From: "Alex Gray" ******************************************************* Revolutionary Girl Utena The characters and concepts of Chiho Saito are used without permission. Other original characters are copyright of Alexander Gray This story maybe freely distributed as long as this section is also referenced and the author is quoted. ******************************************************* Redirections - Act I - A New Beginning ------------ Scene I: I stood at the great gates of the Academy and looked up in amazement at the way it never seemed to change, even after so long. These majestic halls had once been my home, but I had been away for so long now that they meant nothing to me except as a reminder of the joy that I had lost. When I had last left this place so many years before, I had had life, hope and a mission, but now... now I had nothing left but bittersweet memories. I closed my eyes and let the spring wind gently blow over my face. It ruffled my hair and I could detect the faint scent of cherry blossom. I inhaled deeply and let its fragrance slowly relax me. The sweet perfume of spring bought back to my mind memories of a warm and happy time, a time of companionship and shared dreams. It was a memory that bought a fleeting smile of delight to my face, a delight that slowly faded as other darker memories gradually overwhelmed it. She was gone. My companion, my Prince was gone. I shivered slightly as the warm wind suddenly turned chilly and blew straight through the light summer dress I was wearing. Putting down my suitcases, I took a moment to pull my cardigan tighter around me and in my mind closed the door on those painful memories of my past life. She was gone - I could not call her back, and while I would never forget her, I had to move on. That is what _she_ would have wanted me to do. I had mourned her passing for 70 long years, but I could not continue to do so forever. It was time for me to begin to live my life again. Raising my hand to shelter my eyes, I looked up at the blue sky overhead and felt the radiant warmth of the sunlight shine down on my face. Yes, for her sake I had to be strong and live. Hiding from the world solved nothing, even I should have learnt that by now. Taking a deep breath, I forced a small smile onto my lips and returned my attention to the great gates. Why I had chosen to come back here, to the place where it had all begun I did not really know. Maybe it was because this place had been my home for so long, or maybe it was just because of my brother. To be honest, I did not even care. I was here, and that, was that. I took another deep breath and reaching down picked up the two small suitcases at my side. Taking a moment, I ran over in my mind the details of my latest reincarnation. Names, dates, the routine was much the same. I was surprised sometimes that I managed to keep it all straight in my head and not get the details confused. When you have lived as many lives as I have the names and the places begin to blur into one. "Mai," I reminded myself. "Mai Azura." That was who I was now - Mai Azura, age 16. An orphan and only child. No family and no relatives. This was the new me, the me that I would have to live and breathe for the next five years before it would be time to move on yet again. I... "Excuse me." A soft voice broke through my musings and startled, I turned around to see who had spoken. "Umm, excuse me," the soft voice said again. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but do you think you can tell me the way to the western residential hall. I'm kinda new here and to be honest, I'm completely lost..." A lopsided grin broke out on the teenager's young face and I could not help myself but respond in kind. "Of course," I replied with a small polite bow as I looked over the newcomer in greater detail. Physically, she seemed about my age and had a well proportioned, but slenderly built form. Short chestnut brown hair ringed an attractive pixie like face from which two very intense blue eyes stared out at me anxiously. I smiled warmly at her in an attempt to reassure her. "I would be happy too," I finished. "Oh, thank you!" the girl said and gave me a grateful bow. "I had feared that I might be wandering around this place for hours trying to find out where I was supposed to be. You see, I'm not very good with directions - I tend to get lost easily." "Oh," I replied. "Karina De'Naime," the girl suddenly said holding out her hand. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." I smiled in reply and taking her hand in mine introduced myself as well. "Mai Azura, pleased to meet you." "Azura," the girl said slowly almost as if she were savoring the name. "Blue - like the sky..." She smiled, "That's a good name. I'm very pleased to meet you, Mai Azura." "And I you, Karina De'Naime," I replied trying to speak the foreign sounding name without twisting it too much. Karina smiled at my care and nodded in understanding. "I'm afraid my Mother has rather an old pride when it comes to somethings. For instance, she still insists that our Family incorporates a sense of the past in the names we can chose for ourselves - even now." I did not reply. I just smiled and waited for her to make the next move. "I really do appreciate this..." Karina commented picking up her two suitcases. "I'm just useless at directions, I... Oh, silly me, I've already said that haven't I..." She giggled and moved over to join me. "Are you starting here this term as well? I only just arrived today. Mother wanted me to come here so that I could get some experience of being out in the real world." The girl shook her head fondly, "Mother's like that. She does not believe in cosseting her daughters..." I nodded my head politely but mostly just ignored what the young girl was saying as she continued to go on about her mother and her family. This Karina seemed to be a nice enough girl, but she really was quite childish. I could easily see why her mother thought it was necessary for the girl to get some experience of the real world. She still had a lot of those soft edges that only hard living could polish into maturity. I silently wished her luck with it. No matter what happened, Karina had interesting times ahead of her - especially being here. The two of us walked side by side up one of the many paths that led towards the main school complex. As I walked along half listening to what Karina was saying, I took the time to re-familiarize myself with my old home. Nothing much had really changed. The other girls and boys that we passed were still wearing the same style of uniforms that I had once worn so long ago. The snippets of bright conversations that I overheard were still on the same sorts of subjects, and the air was still full with the faint smell of summer roses. No, nothing much had changed at all. My brother's twisted idea of Eden was something that would never change - it was as timeless as he was. "You seem to know this Academy very well," Karina abruptly commented, looking over at me with interest. "Have you been here before?" Her sudden comment bought me up sharp and stopping, I turned to face her. "What makes you say that?" I asked carefully. Karina smiled warmly and then shrugged. "Just your attitude I guess. You seem to be smiling and looking around as if you were remembering things that made you happy, so..." Her voice trailed off as if she were slightly embarrassed by her directness. I was genuinely surprised by her perceptiveness. This Karina was far more observant than I had initially given her credit for. I would have to be more careful than I had originally thought. I nodded my head slowly. "Yes, I have been here a few times before," I said dismissively. "Enough to know my way around at least." "That's nice," Karina replied fidgeting slightly. The expression on her face had become strangely nervous, almost as if she wanted to say something important and was trying to build up the courage to do so. "Karina?" I asked taking a small step towards her. "What's up?" Karina looked down, and then raising her head, locked her deep blue eyes onto mine. "Mai..." she began hesitantly. "Would you... Would you please be my friend? This is the first time I've ever been away from my Family and I... Well... I don't know how..." Her voice faded away in nervous confusion and she looked down, embarrassed. I must admit, her request startled me and I looked at her searchingly trying to ascertain what she meant by it. As the seconds of silence slowly ticked by, the girl's white face turned an evermore increasing shade of red and I gave a small sigh to myself. This Karina really was a child. Oh, well, what the heck... I took a step towards her and held out my hand. "I would be happy to be your friend, Karina. I'm not sure how useful I can be, but..." The smile that suddenly erupted on the girl's face seemed to light up the day around us and I had to stop myself from smiling like an idiot in reply. