by STELLALUNA (stellaluna_42@utena.zzn.com) ---- We know the story of Tenjou Utena, the girl destined to revolutionize the world, and the Student Council members with whom she struggled. But what of the others who came before them? Were there not others who wore the rose seal, who tried to bring Revolution, who wanted their wishes fulfilled? Were there not others who tried to revolutionize the world in the decades before? Utena was surely not the first girl to duel, nor was Juri. This is her story; the story of the first female Duelist at Ohtori, how her Cycle of Revolution played out, and how she planted the seeds that made the completion of Utena's Cycle possible. ---- SHOUJO GEN'IN TANE Chapter 1 "Welcome to the World" Orientation at Ohtori Academy usually begins with the arrival of the new students. This year was no different. On this particularly sunny spring morning, a bus packed with students and various articles of luggage pulled up to the dorms and began to unload its cargo. The live cargo, weary from the trip, stumbled out of the bus and into the light of the day's particularly bright sun. The equally weary teachers directed the newcomers to different groups, separating them by grade and sex. One older professor muttered something about this task being easier before "that woman screwed things up". Among the last to exit was a tall, confident girl with eyes the color of a rich, red California wood and long, thick hair as dark as cooling steel. She clutched a long, slender cloth bag in her hand. She reached behind her head and lifted her hair away from her neck to cool it. Blinking, she stepped out into the overbearing sunshine. With a similar parcel strapped across his back, a boy stepped out after her. Adjusting his eyes to the light, he quickly raked a hand through his unruly, blood red hair to smooth out some of the tangles. He was a bit shorter than the girl, and his eyes sparkled like a forest in the rain. He whistled in amazement. "Hey Tane, I knew this place was big, but I didn't know it was immense." "No kidding, Tsuta-kun," she said, looking around. The sun played off the tops of the trees and reflected off a nearby pond. She shook her head to bring herself back to reality and hefted her bags on her shoulders. "But we can gawk later. Right now we've got to figure out where the hell we're going." -- Ohtori Academy was a large campus built on a large flat hill by the sea. The surrounding town was more like a small village when compared to the size of the school property. Needless to say, life in that area revolved around the school. The front half of the campus was made up of the buildings -- the classrooms, administrative offices, lobby, gym, kendo dojo, fencing salon, and an impressive tower overlooking it all. "It is in the back half of the grounds that we reach the end of the tour. This bridge on which we stand was erected recently, as was the running track we see ahead of us," said the prim upperclassman to the group of new students. Tane, who was among the group, raised her hand. "Yes?" asked the tour guide, a bit annoyed by the interruption. "Uh, hi. Musashi Tane, incoming high school, first year. I was just wondering, what's in that forest over there?" she said, pointing at the oddly clumped trees in the distance. "It's forbidden," said the tour guide abruptly. Tane, though taken aback by the quick reply, just shrugged. ---- LATER THAT DAY Tsuta sat by the fountain in the lobby, checking his watch. He was now wearing the academy's blue-green uniform. The long bag he was carrying earlier on the bus rested on his lap. He stared idly at the water trickling down onto the ornate rose design. A shadow occluded his view, and he looked up to see Tane standing in front of him holding her own bag, as well as some plastic- covered garments on a hangar. "Sorry I'm so late," she apologized. "I got held up trying to get a uniform. Hey, you look good in yours." He chuckled, embarrassed, and scratches the back of his head. He quickly recovered from the compliment and exclaimed in over-forced excitement, his eyes wide as saucers, "Oh! Let's see yours!" A single drop of sweat dripped from her brow, and she hesitantly lifted the plastic to reveal a mid-thigh length, pleated blue-green skirt and a white sailor-collared shirt complete with red tie and puffy sleeves. She did not seem too thrilled with it. Tsuta bust up laughing. "Oh, I'm having the hardest time trying to picture you in that! It's hilarious!" Tane raised an eyebrow at her friend's guffawing. "Yeah, laugh it up. And I suddenly remember why I didn't change..." She looked down at her dark brown bell-bottom pants and loose oxford shirt. "I'm sorry, but you in puffy sleeves is just so funny!" Tsuta wiped his eyes and broke into hysterics once again, rolling on the floor. "Cut that out!" "Care to make me?" dared Tsuta with a smirk. "Oh, I intend to," she warned back, her eyes flashing. Diligently, the two put down their parcels, and they each loosened the drawstring at one end of their curiously shaped bags. Tane pulled out a well- worn, well-oiled bamboo shinai. Tsuta pulled its twin out of his own bag. Holding their shinai at their sides, the two old friends took their stance across from each other, squat close to the ground, drew, and stood with their