," said the blue-haired boy.
      "Fine then.  Close your eyes."  When Miki did, Skyler took a long
pause.  "Now, without opening your eyes, and as calmly as possible, ask
yourself, `Who's talking to me?'"
      Miki's forehead crinkled for a moment, then his eyes snapped wide
open with shock.  "...*Sands-sempai*!?" he exclaimed.  "But...but
how...?"  He looked over at Juri in surprise.  "But then...  Juri-san?"
      She nodded once.  "Quite a puzzling situation, it seems."
      [Guess this answers my question about voices.  Voices... say, I
wonder.]  Skyler looked critically at Miki for a moment.  [Short blue
hair, shy intellectual, and if you raise the voice about an octave...
*that's* who he reminds me of.  He sounds just a little like Sailor
Mercury.  Wonder if it's the same seiyuu... wish I could remember her
name.  Forgot that they have women do  boy's voices sometimes.  Wonder
if they'll change actors when his voice  cracks... assuming I'm here that
long.]
      Miki, for his part, looked almost but not quite panicked.  "This
is... what happened?"
      "That remains to be determined, though the short of it is that
we've exchanged minds, or bodies, depending on how you look at it.  The
voices seem to have been stuck with the personality, for some reason."
Skyler had gone into his "professor" mode again.
      "But how?"  Miki looked back and forth, apparently trying to
reconcile what he heard with what he saw.
      "Not entirely clear, though the two most obvious proximate causes
are drugged curry or the explosion in the Home Ec room."
      "Curry?"  Miki blinked, eyes still wide with shock and a little
growing horror.  "You don't mean... it wasn't the curry Himemiya-san was
making, was it?"
      "Well, yes, but--"
      Miki blinked once, then turned his head aside with shame, tears
gathering in his eyes.  "It's all my fault... I mentioned to Himemiya-san
that I'd enjoy eating extremely spicy curry, and now... because of
me... the two of you... and Himemiya-san and Tenjou-sempai must be...."
      "Relax, kid, said Skyler careless of formality.  "First off,
Himemiya-san wasn't using the extremely spicy recipe, willingly anyway,
second, even if she did, you didn't force her to.  Besides, while this is
a little annoying, it's hardly the end of the world.  These things tend
to work themselves out.  Admittedly, this is hardly the way I'd have
chosen to get into a girl's pants, but there are far worse fates...."
      Miki started slightly at this, swiveling back to look at Skyler
with surprise and embarrassment.  "I... ah... that's..."  Fighting off a
rising blush, he looked back over his shoulder towards the rest of the
group.  "I think I'd better get back to practice.  Shimura-san still
needs an opponent...."
      "Quite tactful, you Americans," Juri remarked dryly as she
watched Miki beat a hasty retreat.
      "I didn't realize he was *that* innocent.  Ah well, time for
Fencing 101.  Please instruct me."
      "He embarrasses easily," Juri shrugged, taking a moment to adjust
her glasses before putting on her mask.  "And his mind was on something
rather close to the heart."  She raised her foil into position, and
Skyler, after a moment's hesitation, put on his mask and mirrored her
stance as best he could.
      "Oh.  Ohh.  Well, better honest embarrassment than false guilt."