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, Mai-san!" Karina exclaimed happily. "I'm so glad! Really! I swear I will make you proud!" She clasped my hand with a strength that belied her slender form and I tried hard not to wince. The girl was certainly enthusiastic - that was for sure. "I'm glad too, Karina-san," I said trying to calm her down a bit. "But may I suggest that we hurry up and get over to the Admissions office. I don't know about you, but I was supposed to be there over 20 minutes ago." "Oh, sorry!" Karina apologized pulling back her hand and looking a bit sheepish. She bent down, and picking up her suitcases flashed me a winning smile. "Lead the way, I'm right behind you." I gave her earnest face an amused look and smiled back admitting defeat. My first day back and I seemed to have made a friend whether I wished it or not. * * * * Scene II: "I don't know how you managed to convince her like that, Karina- san," I admitted as I started to unpack my second suitcase. "Getting the admissions officer to change our rooms like that was absolutely incredible. When you first asked her I thought she was going to laugh in your face." Karina grinned and made a dismissive motion with her hand, "You're my friend," she said as if that simple statement explained everything. "I want to be with you, that's all." "Well, I'm still surprised," I repeated. "Admissions are not usually known for changing things just to suit the whim of some student." "Well, I'm not just any student," Karina replied proudly. "I'm a De'Naime." I shrugged, "Whatever. Now, do you want any help unpacking?" "Ah, no thanks, Mai-san," my new roommate said with a shake of her head. "I'm already done actually." "That was quick." "I don't really have a lot with me." "Oh, well perhaps you could give me a hand instead then." Karina jumped down from the top bunk with an agility that surprised me. "Sure can!" she said brightly coming over to stand next to me. "What do you need?" I did not reply but just passed her a folded school uniform, "Put that away in the cupboard, would you?" I asked her. The girl nodded and taking the uniform from me did as I bid, humming softly to herself at the same time. I watched her antics for a moment, a slight smile of amusement on my face, then I turned my attention back to... The photo. The photo sat there, resting on one of my skirts seemingly almost somehow to be looking up at me. Two smiling faces, four bright eyes, two hands clasped together in love, two bodies leaning against each other... A tear ran down my face as I just stood there silently staring at it. Karina turned back from the wardrobe and the bright smile that she was wearing faded into an expression of worried concern as she saw the tracks of the tears shining on my face. "Mai..." she raised a hand and cautiously put it on my shoulder. "Are you all right?" I did not answer her, I could not answer her. The pain buried deep within my heart was overwhelming me, suffocating me. She was gone... _She_ was gone... My prince... "Mai..." Karina whispered in a voice that was filled with worry, and awkwardly, as if uncertain of my reaction, she pulled me to her. "Mai..." she whispered again as her head nestled lightly on my shoulder. "Please... don't cry... I... I... _Please_ Mai..." Her voice faded away as if she were confused and her arms tightened around me. Deep sobs started to wrack my body as for the first time in months my loneliness and grief completely overwhelmed me. I clutched at Karina and burying my head in the crux of her neck, I sobbed my heart out. How long the two of us remained like that I could not say, nor was it particularly important. At that moment nothing else mattered. Only the bitter pain of my grief mattered, that and the presence of the soft voice speaking nameless words of hope in my ear. Those words, and the soft voice that spoke them, became a fragile shelter that I clung to as if my life depended on it. The hole that had been ripped in my soul when _she_ had died was still as raw as it had ever been. All these years I had been fooling myself, trying to believe that I was over her. How could I have been so stupid? I would _never_ be over her! She had been my soul mate, my lover, my friend... How could I ever get... "Mai... Oh, Mai... Please..." the warm voice whispered pleadingly in my ear. "Stop it... Please. It's all right. Please, stop crying... You're not alone, I'm here... Mai, please!" The desperate tone behind the begging voice finally reached me and the warm shelter to which I had been clinging suddenly seemed not so fragile. Slowly, ever so slowly, that fragile protection became a solid thing, a tangible thing, a thing that swamped over the endless grief and drowned it in the sea of tender warmth that Karina's soft voice seemed to be offering. Gradually, the sobs wracking my body died away and became nothing more than a series of hiccups and sniffles. Karina continued to gently hold onto me until the sniffles had faded away altogether. The warm comfort of her embrace was something beyond words, and I let myself simply relax in a way I had not done for more years than I cared to remember. "Mai..." the girl whispered in my ear and her warm breath tickled my neck. "Are you all right now?" I did not know what to say so just continued to hold onto her. It felt so good once more to be held, to be cherished, not to be alone... "Mai," the girl repeated more urgently and I almost reluctantly pushed myself away from the warm protection of her arms. I swallowed, and with a final sniffle tried to put a small smile on my face. "I'm... sorry, Karina. I did not... It... it's just..." my voice faded again as a shadow of the grief tightened my throat and I looked back over at the old picture. Karina's concerned blue eyes looked at me intensely and I could almost feel her unspoken worry over me. Awkward silence ticked by and then the girl reached out and picked the framed photo up. She studied it intensely for a few moments and then turned to me. "This is you, isn't it?" she said I nodded, but could think of nothing else to say. "Is the girl next to you an acquaintance of yours?" Karina asked hesitantly pointing at the smiling figure in the photo standing next to me. "She almost looks something like my Mother with that reddish hair of hers..." I raised my hand and with a rapid movement dried my eyes. "She was... a very dear friend," I said at last as I carefully took the photo back from Karina's hand and looked down at my beloved's smiling face. "She... died a long time ago." "Oh... I'm sorry, Mai," Karina said taking my hand comfortingly in her's and giving it a squeeze. "It's hard losing someone you truly love." I looked up at her and somehow I managed to smile despite how I had been crying only a few minutes before. "Don't worry, Karina," I reassured her. "I'm not going to breakdown again. She died a long time ago, but it still catches me now and then - that's all." I took one last long look at _her_ smiling face and then began to put the photo back in my case, but Karina's hand suddenly stopped me. "Don't," she said gently, taking the photo from my grasp and putting it in pride of place on the dresser table. "She was very important to you and you loved her. It is only right for you to grieve, but that photo is of a time of great happiness in your life - you should not deny it, or her. Leave the photo out, Mai. Let the memory of those times always be fresh in your mind. I think you will find that there is no better medicine than that. And besides, I am sure that that is what she would have wanted. She has a face that speaks of a noble heart and I don't think she would want you to remember her with sorrow all the time, eh, Mai?" Karina's words surprised me and I looked up at her. As my eyes caught her's my surprise deepened. There was an ancient wisdom reflected in her gaze that was strangely out of odds with her age, and I felt myself nodding in agreement without even being aware of the motion. She really was full of strange contradictions, this wise girl- child. "Thank you," I whispered without really knowing what it was I was thanking her for - it just seemed the right thing to say. "You're my friend," Karina replied simply with a warm smile as if that explain everything. "Come on," she said turning back to my case. "Let's get the rest of this put away, eh? I for one want to get some dinner and also find out what our dorm mates are like." The infectious warmth of her expression swept through me, and for the first time in many years I felt I could look at the picture of my beloved Utena, and at last, begin to smile. * * * * Scene III: "So, you two are the new girls are you?" the portly looking woman asked giving Karina and me an intense stare. "Hai," Karina said with her ever present smile. "My name is Karina De'Naime and this is my friend, Mai Azura. Pleased to meet you." "Well, Karina-san, my name is Mrs. Daniels and I'm the Housekeeper for this dorm. If the two of you have any issues or concerns about settling in here, then I'm the person to see. Dinner is usually about 19:30, and breakfast at 07:00." The woman looked at the two of us one after another and then nodded to herself almost as if confirming something. "You both look like good girls, so I hope I will have no trouble from either you - all right?" "Are these the two new freshmen, Daniels-san?" an elegant looking girl who reminded me somewhat of Juri said as she came over and gave the two of us an appraising stare. "They are indeed, Arisu-san," the woman said with a small gesture. "And they look like they will both fit in here quite nicely." "Good," the tall brunette said with a smile holding out her hand in