practice swords barely touching. The few students in the vicinity stopped to watch. A swarthy man with fetching green eyes paused and looked down from the highest balcony. "Ready?" "Do you still have to ask?" answered Tsuta. Tane rushed at him with a yell and tried to make contact with her shinai and his forehead, but he blocked as she ran past and whirled around to meet her head-on. The motion was repeated, but the roles of attacker and defender were reversed. However, the outcome was the same. She struck at his head once more, but he blocked. He struck at her wrist, but she also blocked. By this time, any casual watchers were fully enthralled. Tsuta aimed at Tane's head, but she ducked and went for his throat at an upward angle, only to be blocked again by the quick handling of his shinai. In annoyance, Tane stepped back and took a few short, deep breaths. "Tired already?" taunted Tsuta. "You should know by now that I'm just getting started." Tane grinned and rushed at him, and ducking under his arm, swept up and smacked her shinai on his forearm. A split-second later, Tsuta's shinai swung around and tapped Tane's side. "Dô!" Applause and some cheers erupted from the meager spectators. The dark man's eyes flashed as he grinned to himself and went on his way. Tsuta and Tane stood opposite each other, squat down, and placed their mock weapons at their side. They stood, backed away from each other, and bowed; motions they have practiced since childhood. The dying applause was stopped abruptly by the sound of a cracking whip. All heads turned toward the origin of the sound: a gangly, middle-aged woman. She was obviously a teacher, and not a very lenient one at that. Her hair was pinned up in three tight buns atop her head, and a pair of narrow, pointed glasses was perched on her sharp face. The whiz of the riding crop beating against her hand and her foot tapping on the floor echoed in the now empty lobby. She waved her whip around in a manner so threatening as to be humorous, all while scolding with her shrill voice, "the rulebook clearly states: 'Students are not allowed to practice swordplay outside the designated areas.' Didn't you two read your rulebook? Well, you should have...." "Please forgive us, sensei. It won't happen again," said Tsuta and Tane, both bowing. "You shouldn't have been doing this anyway. It's dangerous. Have you no sense at all? You could have been hurt...." By now, there was no sign of any other students having ever existed in the immediate area. Still bowing, the duo muttered more apologies, but the teacher did not seem to notice anything but her own lecture. ".... And furthermore, the nurse doesn't have time to waste taking care of a few bruises what with school staring right now. And you," she scolds at Tane, "a girl no less, playing at swords and all this foolishness. It's not proper. What would your mother think? Girls shouldn't do such vulgar things. Why don't you join the cooking club instead of..." Tane's eyes narrowed and darkened behind her bangs, and Tsuta, sensing her anger, placed a sympathetic hand on her arm to try to calm her. SHOUJO GEN'IN TANE to be continued.... ---- CHU CHU-CHAN CHECK! Chu chu chu chu chu chu chu chuchu, chu chu. Chu chuchu chu chu chu chu! (Translation: Yeah, I know I stole this from Kero-chan, but who cares? I wonder what type of animal he is, anyway!) *a picture of Tane in her brown bell-bottoms and oxford shirt* Chu, chuchuchuchu chu chu. Chu chu chu chu. Chu chu, chu! (Translation: Here, our heroine is wearing some kick-ass bell-bottoms. Who cares if they're out of style now? It's the seventies, don't 'cha know!) *a rough pencil sketch of Tsuta in his Ohtori uniform flashes by for two frames* Chu chu chu chu chu chu chu chu chu chu. Chuchu? Chu. (Translation: The boy's uniform isn't much different from what we're used to. But who cares about what the boys wear? Let's move on.) *a picture of Anthy in her Ohtori uniform with its slightly longer, more modest skirt* Chu. Chu. (Translation: Let's face it. As time goes by, uniform skirts just get shorter and shorter. And, since this is the past, it's only logical that the skirts are a little longer.) *Chu chu is in hunting lodge (for rich weirdoes?!) and is wearing a smoking jacket. Surrounding him are the stuffed and mounted heads of several worms, frogs, that red alligator thing from the movie, and Saionji.* Remember Chu chu-chan says: Chu chu chuchu chu. Chu chu chu chu chu chu chu chu chu chu chuchu chuchu. (Translation: Frogs & Akio are the same. You beat the shit out of them and then they go insane kill themselves when they can't find their car keys.) PREVIEW OF THE NEXT Will Touga, for whatever reason, still be stuck in the elevator?! Wait, wrong fic. ^_^; Tsuta: Whoa! Check it out! We've been chosen to join the student council! Tane: That is cool, but why does the president have to be such a jerk?! Tsuta: Yeah, and who's that pretty and mysterious girl who follows him around? Anthy: I am the Rose Bride. I must do whatever my fiancee commands. Tane: That's screwed up. Tane: Next time on SHOUJO GEN'IN TANE: "The Mysterious Student Council" Anthy: Zettai Unmei: Mokushiroku. -------- SHOUJO KAKUMEI UTENA is property of Be-papas, Chiho Saito-sensei, and Software Sculptors. All original characters are mine.