      Juri looked over his stance critically and nodded.  "Try a
lunge."  He nodded, took a moment to gather his thoughts, then lunged
forward, extending his foil to hit Juri's chest as his leading foot hit
the ground.
      Juri nodded.  "Again."  He drew himself back into his original
position and tried again, drawing a nod of approval.
      "Good.  Now try a parry."
      Skyler blinked as he saw Juri's body moving forward in the
lunge.  [What's she doing?  I've never used one of these before in my
life.  I don't know how--] and Juri's foil was thrusting forward parallel
to his and he rolled his wrist just so and his foil came around
three-quarters of a circle to hit her foil from the other side and knock
it just off-target enough [--to parry...with...it?]
      Juri pulled back to a casual position and nodded.  "You know the
basics, then.  Good.  We can move past that now."
      [How the heck did I do that?  Muscle memory?  Naah, or some of
the other stuff would have come easier.  Maybe whoever mucked with my
mind in the first place provided some fencing moves--]
      Skyler barely avoided another thrust.  "Your stance is too wide,"
Juri noted.  "Move your left foot in... better."  She nodded, thrusting
again.
      And so it went, with Skyler getting by on what felt like pure
instinct, Juri pointing out holes in his style, and Skyler moving to
patch those holes before he even knew what he was doing.  Finally, Juri
lowered her foil and took off her mask and glasses in one motion.
      "You're better than I expected," Juri admitted, wiping the sweat
from her brow.  "With some practice and experience, you could be quite
decent."
      "Now that's scary."
      "Hmm?"
      "As far as I remember," Skyler pointed out, "I have no training
or experience in fencing.  And given what happened the last time I showed
a sudden new talent, I have to wonder what I think I know that I don't to
compensate."
      "Doubtless you'll find out," Juri replied unconcernedly.  "I'd
think you'd have enough on your mind already that you wouldn't burden
yourself with new uncertainties."
      "Point.  So, how do you want to handle the next thing on the
agenda, discussing yesterday's rankings, wasn't it?"
      "Easily dealt with."  She tucked her foil under one arm as she
turned and walked towards the locker rooms.  On her way past Miki, she
gently tapped him on the shoulder.
      "The rest of the meeting is yours," she said quietly.
`Arisugawa-san' is... a bit busy today."
      Miki blinked as he took off his mask, looking from Skyler to Juri
and back.  "Um... hai!"  He watched Juri as she walked casually into the
locker room.
      Skyler nearly followed, then remembered.  [Girls' lockers, guy.
I just hope this doesn't become an ingrained habit by the time we switch
back.]

      The locker room, as it turned out, was occupied -- two girls were
clustered around a locker, comparing swimsuits before donning them and
occasionally giggling at some private joke.  Skyler nodded to them, then
walked to Juri's locker (grateful it was in a completely different row)
and set about changing quickly.  Or as quickly as he could manage, since
a regular bra was far trickier than the sports bra.
      [I should really look in a mirror.  I've been putting it off long
enough.  Besides, it'd look suspicious if "Juri" didn't look to make sure
she's presentable before leaving.]
      Sure enough, that was Juri's face staring back at him--the vivid
green eyes, the sharp but classical lines of her face, the curls of
orange hair framing it all.  [Now smile...yes, much better.  She, I?,
is/am really good-looking.]  He traced the curve of her cheek in the
reflection.  [Hair is a little unruly, though.  Still, could be a lot
worse.  Think I saw a brush in the locker.]
      There was such a brush, and Skyler was quickly back at the
mirror.  He soon found, however, that speed was not the most desirable
element of hair brushing.  [Ow!  Long hair is such a pain!  Now I
remember why I never grew it back after the Air Force.  And I don't think
I can get all the ringlets quite back in shape...guess I'll just have to
do my best.]
      "Hey, hey, look at these!"  The chatter of the girls drifted
across the room to Skyler's idle ears as he focused on the task of
getting Juri's hair into a more manageable state.  "Aren't they just the
greatest?"
      "Oh, wow!  You mean it's true?  They're all acting weird?"
      "Yeah, take a look.  See?  Utena-sama's acting so gentle and
shy..."
      "And that Anthy girl is so energetic and gallant!  It's so
cool!"
      "Right, but look at these!  See, Juri-sempai looks like she's so
open and outgoing, even flustered in this one...and then Skyler-sempai
looks so cool and aloof...."
      "I think I'm in love," the other girl sighed melodramatically,
setting off another round of giggles.