greeting. "Then I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Helen Arisu, dorm president. How do you do?" "Mai Azura," I replied bowing politely as I shook her hand. The brunette looked at me sharply for a moment almost as if she were weighing me up somehow, but then, with a faint smile, she seemed to dismissed me as of little importance. "And you?" she asked, turning to smile more warmly at Karina. "Karina De'Naime," the girl at my side said brightly responding to the warmth in Arisu's smile. "Pleased to meet you." "De'Naime..." Arisu said slowly as her mouth struggled to form the alien sounding syllables. "An old sounding name, Karina-chan. French, no, Italian, perhaps?" "No, not really," Karina replied with a small shake of her head. "It's just the name that my Mother and our Family have always been called." "Really?" Arisu said still holding onto the other girl's hand. "Well, perhaps you can tell me about it sometime. Genealogies and family names are something of a pet hobby of mine and I am always interested in studying foreign cultural roots," Karina nodded her head politely once more. "Of course." Arisu smiled. "Then, why don't the two of you join me for dinner? I would like to get to know something about you both and I'm sure that you have some questions you want to ask of me as well. I know how lonely it must be for you just coming here for the first time and part of being dorm president is helping freshmen, like yourselves, to get settled in." "Mai?" Karina turned towards me and the expression on her face looked almost as if she were either seeking my opinion or asking my permission. I did not know which it was, so I just nodded. "We would be happy too," I replied. "Wonderful," Arisu said smiling back warmly, and letting go of Karina's hand gestured for us to follow her. She led us into a large dinning room which was dominated by the presence of two long wooden tables. Seated at just one of these tables were 20 or so girls of various ages huddled deep in conversation. I frowned, slightly surprised by the number of empty places. Where was everyone? Several of the girls broke off their conversations and turned to smile at us in welcome as, under the guidance of Arisu-san, we made our way up to the end of the table. "Just how many are staying here?" I asked Arisu out of curiosity. "I would have thought a dorm this size would have had much more people." Arisu looked at me oddly for a couple of seconds and then shrugged. "About 30 or so I believe. It's been remarkably quiet this term. Last year at this time we were literally bursting at the seams, but with the opening of the new western hall facilities most of the middle-school and high-school students are housed there now. In fact, Mai-san, I'm quite surprised that you were sent here at all. I would have expected for you and Karina-chan to be housed there. You've been quite lucky really." "Ah." I commented as Karina caught my eye and gave me a quick wink. I looked at her questioningly but she just smiled brightly back and said nothing. Finally, Arisu led us up to a small table situated against the far wall and stopped. "Karina-chan, Mai-san, please, be seated and make yourselves comfortable, and while you're doing that, I'll go and get us something to eat. I'm hope vegetarian is all right for you, Karina-chan, but Wednesday is I'm afraid strictly a vegetarian night." Karina smiled and nodded her head. "That'll be fine, thank you, Arisu-san." "I'm glad," Arisu responded, smiling back at the shorter girl. "Oh, and you, Mai-san?" she said, turning to me almost as an after thought. I bowed my head once in assent and Arisu turned and left. After watching the departing back of the taller woman for a moment, I turned my attention back to Karina. "I think Arisu-san likes you," I said with a sly grin at the slender girl, hoping to get some sort of response out of her. Karina just shrugged off my teasing gibe and calmly replied. "She is not my friend, Mai, you are." "Ahh, right," I replied, uncertain of who had just won that little exchange. In some ways, Karina almost reminded me of Utena. The young girl had nearly the same sort of... well... innocence I suppose you could call it - naivety might be another word, but... "Mai, do you have any family?" Karina suddenly said leaning forward and looking at me straight in the eye. "That's a bit of a forward question, Karina," I replied a bit nonplussed by her sudden change in topic. Karina tilted her head to one side and looked confused. "Why, Mai?" she asked. "Family is something you're supposed to be proud of, isn't it? At least, that's what my sisters are always telling me. Aren't you proud of yours?" I smiled in apology. "I'm sorry, Karina, I did not mean it to sound quite like that. I was just surprised by your question, that's all." "Oh," the girl looked down. "I'm sorry, Mai, I did not mean to pry. I just..." I reached out and took her hand in mine. "Don't apologize, Karina. It's me who should be sorry. I, well, have not had anyone close I can talk to for a long time now, and I'm not exactly the caring, sharing type, so I tend to react a bit..." Karina looked up and shook her head emphatically. "No, no - you are a kind person, Mai-san. Please, don't put yourself down like that. If you did not have such a good heart, then I would not like you so much. And I do like you, Mai-san, really. You are my friend." I blinked. This Karina really was a strange girl. Wise, childish, intense... I was intrigued - which one was the real her? Slightly lost for words, I grabbed at the nearest thing I could think of saying. "Sisters? You have sisters? How many?" Karina tilted her head in that characteristic way she always did when she was being thoughtful and chewed her lip. "I'm not sure, Mai- san. My Family is quite big actually, and it tends to grow larger as my sisters Chos..." "Here we go, ladies," Arisu said putting a ladened tray lightly down on the table and starting to distribute the contents. "I hope you like it, Karina-chan, Mai." "Thank you, Arisu-san," Karina responded politely. "Yes, thank you," I echoed as Arisu pulled out a chair and settled down to join us. "So, why don't you tell me something about yourself, Karina-chan?" Arisu said, picking up a fork and beginning to play with her food. "What would you like to know?" Karina asked, doing that same cute trick with her head. Arisu smiled and shrugged. "How about everything?" she said. Karina looked slightly embarrassed at the request and turned towards me. "I don't know what to say. I'm not really that exciting a subject. Perhaps, Mai would..." I shook my head and passed the buck back to Karina. "There's not really that much to know about me either. I'm an extremely dull and uninteresting person." "Hmmm, same here," Karina said with an endearing look. "I'm just one sister from a Family with a large number of sisters. Nothing much to me at all." "Well, how many sisters do you have?" Arisu pressed. "You could start there at least." Karina smiled, "Too many," she said with a merry giggle. "And I'm one of the youngest. Mother sent me here so that I would be out of the way." "Oh," Arisu frowned. "That seems a bit cold of her - just wanting you out of the way." "Oh no!" Karina shook her head. "It's nothing like that at all! Mother loves us all very much! That's why she wants us to be out of the way. The fighting can be very dangerous for us youngsters - she wants us to be safe." Arisu looked up surprised, and so did I. "Fighting?" I said confused. Karina had just started to eat and looked over at us as if she were wondering what all the fuss was about. "Hmm," she said as she swallowed a rice ball. "This place is really out of the way, so Mother said I should be safe here. The fighting won't reach this Realm for a long time yet." "What fighting?" Arisu asked still perplexed. "From the War of course," Karina looked as if she were stating the obvious. "War? What war, Karina?" I asked bemused. I had lived through a number of wars myself and I knew how ugly they could get, but even so, I could never imagine any war coming here. The very concept seemed impossible. Karina put down her fork and was plainly confused. "THE War," she restated. "You know, the _Great_ War." "Great War?" I blinked, and traded a confused look with Arisu. "Karina, just what is that supposed to be?" I had absolutely no idea what the girl was talking about. "You don't know what the Great War is?" Karina replied looking surprised. "Really?" "Really," Arisu confirmed. "I..." Her comment was abruptly interrupted when another student came running up breathlessly to the table. The girl was panting and the expression on her face communicated her distressed state. "Arisu- senpai! Arisu-senpai!" the girl blurted out. "Come quickly, please! Ari has been hurt! She's bleeding, and has a great gash on her back. Oh, please, hurry!" "What?!" Arisu exclaimed jumping to her feet. "How... Take me to her - quickly! Get Daniels-san to ring for the nurse! Tell her it's an emergency! Hurry!" And with that, the two of them rushed off Karina frowned and looked slightly confused by the appearance of the sudden crisis, but recovering herself, she got to her feet and took off after them. I blinked, and without really understanding why, I did the same. Following after Karina and the others, I ended up in a small room on the second floor in which a badly wounded girl was lying groaning on a small bed. Another girl was desperately trying to use a small wet towel to staunch the wounded girl's bleeding, but without much success. For a moment I was too stunned to do anything. How could this sort of thing happened in my brother's Eden? It seemed impossible... Arisu blanched, and began to look sickly, her earlier decisiveness abandoning her at the reality of the freely flowing blood. "Oh... no..." she said in a faint voice as she started to back away. Karina pushed passed the shaking form of the older girl and knelt down beside the girl with the towel. Taking a good look at the nature and size of the wounds she frowned. "These are sword wounds," she suddenly declared in a calm voice. "This girl has been in a sword fight of some kind." The words - "sword fight" - caught my attention like nothing else could, and pushing forward I knelt down next to Karina. I took the opportunity to quickly glance over at her and see how she was doing. The slender girl seemed to be remarkably calm and collected about all of this, and apart from the slight frown of concentration on her face, she seemed quite serene. Yet another piece of the puzzle that was Karina. "You're right," I confirmed checking over the wounds as well. "Arisu-san!" I exclaimed, using a harsh voice to get the president back together. "This girl is badly wounded! We need a doctor now!" "Mai, wait..." Karina said gently putting a hand on my arm and turning to look at me with those intense blue eyes of hers. "I don't think we have that kind of time, she's going into shock. If we don't do something now, she'll die." The girl holding the towel gasped and jumped back in shock. The abrupt movement seemed to make Karina come to a decision and she stood up. Turning to the other girls crowding the small room she spoke out in a soft but commanding voice. "Go downstairs and call the school doctor. Tell them that there has been an accident and that someone has been badly hurt, then wait in the dinner room. Do nothing else." The girls quickly turned around and without making any fuss, they left. For some reason I will never know, I found myself on my feet as well, hurrying after them. "No, Mai, not you," Karina said catching my hand. Her touch made me sway and slowly I came back to the real world. "Karina-san?" I asked confused by the sudden change in her. "Close the door, Mai," Karina said turning her attention back to the girl who was by now lying unnaturally still on the bed. "I want you to see this. You are my friend, and it is only right that you understand who, and what, I am." Confused, I did as she bid and sat down slowly beside her as she turned her attention back to the dying girl. "Karina..." I started to say uncertainly. Karina just looked over at me and winked as if nothing was wrong. "Don't worry, Mai, my sisters have shown me how to do this many times before." I swallowed, I had the distinct impression that Karina was just about to do something that was... different. "Firstly," Karina mused with a look of intense concentration on her elfin face. "Gotta stop the bleeding." She raised her left hand and put it down on Ari's now clammy skin. My eyes widened in disbelief, and I gasped as suddenly her hand started to... glow... black... A faint black aura that radiated an unnatural cold flickered over her pale white skin and right in front of my eyes the impossible happened - the wounds healed! Ari's skin shimmered, and flowing as if it were water, knitted itself back together again perfectly in seconds. In less than a minute, the girl - Ari - was completely healed, sleeping naturally with a faint smile on her now reddish face. "Phew," Karina said using the towel to wipe the blood off her hands. "That was a bit more difficult than I originally thought, but still, Helia would be proud of me!" "How..." I swallowed, and with an effort managed to speak. "How did you just do... that?" Karina turned to look at me and with a mysterious smile on her face, tapped her nose. "The Power," she said with a wink. "A small gift that all the members in my Family have. Although, mine has really got to develop quite a bit yet." Her smile grew, "Still, I did pretty good for a mere child, don't you think?" "Power..." I whispered still shocked by what I had just witnessed. "Do you mean... Dios? The Power of Dios?" The confused look on Karina's face gave me my answer almost immediately. "Are you all right, Mai-san?" the brunette asked in a concerned voice. "You look a bit peeky..." "I... I'm fine..." I replied, still trying to accept what I had just seen. If it was not the sealed Power of my brother then what... What _was_ Karina? "Mai?" Karina spoke holding up something in her hand for me to inspect. "Ari was clutching at this in her hand. Do you know what it is?" I looked at the offered object and my heart went cold. It was a ring. A signet ring. A signet ring with roses on it. Black roses. "Oh my brother..." I whispered feeling my blood run cold. "Not again... Please... not again..." * * * * Scene IV: "An... interesting first day," Karina commented with a yawn as she pulled her cotton nightie down into place and straightened it out. "Tell me, Mai, is it always this exciting at school? From what my sisters had told me I thought it was much more boring than this, but I liked today - it was fun." I sat on the bottom bunk staring down at the floor and ran over in my mind the rather, to use Karina's word, "fun" events of today. Two particular points screamed out for attention. Firstly, my new friend appeared to have some form of weird "Power" that would have done even my brother proud, and secondly, that that same brother seemed to be up to his old tricks again - despise the lack of a suitable "Rose Bride". My head was spinning as I tried to decide what it was I should do. My all to brief years with Utena had taught me that standing on the sidelines watching life passing me by was not really an option I could take. And while I might not have the same fiery resolution that my brother had once had, I was not going to just let this slide me by. Of course, I had no real idea what I was going to do about it, but I... "Mai?" Karina suddenly tapped me on the arm. "Are you listening to me?" "Eh?" I blinked and looked up at her. "Sorry? What was that?" Karina gave a small sigh and sat down heavily beside me. "What's up?" she asked, crossing her legs and looking intently at me. Her sapphire blue eyes bore into my own and for some reason I felt myself blushing. I cleared my throat and forced myself to look at her mouth. "That, Karina, is a very interesting question. Perhaps, you can tell me..." Karina tilted her head to one side and her dark hair fell across her face, "You are worried about something, aren't you?" she declared, sweaping her hair away from her eyes. "Worried about something from your past, something to do with that photo." I looked up at her sharply, but this time I knew better than to be surprised. "You're quite sharp sometimes, Karina," I grumbled. "Is that yet another aspect of your curious little 'Power'?" Ignoring my rudeness totally, Karina shook her head. "Oh no, it's nothing like that," she told me firmly. "It's just the expression on your face. It's exactly the same as the one you had when you first saw this ring." And so saying, Karina somehow magically bought out the dark metal band in question and held it up to the light. "So, what is this thing supposed to signify anyway? You said something about a brother when you first saw it. Why? Does it belong to your Family or something?" I looked at the ring in Karina's hand and pulled a face. "I would get rid of that if I were you, Karina," I told her. "It will only ever bring you grief." "Like it did you, Mai?" Karina asked taking my hand in hers. "Is that why you are looking so sad?" I did not answer her. What could I say? Karina took my hand in both of hers and pulled it up to her chest. "Mai," she said looking at me with those deep blue eyes of hers, "Please, don't be sad. You're my friend, I want you to be happy. I want you to be..." Her lips parted, and she suddenly looked slightly nervous. "What?" I asked confused. "Nothing," Karina said grinning lopsidedly as she let go of my hand and straightened out her legs. "I just never really had a friend before, so I'm not to certain what I should do. It hurts me to see you in pain, but..." I smiled, and reaching out ruffled her dark chestnut brown hair. "Don't worry, Karina, for a first timer you're doing great. I've never really had that many close friends either, but I have learnt one thing - friendship is something that grows as two people get to know more about each other. It is something that develops into a bond that..." "A Bond!?" Karina exclaimed, her voice going up an octave as surprisingly she started to blush furiously. "You... You want to... Bond?" she stuttered, her eyes widening. I was startled by the intensity of her reaction but nodding I continued. "That's usually what good friends do," I replied as Karina's blush deepened. "They have a bond that joins them..." "Was that girl in the picture your Bonded then?" Karina suddenly asked leaning forward. "Is that it?" "Bonded? You mean my friend? Well, yes..." "Oh, Mai!" the girl burst out, impulsively