      [With whom, I wonder?] thought Skyler as he put the brush away,
and leaned around the locker corner to see what was going on.
Thankfully, the girls had finished donning their swimsuits, and he
continued around.
      One of them, the taller, was holding a photograph up for closer
examination, while the other had several more pictures fanned in her
hand.  Skyler glided up behind her and cleared his throat.  "May I see?"
      "Oh, sure, I... Juri-sempai!"  The girls looked quite embarrassed
about something and Skyler was pretty sure he knew what it was.
      "Thank you muchly."  The girls stood silent, perhaps a little
afraid?  He thumbed lightly through the prints.  He knew all the people
in the pictures, of course.
      "Utena" watering the roses in the greenhouse, a peaceful look on
her face.  "Anthy" leaping in the air triumphantly, dressed in a black sports
bra and red gym shorts -- the background seemed to be a basketball court.
"Juri" in the girls' locker room, a hint of a blush on her face.
"Skyler" in class, a dispassionate look on his face, gazing cooly at the
teacher.
      [Nice figure Anthy has--oh stop that!  Someone's been a busy
beaver.]
      "Umm...Juri-sempai?" began the shorter girl, obviously trying to
screw up her courage.
      "Yes, here you are."  Skyler gave the pictures back.  "Where did
you get them?  They have to be very recent."
      "Um," the girl who'd been holding them stammered, "i-it was
Nanami-san's friends -- K-Keiko, Aiko and Yuuko... they were in the
cafeteria selling them...."
      "Do tell."  Skyler's voice dropped to near-freezing.  "I think I
might be interested in discussing laissez-faire capitalism with them..."
      The girls laughed nervously at this.  "Er, we'd better be...I
mean, we're sorry about...  I mean..." the taller girl fumbled.
      "Apology accepted.  Now get going."  The two girls scampered off
with relief towards what Skyler presumed was the pool door.  [I'm getting
pretty good at the Juri impressions, I guess.]

      Juri was waiting outside the locker room, remarkably not with a
witty comment on how long it took Skyler to emerge.
      "Looks like there's something interesting going on," Skyler
commented.  "Someone's been taking pictures of the four of us and selling
them... and I seem to recall seeing one of the photographers shortly
before the explosion.  I'm not entirely sure what the connection is, but
I think things are starting to fit together, and I'm going to see if I
can work it out.  Care to join me?"
      Juri shrugged.  "I don't see any more interesting alternative."
      "Yo!  Sempai!"
      Skyler paused in the cafeteria door, turning to see Anthy -- no,
Utena -- waving as she approached, Anthy at her side.  "Guess you two heard
about Nanami and her pals' pictures too?"
      [Hmm, that's right, the girls in the locker room referred to them
as Nanami's friends too.  Guess they mended their little quarrel from
yesterday.]
      "Yes, I did.  Skins versus shirts, I take it?"
      "Huh?"  Utena blinked.
      "That outfit in the basketball game seemed a little...well...."
      "Oh!  Nah, it's just exercise wear.  I mean, I think I've even
seen pictures of people working out like that in America.  You know,
joggers and everything, right?"
      "Um, yes.  I suppose I was brought up a little old-fashioned."
[Like about twenty years' worth, and even then my parents were a teensy
conservative.]
      "Wow.  It's kinda weird, really.  I mean, to think of America as
just this sort of weird, wild place and then get reminded it's not all
like that."
      "Well, like I said before, America's a really big place.  it's
just--"
      "Ahem."  Juri politely interrupted the conversation.  "While I'm
sure this discussion on cultural images is fascinating, I thought you
were here for other reasons..."
      "Right you are.  Ladies fi--wait, that doesn't quite work."