throwing her arms around me as she started to cry. "I understand now! I'm so sorry! I have seen what happens when one in a Bonding pair dies. Oh, Mai... I should have realized! Forgive me, please!" To say that I was confused by the girl's behavior was putting it mildly. Awkwardly, I held the sobbing Karina in my arms and tried in vain to comfort her. I had the uncomfortable feeling that I had just missed out on something important in our exchange and was about to say so when a knocking came from the door. "Karina-chan, Mai, it's me, Arisu. Can I come in? I have some news regarding Ari." Karina sniffed and pulled back. Rubbing her eyes she gave me a small shy smile. "I'll ask my Mother, Mai," she said strangely before rubbing her face once more and walking over to the door. She took a moment to compose herself and then opening it, invited the dorm president in. Arisu nodded her head in greeting as she entered the room. Passing by Karina she stopped and raising her hand gently lifted the girl's chin. "Karina-chan, are you all right? You look like you've been crying." Karina stepped back and with a smile shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks. Just something in my eye." She inclined her head slightly to communicate her thanks at Arisu's concern and then straightening said, "So, how is Ari-senpai doing?" Arisu continued to look at Karina for a moment but then sighed. "Well, apart from the blood and a few minor cuts, it looks like she will be fine. In fact, the doctor was quite surprised by the amount of blood that had stained her uniform. He thinks it might have been from someone else, but he's not altogether sure." "Does anyone know what actually happened to her?" I asked getting up and walking over to stand by Karina. "Have the police been called or something?" Arisu looked slightly nervous and shook her head. "No... this matter is now in the hands of the Principle's office, and that's about all I know." Karina looked somewhat surprised by that. "But those were real sword wounds!" she exclaimed. "Surely, something is going to be done about it. I mean, someone is out there attacking people with a sword for Haven's sake!" Arisu held out her hands calmingly, "I agree, I agree, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm sure that the Principle's office, in conjunction with the Chairmen's office, will ensure that steps are taken to guarantee our safety." "I sincerely hope so," Karina muttered shaking her head. "My safety is the reason why my Mother sent me here in the first place. If she thinks I'm in any danger then..." she shivered and looked at Arisu with a deadly serious expression reflected in her eyes. "Mother is not someone you want to anger." "Don't worry, Karina-chan," Arisu said encouragingly. "Everything will be all right, you'll see. If you're really worried about your safety or something then I..." "Oh, I can look after myself if necessary," Karina replied firmly. "But it's the Others I'm worried about." "Others?" Arisu asked, frowning slightly. "Yes, of course," Karina replied as if she were stating the obvious. "I highly doubt if the attack on Ari-senpai is going to be the last of this affair. These sorts of things do not usually stop until someone makes a serious effort _to_ stop them, and somehow, the impression I get is that that effort is just not there." "That's a bit unfair, Karina-chan," Arisu said putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "If it wasn't being treated seriously, then the Chairman's office would not be involved." "But..." Arisu took a small step towards the younger girl and lifting the teenager's chin looked down into Karina's deep blue eyes. "You'll be safe, Karina-chan, I promise you. Trust in me, I won't let any harm ever come to you, okay?" Karina's eyes widened slightly at the intensity of Arisu's voice, and it seemed as if she lost track of her chain of thought because all she did next was nod dumbly in reply. "That's better," Arisu said smiling brightly at the girl. "Don't worry, everything will be sorted out - you'll see." Karina blinked a couple of times and then she hesitantly smiled back. Arisu's face warmed even more in response. "Good girl," she said. "I'm only sorry that tonight's events stopped us from being able to finish our conversation. Maybe we can get together tomorrow night, eh?" Karina's smile tightened slightly and I decided it was now time to step in. "Yes," I said going over to the door and casually opening it. "But for now, it is late. Do you think we could finish this talk tomorrow? I'm very tired, and I'm sure you can appreciate that it has been a rather tiring day..." At my rather obvious dismissal, Arisu's smile became a bit sour. However, she bowed and with a graceful dignity withdrew, leaving me and Karina alone. After the brunette had left I closed the door and looked back at Karina. The poor girl seemed to be rather embarrassed by Arisu's attentions, and a mischievous smile came to my face as I relished the thought of having a bit of fun at her expense. Grinning, I opened my mouth to speak. Seeming to read my mind, Karina coughed and shot me a hard look as if she were daring me to speak. Then, she turned back and sat down on the bottom bunk again. "If that Arisu thinks that this is all just going to go away by itself, then I have serious concerns about her," Karina told me pointedly. "This sort of thing does not just vanish into thin air, but somehow that is exactly what they seem to be hoping will happen." "Not exactly," I said in a small voice turning to face the girl. "I'm afraid that there maybe more to this than just an attack on one poor girl." Karina's eyes narrowed. "The ring?" she asked chewing her lip. "Is that what you mean?" "I sincerely hope not," I replied turning to face the dresser. "But I have a sickening feeling that events from along time ago are beginning to repeat themselves all over again." "What do you mean?" Karina queried, pulling her knees up to her chest in an effort to make herself more comfortable. "Is this something you have experienced before?" "I don't really know, Karina-chan," I replied with a shrug. "I just..." I stopped dead. Karina was smiling at me like a mindless idiot. "Ah, Karina-chan, what's wrong?" I asked going over to her and lightly touching her shoulder. "You called me 'Karina-chan'," Karina replied happily. "That's the first time you've done so." "Is it?" I replied blinking. Personally, I did not see any great significance in that, but obviously Karina did. "Hmm," the girl replied dreamily, leaning forward to put her elbows on her knees. "Oh," I said and looked at her very carefully for a moment. She had the most feyish looking face I had ever seen. So much so that she seemed to be some sort of elfin fairy rather than a human girl. The way her dark hair fell across her face at that moment only seemed to emphases her otherworldly look and I wondered if... "Mai?" Karina suddenly said. "Do you want the top or bottom bunk?" I blinked, and mentally gave myself a shake. "Er, which one do you want?" "I prefer to be on the bottom, thanks," Karina said with an amused glint in her eyes. "I'll let you be on top." I cringed at her feeble attempt at a joke and decided the best thing to do was just ignore it. Karina's sense of humor definately needed some work - that joke was worse than childish. I gave her beaming face a pained look and then turned away. "Fine, you have the bottom bunk then," I said crossing over to the dresser where I began to unpin my hair and get ready for bed. As for Karina, well, she just sat comfortably on the bed humming happily to herself as she watched me shake lose my hair. "Mai, you really have lovely hair," Karina commented at one stage with an envious sigh. "It's just like Mother's - really long and silky. I've always loved that style." I blushed at her compliment and self-consciously ran a hand though my hair. "Thanks." "Ah... Mai..." Karina said in a oddly tense voice. "Hmmm?" I replied, getting the last of the pins out of my hair so that I could give it a through brush. "You remember what you said about friendship, about... Bonding..." "Yes." Something about the tone of her voice made me stop brushing my hair and turn back to look at her. The girl was wringing her hands together nervously and I had the distinct impression that this was something extremely important to her. "Were... were you being serious?" Karina looked up at me and her blue eyes were wide and dilated. I smiled. Trust Karina to get herself into a worked up state over nothing. "Of course I was, Karina-chan," I replied warmly. "I really like you. I think we will become great friends." Karina's face burst into a happy smile and she raised her hands to her face and went all red. "I want to too," she said in a small voice, turning away in embarrassment. "I will ask Mother for her permission, Mai... chan." "Ah... right," I said trying to hide my confusion. Personally, I could not see what Karina was getting so excited about, but after the events of today I just accepted it. Karina was someone special - someone like myself and my brother. It was only natural that she had her own... oddities. That, however, was not what concerned me - what did was my brother. Akio would kill to get his hands on someone like Karina. I did not know the extent of Karina's abilities, but I was sure that my brother would try and use her to break the Seal on his own Power. And somehow, I knew that if he tried that, things would turn ugly, very ugly. There had been something... cold... almost, well, alien about the Power that Karina had so casually used, and I had the nasty feeling that it could very easily consume anyone who tried to abuse it. "Mai..." Karina suddenly said, breaking into my musings. "Hmmm..." "I'm really glad I met you... I..." "Go to sleep, Karina," I told the childish girl firmly. "You've had a long day." Karina grinned and nodded. "Hai, gogugi-sama," she said with a giggle as she scrabbled into bed. I sighed, and wondering what I had done to deserve this fate I finished getting ready for bed. As I did so, I was aware of Karina's eyes following my every move, and strangely, instead of it making me feel embarrassed, her attentions made me feel, well, cherished in an odd sort of way. Whatever else Karina might be I knew one thing for sure - she was my friend. She would never hurt me, no matter what I did. Finishing with the brush I put it down and getting up crossed over to the door. Turning off the light I plunged the room into darkness. Carefully, I felt my way over to the bunks and trying to make as little noise as possible I eased myself up onto the top bunk. Pulling back the sheets I slid gratefully inside snuggling up into the bed's soft warmth. "Good night, Karina-chan," I said yawning as the exhaustion of the day's events finally began to take its toll. "Good night," Karina replied softly from below. "Sleep well, Mai- chan." And I did just that. Long minutes ticked by and then the silence was broken by a small voice which called out quietly into the darkness of the room. "Mother, do you think I can have a word? I've met someone that I really like and I want to talk to you about her..." * * * * Scene V: The next morning was bright and sunny, and breakfast occurred without any hint or reference to what had happened the previous evening. It was almost as if the entire affair had been forgotten by everyone. Ari was there, sitting and talking to the other girls with only a few plasters on her to indicate that anything had ever happened. In fact, the only event that occurred of any interest was when Ari came over to us and rather nervously asked if either of us had seen her ring. I must say, Karina lies as convincingly as my brother can when she puts her mind to it. Frankly, I was quite surprised by just how convincing she can be. "She seemed pretty desperate at breakfast, didn't she?" Karina commented to me later over lunch as she played with the ring. "A bit," I replied putting some fried shrimp into my mouth. "Say, Mai-chan, does your brother know you are here?" Karina suddenly asked, changing the topic of our conversation as she seemed so often to do. "Why?" I asked, putting down my lunch box and focusing my attention on the girl. "What makes you ask?" "Well, you did sort of imply that this ring and him were connected in someway," Karina supplied, thoughtfully munching on a bread stick. "So it would seem only logical that your brother is here as well. Also, you seem to know this school fairly well. So, I just put two and two together." "And you came up with five," I replied turning my attention back to my lunch. "As far as I am concerned, my brother is not here." "Oh," Karina said in a disappointed tone and pushed her hair back from her eyes. "Well, if you say so..." Her tone of voice surprised me and I lowered my lunch box once more to look at her. "And just what's that supposed to mean?" I asked her cautiously. "Nothing, Mai-san, nothing," Karina replied with a small shrug as she put away the ring. "I just suppose we'll have to wait and see what Move happens next, won't we..." "Suppose," I said frowning slightly, but then I had an interesting little thought. "Karina-chan?" "Hmmm?" "Do you think you could give me that ring?" I asked the other girl tentatively. "I want to try a little experiment." Karina frowned, "Isn't that a bit dangerous?" she asked worriedly. "If you think that this ring has something to do with Ari being attacked, then I don't want you running the same risk as well just for the sake of some experiment." "Please," I urged, holding out my hand. "I won't be in any danger from it, I promise you." Karina still looked doubtful and I put the most convincing smile on my face that I could. "Please, Karina-chan..." I whispered, tilting my head to one side in an attempt to make myself look really cute. "Please..." Karina's reaction to my 'cute' mode was almost immediate. She flushed and her eyes dilated as without seeming to think about it she reached down into her pocket and bought out the ring. "Karina... Thank you," I whispered as I took the ring from her now powerless hands. "Mmmm..." the girl purred in reply as a completely dopey like look settled on her face. "Ah... Karina-chan..." I reached out and tapped the girl lightly on her pale leg. "Karina..." "Mmmm..." Karina continued to purr happily looking back at me. I frowned - what the heck was up with her now? "Karina!" I said sharply and gave the girl's colorless cheek a light slap. Karina blinked at me a couple of times and looked a bit dazed. "Chosen..." she whispered with a contented sigh. "Sorry?" I said, wondering what Karina had just called me. The girl's head suddenly jerked slightly and the dopey look vanished from her face. "Mai?" she queried, confused as if she had just been half asleep. "Were you just saying something?" "No," I replied with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Karina. We were just talking about lunch." "Oh..." Karina murmured, absentmindedly rubbing her cheek as she began to eat. I looked at her for a second and tried to make some sense out of what had just happened. Karina seemed fine now, but only a few seconds ago she had been totally spaced out. I carefully put away the ring and resolved to keep a closer eye on the girl. Her 'power' was not her only odd characteristic, but then, I was getting used to that now. * * * * Scene VI: I spent the next few days keeping an eye on Ari and familiarizing myself with the people that she associated with. I was still in two minds about whether or not this was a good idea. I was sure that my brother must have been aware of my presence by now, but so far he had made no move and that worried me. He was up to something - of that I was certain. But what game it was he was playing I did not know. The only thing I could do for now was to watch and listen. Hopefully, I would be able to learn something useful and then... then we would see. Karina generally tagged along with me wherever I went. She never really said much during these times, she just followed at a discrete distance - watching me. While at first I found this a bit disconcerting, I soon got used to it. Such behavior was just another part of who Karina-chan was, I had to accept it. And besides, even if I did not, considering just who and what Karina was I doubted there was anything I could do about it. The elfin girl had simply chosen to stay with me, and that as they say, was that. Anyway, who was I to complain? I was not exactly "normal" myself. As for Ari herself, well, the loss of her ring seemed to have affected her more than I would have ever thought possible. The girl seemed to be becoming more desperate with each day that passed, and by the end of the third day she was in a virtual panic. It was then that I decided to return the ring to her making up some excuse about finding it. However, before I got the chance something happened that made me wonder if my brother had gone completely insane. The morning of the fourth day began quietly enough. Karina was lamenting to me over breakfast about how Arisu kept on trying to get her to join the fashion club, and I was trying hard to think of an excuse to use when I returned the ring to Ari later today. I had not seen her since last night and I was beginning to feel bad about having kept the ring from her for so long. "I wonder where Ari is this morning?" I commented to Karina in passing as I finished up my grapefruit. "I haven't seen her since early last night." Karina put down her piece of toast and shook her head. "Sorry, Mai, I don't know. The last time I saw her was just before dinner when she rushed past me on her way out. In fact, she almost knocked me down," the girl sniffed indignantly. I flashed Karina a quick smile and returned to my breakfast. Hopefully, I would be able to catch up with her sometime later and give the ring back to her then. We shared the same homeroom after all so it should not be that difficult. Karina muttered something under her breath that I did not catch and suddenly stood up. "You know what, Mai. I think I'll go and check on her room for you. Maybe she's still sleeping or something..." I frowned as Karina started to edge nervously away. Her entire body language suddenly seemed to be tense and on edge, "I doubt that, Karina-chan, it's nearly 08:12. Homeroom begins in 20 minutes." "You maybe right, Mai, but still it doesn't hurt to check now, does it? I'm sure Daniels-san won't mind unlocking the door for me if I ask her nicely enough." The girl pushed in her chair and gave me an impish grin. "See ya later, Mai. Have fun now." And without waiting for a