      As Skyler turned to head in, he paused at a familiar, if curious,
sight -- Miki was walking through the cafeteria from the patio, looking on
the verge of tears and clutching a stack of photographs to himself.
Skyler could just make out the emotion-choked words he was murmuring to
himself:  "It's so horrible... how could such a tragedy have happened to
someone like Himemiya-san... it's just so--"
      The rest of his words were cut off as he bowed his head to wipe
away a tear and, in the process, walked headlong into Skyler, almost
knocking them both to the ground.  The pictures, all of the newly
energetic and tomboyish "Anthy", fluttered to the ground around them as
Miki looked up at the quartet with a look rather like a deer caught in
headlights.
      "I see practice is over," Juri commented dryly.
      [The tragedy doesn't seem to have prevented him from picking up a
good selection...] thought Skyler as he helped scoop up the pictures.
      "I-I'm really so sorry, Himemiya-san...I mean, Tenjou-sempai...I
mean, I was just... it's..."  He took a deep breath, now beet red, then
bowed deeply.  "I'm really, really sorry!"  He hurried past the others,
avoiding eye contact as he retreated, leaving Skyler with a handful of
pictures.
      "Y'know, I think he likes you.  Want to hold on to the photos?"
asked Skyler, offering them to the currently pink-haired Anthy.
      "Oh, no," Anthy said cheerfully, blushing demurely.  "I
couldn't.  You or Miki-san or Utena-sama can keep them."
      Skyler squared the photos, and stuffed them in the jacket
pocket.  "And now for the main event...."
      The group passed into the cafeteria.

      It seemed the photography rumors had not been exaggerated, and it
was indeed pretty clear who the culprits were.  The binoculars around
Yuuko's neck were a clue, as was the camera on one of the white ironwork
tables near Keiko, and the stack of photos and negatives she was handing
to Touga with a smile and a "Thank you very much!"
      Nanami, for her part, looked rather upset at this.  "Et tu,
oniisama?!" she cried out as she glared at the pictures exchanging hands.
      [And the negatives?  Now there's a dedicated collector...  now, how
to begin?] Skyler wondered, but he didn't get the chance.
      "So that's it," Utena said darkly, glaring at Touga.  So it was
you who was behind all this."
      Touga returned her stare disinterestedly.  "I'm afraid there's
been a misunderstanding."
      "That's right!"  Nanami jumped up.  "There certainly is a
misunderstanding.  My brother would *never* have anything to do with the
two of you."  She leaned back and smirked slightly.  "This was all *my*
doing."  Covering her mouth with the back of her hand, she began to
laugh -- a shrill, gloating sound that sent a shiver down Skyler's spine,
the sort he had always associated with gymnastics and black roses.
      Idly, he noticed the trio's attempts to shush Nanami in unison
weren't having much of an effect.
      "Really?  I had thought better of you, Kiryuu-san.  I really
had."  Skyler hoped that he was getting the proper disappointed look on
Juri's face.
      "Oho?"  Nanami lowered her hand, still grinning satisfiedly.
"Sorry to drag the two of you into this, Sands-sempai, but all's fair in
love and war, and this is both.  Guess you just shouldn't have gotten too
close to the likes of them, eh?"
      "Nanami."
      Touga's deep voice was quiet, but it carried.  Nanami froze in
mid-smirk, every nerve attuned to what her brother was saying.
      "I'm very disappointed in you.  You've caused quite the
troublesome situation."
      [Not that he was above taking advantage of it,] Skyler noted to
himself.
      Watching Nanami's face fall at this was like watching the first
rain clouds race across the sky on a summer's day.  She drooped, her
features going from smug joy to forlorn regret in the space of a moment.
      For a moment, Skyler saw her violet eyes brimming with tears, and
then...
      "Oniisama!  Please forgive me!"
      It was a classic shoujo manga moment -- Skyler could almost see the
rose petals floating past as Nanami leaped towards her brother.  In fact,
he *could* see the trail of tears leaking from her eye, sparkling in the
air as she clung to Touga and rested her head on his chest.
      "When I heard how Anthy-san and Utena-san were going to be
cooking such delicious curry for cooking practice, I found a special
Indian Phantom Curry Spice especially for them," Nanami confessed in a
tear-choked voice.  "But I never, ever, believed it would do anything like
this!"
      Utena was not impressed.  "You're the unbelievable one," she
muttered.
      "Well, since you've so generously admitted causing the problem,
I'm sure you'll be happy to help us fix it, won't you?"  Skyler grinned
wolfishly.  "After all, taking responsibility for one's actions is an
important part of learning to interact with others."
      Nanami nodded.  "I'm sure if we can get another dose of the
Phantom Spice Skyler-sempai and the others can all be changed back to
their old selves."  She looked up at her brother, her face twisted with
genuine torment.  "So please, oniisama...!"
      Touga looked more amused by the situation than anything else.  He
smiled.  "Hmf.  All right, Nanami.  Come back when you have the spice and
all is forgiven."
      "Oniisama!"  Skyler couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a
face light up like Nanami's did as she hugged Touga tightly, all the
tension running from her body in an instant.
      [Forgiven, but not forgotten...  she knew *something* was going to
happen, or this photo shoot wouldn't have been so well organized...and
isn't she hugging big bro a little too tightly?]  Skyler tried to shake
the feeling of gooseflesh.  [After all, this isn't a Lara Bartram fic, I
hope.  If it is you up there, Lara, don't you *dare* bring my sister into
this!]
      He became aware of the trio whispering among themselves behind
him.
      "...well and good, but where the heck are we going to get more of
that spice?" Keiko wondered.
      "Well, it came from India, right?" Yuuko replied.
      Keiko and Aiko nodded, then paused, their faces revealing the
nasty speculation creeping across their minds.  "India...?"
      "That's right!" Nanami chirped, laying her arms across her
friends' shoulders.  "Pack your bags.  We're leaving on the next
flight."