reply she turned and bolted, her skirt whisking around her thighs as she did so. I watched her leave and gave a small sigh. "Children... What do you do with them..." "Ah, Mai-san, there you are." With a groan I looked up, suddenly realizing why Karina had pulled her little disappearing act. Putting a smile on my face, I greeted Karina's bane. "Good morning, Arisu-senpai. How are you today?" Arisu nodded her head in greeting and smiled back. "Fine, thank you, Mai-san. And you? How are you and Karina-chan settling in?" "Just fine, thank you for asking," I replied back politely. "That's good to hear," Arisu said, finishing off the ritual of small talk before getting down to business. "Mai-san, let me introduce to you a couple of my friends from the fashion club. This is Hime and Sara." She turned and introduced the two girls standing behind her. They nodded in response, smiling politely as Arisu turned back to face me. "I was hoping that I could introduce Karina-chan to them this morning, but she does not seem to be around..." Damn Karina! I thought silently to myself looking over at the three smiling daemons. She had deliberately left me to run interference for her just because she could not be firm with these girls. Well, we would see about that! Putting a thoughtful expression on my face I began my revenge. "I'm sorry, Arisu-senpai, you just missed her actually. She said that she was worried about Ari, so went to check on her. If you hurry up though I'm sure you can catch up with her. She'll be just delighted to meet you all. She always speaks very highly of you, Arisu-senpai..." "Ari?" the girl called Hime pulled a small face and looked over at Arisu. "Ari Osawa?" "That's right," I said, looking up at her. "Why? Do you know her?" "No, not really," Hime replied dismissively. "It's just that Ari once tried to join our club, but she was not really suitable so we had to reject her." Hime shrugged, "I was the one responsible for her evaluation." "You make it sound so serious," I said, slowly finishing off my tea. "I didn't know the entry requirements for such clubs were so strict these days." "Oh, yes," Sara replied taking a small step forward. "The fashion club is one of the most prestigious clubs on campus. Our entry requirements have to be so strict because of the number of people who wish to join. We very rarely just invite someone in unless they have proved to us that they are of the 'right' kind of material. That is why we wish to meet Karina - to confirm the glowing recommendation that Arisu-san has given about her." She sighed, "So, it's a bit of a shame that we have just missed her. Do you think she's likely to be back in the next ten minutes or so? It would save us going to try and find her." I shook my head regrettably. "Sorry, I doubt she'll be back anytime soon. The best thing I can suggest is that you try and catch up with her at lunch. She will probably be in the canteen by 12:50. You can speak with her then if you wish, she won't be going anywhere, I promise you." Sara smiled. "Thank you for the advice, Mai-san, that is most helpful. And would you perhaps be so kind as to pass on to her the message that we really would like to meet up with her sometime today. It would be in her best intere..." The room was suddenly filled with the sound of a horrified scream that came from somewhere deep in the depths of the dorm. The sound of it made the room deathly silent as everyone abruptly stopped what they were doing and froze. Pale faces turned and stared in the direction that the scream had originated. I bolted to my feet and before I had a chance to think about what it was I was doing, I found myself running towards the hallway. My abrupt movement bought the others in the room back to some sort of life, and slowly some of the more adventurous of them began to follow me. I did not know who had screamed, but some unknown instinct told me that Karina was involved, and that thought alone made me run as fast as my legs could carry me. Something called me to her, something I could not resist. The first sight that greeted me was of Daniels-san running down the stairs shrieking with a silent Karina trailing quickly behind her. The older woman looked like she had just seen Death itself, and Karina... My eyes widened in concern. Karina's face was slacked mouthed and the poor girl was as white as a sheet. She looked like she had just seen Hell - literally. Shaken, I took a step towards her and held out my hand. "Karina..." I began. "What's..." "Oh, Mai!" Karina exclaimed as she threw herself at me. "She's dead, Mai! Ari's dead!" I caught hold of the shaking girl and tried to make some sense out of what she had just said. As for Karina herself, she buried her face deep into my shoulder and wept bitterly. "OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod..." the housekeeper kept on blubbering to herself as she stared blindly out into space. Arisu entered the hallway and stopping at the base of the stairs stared in shock at the gibbering form of the housekeeper. She turned back to look at Sara and Hime. "What... What is going on here?" For a moment no one answered her, but then Karina lifted up her head and stared at the brunette with a face that was completely ashen. "Ari is dead," the girl declared shakily. "It looks like some... thing tore her..." Karina took a deep breath and forced herself to continue. "Something tore her to pieces - literally. Do not go in her room, Arisu. What is in there is..." she shuddered. Arisu's face went totally slack and her skin color turned faintly green; a color that was copied by some of the other girls who had followed after her. Absolutely no one made a move for the stairs. As for myself, I just stood there, holding Karina and looking blankly ahead. I had experienced much over my long life, but something told me that I did not want to go up those stairs or into that room. "Karina..." I gently pushed the ashen faced girl back and looked into her red eyes. "Just block it out, okay? Block the image out. Just try and concentrate on my face, on the sound of my voice..." Karina just stared blankly up at me. The poor child was still breathing like she had just run a marathon, but slowly she nodded her head and made an effort to get herself under control. "Someone call campus security!" a voice exclaimed. "Oh, my God... What if... What if someone else has been..." A babble of hysterical young voices started to explode behind me as the realization of what had happened spread through the rest of the gathering. I tried to ignore the growing sense of panic that the others were showing and focused my attention exclusively on Karina. The poor girl seemed to have gotten herself under some form of control now and was looking up at me with a vulnerable and uncertain expression on her face. "How are you feeling now, Karina-chan?" I asked, reaching over and giving her shoulder a small squeeze. "Better," Karina replied with a hesitant smile that looked more like a grimace. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have reacted like that - I am a De'Naime. I should have..." "Don't be silly," I gently chided her. "You reacted far more bravely than anyone else here. I'm proud of you, Karina-chan. Seeing death like that..." I shuddered slightly in spite of myself. Karina looked at me for a moment and her eyes warmed slightly. "Thank you, Mai." I smiled and then turned to look back up the stairs towards the room where... I swallowed. Ari dead, pulled to pieces... Hell, what was all this about?! Was this... sick event somehow connected with the ring still in my pocket? Gods, I prayed it was not so! Not even my brother was insane enough to try something like this! But then... If this was not my brother's doing, then _who_ was responsible? "Not human..." Karina suddenly muttered to herself in a very faint voice that made me turn and look down at her. "Sorry, Karina-chan?" I asked, uncertain as to if she had spoken. "Not human," she repeated looking back up at me. "Whoever... whatever did that... horror was not human, Mai." I nodded and gave the girl a reassuring hug. "No," I agreed. "Whoever was responsible for that... wasn't human. No one could be called human who indulges in such... abominations..." Karina pulled back and looked at me with those intense blue eyes of hers. "No, Mai," she said softly, shaking her head. "You don't understand what I meant. It wasn't a human that did this. It was some form of ga..." Her explanation was abruptly cut off by a loud banging at the front door. As a single body, everyone jumped and spun around to stare as three uniformed adults abruptly charged in. One of them looked briefly around and then focusing on the still shocked form of the housekeeper went over to find out what was going on. "Excuse me, ladies," another one called out for attention as voices started to rise in alarm. "Excuse me!" The raised rumbling continued unabated until finally the man had to shout to get silence. "Please," the man said raising his hands out in front of him. "Can you all leave the building in an orderly fashion. The police are on their way and we need to make sure that everyone here is accounted for. Please, just remain calm and assemble outside on the courtyard. There is nothing to worry about. Just follow the fire drill that you have already been taught." Everyone remained still, frozen to the spot, unable to accept what was happening. The man waited for a brief moment before taking up the initiative and began to move slowly forward, herding the bemused people in front of him as if they were little more than sheep. Karina moved closer towards me. The poor dear looked so nervous that I took her hand in mine and stroked her fingers with my thumb in an attempt to relax her. I could not blame the girl for how she felt. The shock of today's events would have numbed anyone. "Come on, Karina," I said gently pulling her along. "Let's join the others, eh?" The girl nodded and followed unresistingly behind me. Outside, the tension and uncertainty that everyone was feeling charged the air like a heavy miasma. Teachers and students were hurrying all over the place trying to ensure that everyone they knew was accounted for. It was not looking good. Of the thirty or so students that lived in the old dormitory, over seven were unaccounted for. A few of the teachers, after rapid discussions amongst themselves, hurried off in the general direction of the elementary and middle schools that made up part of the campus. >From what little I overheard, it seemed that they were hoping that the missing students were already in class, but in my heart of hearts I wondered if this was just a vain hope. Death, in my experience seldom walked alone. Throughout all the confusion and heated arguments that were going on around us, Karina just stood very quietly by my side looking out into space. I reached down and taking her hand in mine yet again I gave her a reassuring smile. "Are you all right, Karina-chan?" I asked worriedly, concerned that she might still be badly affected by what she had seen. The girl blinked and then looked up at me. For a moment, she did nothing but simply stare, then hesitantly she smiled. "I... I'm not sure, Mai. This is the first time I have seen death so closely and... and it shocked me, but it shouldn't have - not really." I frowned and gripped her hand slightly tighter. "What do you mean, Karina-chan?" I asked confused. "If I had seen what you had seen then I would be far more than just plain shocked - I would be having hysterics. You seem to be taking all this far better than I would have thought possible. Why ever do you think you should be reacting differently?" "Because of who and what I am," Karina replied strangely. "My sisters have to deal with things that are far worst than this all the time, and when I grow strong so will I - Mother will expect it of me. I can't be weak, not like this. Mother needs me." "That can't be right, Karina-chan," I said shocked by what she had just said. "Surely your mother isn't actually expecting you to deal with this type of horror again." "But I must, Mai," Karina declared, gripping my hand and staring at me with those intense eyes of hers. "I just have too! I love Mother! She depends on me and my sisters to protect her! If we don't then..." Her voice trailed off and a faint tremble passed through her lithe form. I was genuinely surprised by the intensity of the emotion on her face and automatically I reached out to try and comfort her, but she just pulled back and turned away. I stopped, and wondered if I had done something to make her mad. Opening my mouth to try and apologize I abruptly realized that her attention was now focused exclusively on a car that had just pulled up. My eyes followed hers and when I saw the figure who was climbing out, I gasped and felt faint. "Akio..." "Lucianther..." Karina muttered under her breath, too low for anyone else but me to hear. An expression of furious rage flickered across her face. "One of Lucianther's..." The meanings of Karina's mumblings were lost on me as the actual sight of my brother shook me more than I had ever imagined possible. All I could think of doing was just staring at him like some kind of mindless idiot. The simple sight of his face invoked memories and sensations that threatened to overwhelm my mind and I had to struggle to maintain my inner control. Love, hate, rage, sorrow... All these emotions and more flooded through my heart as for the first time in over half a century I caught sight of my brother's strong profile. I was half trapped between the desire of rushing over to him and burying myself in his strong embrace, or skulking behind the protection of Karina just incase his dark eyes perchance saw me. Rationally, I knew that my brother would already be aware that I was here, but at the same time I dreaded the moment he would finally approach me. When I had originally left this place to seek out _her_, I had felt nothing but a faint contempt towards him. That emotion was now just one of many that erupted within me. Oh, why? _Why_ had I come back here, to this place? Why? My brother moved swiftly through the gathering of anxious pupils and made his way up towards the dorm entrance. I was strangely struck by the urgency that his movements portrayed. They spoke of a sense of purpose that I had not seen in him for many a long age. I frowned, what exactly had happened here during the time I had been away? Karina suddenly turned her head to look at me and my eyes widened in shock at the alien expression that was on her face. The girl did not look like my Karina at all, the expression on her face was all wrong... inhuman... "Karina..." I said hesitantly. "Are... Are you all right?" For a moment the girl did not answer, but then her dark eyes turned and focused on me. The force of the emotions that I could see raging in them made me stumble back in fear. "He _betrayed_ me..." the girl hissed in a cold voice that was like a sentence of death. "_Betrayed_ me!" I grimaced as Karina's hands dug painfully into my shoulder. Her eyes narrowed and stared deeply into mine. I shivered as if from the cold, Karina's eyes were _black_! A soul numbing empty darkness that seemed to be the entrance to an infinite chasm from which there was no return. "The fool! Does he seriously think he can bargain his way out of this War! That he can avoid it! How stupid can he be!? This War is until the bitter end! There is no way out!" The girl cursed furiously, and then drew a jaggard breath. "Kar... Karina..." I began to say. "You are in danger, child," the girl suddenly said to me in a voice that was not Karina's. "All of you." "Who... What..." Words without sense stumbled from my mouth and the... whatever it was gave me a cold look. "Be quiet and listen, Himemiya," the girl commanded, looking at me with those dead eyes of hers. "I sent Karina here because I hoped she would be safe, safe from the War and safe from my enemies. But now it appears that one of those whom I believed was my ally is now Playing a Game of his own, and that means that my hope of safety for Karina has gone to Hell - literally. I cannot allow my daughter to fall into the hands of my opponents, and yet there is no one I can possibly send to help her at this time. So, I must do what I can." The black eyes narrowed, "Himemiya, do you care for my daughter?" The abrupt question nearly went straight over my head. I was still trying to cope with the fact that Karina suddenly no longer seemed to be Karina. I just stood and simply stared at the girl, my mouth hanging open. "Do you care for her?" the girl repeated more forcefully and I somehow managed to stumble out a reply. "I... Yes... I..." "And will you protect her where I cannot?" I frowned. "What do you..." "Will you _protect_ her where I cannot?" "I don't know what..." I stuttered and the girl gave me a withering glance filled with such malice that I almost whimpered. "Yes..." I finally forced out. The girl nodded as if she had never had any doubt, then she turned back to look at the dorm into which my brother had gone. She stared at it for a moment and then turned back to face me. The black soulless void which had served as her eyes had now been replaced by a pair of deep sea green irises and the expression on her attractive face was almost friendly. "I do not altogether approve of my daughter's choice in you as her Bonded, Himemiya, but the Choice must be hers to make, not mine." The girl shrugged, "I thought you were weak and foolish when I first met you, and after 100 years you are still much the same, but..." She took a step forward, "given the circumstances it seems I have no other choice. Oh well..." A sudden jolt of _something_ passed through my body and I gasped, almost falling to the ground. Sensation, emotions, pain... All these and more flared through me. I was _burning_ inside, but there was no real pain, merely a sensation of something searing through me... Purifying me... Making me... Making me... "Whole..." I whispered in a small voice. I was _whole_... The cold lonely feeling that had filled me ever since the day of _her_ death was abruptly filled by the _warmth_ of another presence, a presence that _filled_ me completely. "Karina..." I whispered again as I instinctively knew what the source of that warm presence was. Somehow, I _felt_ her within me... She was... She was _part_ of me, as I was _part_ of her. It was an utterly indescribable feeling. She, I, we... "Are Bonded," the girl finished with a faint smirk on her face as she gripped my arm to steady me. "Welcome to my Family, daughter." * * * * End of act one. * * * *