                  TO BE CONTINUED

Next time, on MVeR...

        ["Juri" stands with Skyler's crossbow, sighting at a target,
while "Skyler" watches aloofly nearby.]

SKYLER:  Well, things may be weird, but I guess I'm slowly getting used
to them.

        ["Juri", standing in a book store, looks up from a manga,
surprised by something "Skyler" is saying.]

SKYLER:  A quiet day on the town, a nice comic book, pleasant
conversation...a truly idyllic existence....

        ["Juri" bursts into a dim, cluttered room, surprising a
bewildered "Anthy" and a young man in a green-trimmed Student Council
uniform, with wavy green hair and a partially unbuttoned shirt.]

SKYLER:  ...those are the things I could really, really use right about
now.

        [Nanami and her trio, carrying heavy backpacks, are running away
in panic from a herd of elephants.]

SKYLER:  Next time, on Ma Vie et Roses!  "Maboroshi no Watashi" (My
Phantom Self)!  Coming soon (in terms of geological epochs) to a mailing
list or newsgroup near you!

ANTHY:  Zettai Unmei, Mokushiroku.

                                Glossary

Acrophobia:  A fear of heights.

Akane:  Here referring to Tendou Akane, of _Ranma 1/2_, a proverbially
disastrous cook.

Alice:  Which would be pronounced "A-ri-su" in Japanese.  *Probably* not
a deliberate reference.

Anime:  Japanese animation.  _Shoujo Kakumei Utena_ is an anime show,
broadcast on Terebi Tokyo.

Bentou:  Japanese boxed lunch.  Usually a number of specially-prepared
foods arranged in an aesthetically pleasing manner, sometimes on a bed of
rice.

Black roses:  A reference to Kunou Kodachi, of _Ranma 1/2_.  Note that a
similar laugh seems to be stereotypical of "upper-crust" girls in anime.

Crenelations:  The notches in a castle's battlements.  The parts in
between are called merlons.

Et tu:  "And you?"  A bit of Latin most commonly used in imitation of
Shakespeare's _Julius Caesar_.

Facefault:  Falling over in an exaggerated manner to indicate shock.

Gender dysphoria:  The desire to dress like, act as, or even become the
opposite sex.  The cliche is "a woman trapped in a man's body."

Hentai:  Usually translated "weird" or "perverted", though as used here
"lewd" would be closer.

Higashi-kan:  East Hall.  The dormitory where Utena and Anthy (and for
this story, Skyler) live.

Kashira:  A feminine sentence ending translatable as "I wonder" or "Do
you think?", depending on context.  The shadow-play girls use it quite a
bit.

Kun:  Suffix for names.  Generally used by superiors to their charges
(teachers to students, managers to employees, etc.) or by young men among
themselves.

Laissez-faire:  "Let be."  In economics, the belief that a free market
should operate with the minimum of interference (like government
regulations.)

Lara Bartram:  Anime fan fiction author noted for dealing with incest
themes.

Lewis Carroll:  The pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who wrote "Alice
in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass."

Manga:  Japanese comics.  The manga version of _Shoujo Kakumei Utena_ was
published in the anthology _Ciao Flower Comics_.

Ne:  A sentence-ending particle meaning, roughly, "okay?" or "Right?"

Omoi:  "Heavy."

Oniisama:  An extremely respectful way to say "older brother."  May
substitute for the actual name.

Pierian spring:  A legendary spring in the Pieria region of Greece, said
to be dedicated to the muses.  One who drank from it was supposed to
become inspired and gain knowledge.  The quote is from Alexander Pope's
"An Essay on Criticism."

Sailor Mercury:  From _Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon_, a superheroine with
the traits mentioned here.

Sama:  Suffix for names.  A term of extreme respect, sometimes bordering
on the obsequious depending on the context and tone.

San:  Suffix for names.  Generally considered the "default" suffix, it
can be used to address anyone from a complete stranger to a fairly close
friend.

Seiyuu:  Voice actor.

Sempai:  Refers to one more senior than the speaker (usually in school,
though sometimes in a place of business.)  Often used as a name suffix.

Sensei:  Teacher.  Often used as a name suffix.

Shoujo manga:  Japanese girls' comics, which _Shoujo Kakumei Utena_ is
generally in the style of.

Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku:  Literally, this translates as "Absolute
Destiny:  Apocalypse."  Among other things, it is the name of the song
played as Utena climbs to the Duel Arena, and is said by Anthy at the end
of each "Next Episode" segment.

                        Authors' Notes

        Well, it's out at last.  Many apologies for all the delays, which
can be attributed solely to my writing speed, which is best described as
"greased molasses."  I had originally held out hopes for getting this
released on the same day as the first volume of dubbed Utena tapes, and
find myself putting the last touches on it some time not long after the
second tape's release.  I'll try to do better in the future, though this
may necessitate electroshock therapy or something of that ilk.
        We're moving into more serious spoiler territory now--while
there's still nothing that would really ruin the enjoyment of the series,
and in fact viewers of the show still know more than Skyler (just what's
in Juri's locket, for instance), we will slowly be moving into more and
more territory that might be more enjoyable to watch before reading
about.  (Mind you, with my pace, it's not likely to come out before the
videos anytime soon....)
        This also leads into a note about where to send C&C to, in order
to keep spoilers away from the eyes of those who would be spoiled.
Comments about the story in general should go to both authors [and the
FFML or RAAF], but specific discussions about Skyler's character should
likely go to Scott Jamison, while items specifically referencing the
characterization of the Utena characters or elements of the forthcoming
Utena plot (along with lambastements about lateness) should go to me.
This way, we don't risk a slip of the tongue giving SKJAM! the headaches
of trying to keep author knowledge and character knowledge separate....
        I'd like to thank my pre-readers for helping out, all the fans
who've responded with praise or questions on when the next episode is
coming out, and most of all my co-author, for putting up with me.
        Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku.

Scott Johnson zazyg@io.com

        Well, everyone who didn't see that plot twist coming, raise your
hands.  (Good, at least some of you were surprised...)
        Hope to hear from you!

SKJAM! majks@cyberx.com