Anj First of all, this contains MASSIVE, HUGE SPOILERS. If you haven't seen the whole series, don't read it. It wouldn't make any sense anyway. Heck, it barely makes sense even if you have seen the whole series. Second of all, here's the standard disclaimer. I do not own Shoujo Kakumei Utena / Revolutionary Girl Utena or any of the characters therein. Utena belongs to Be-PaPas, Chiho Saito, TV Tokyo, and probably a whole bunch of other people and agencies that I can't think of right now. I relied pretty heavily on the scripts and synopses at the Utena Encyclopedia to get the continuity right. The occasional dialogue quotations are derived from the scripts by the Utena Translation Project, although I generally rephrased things to suit my preference (without changing the meanings). Oh, and where did this madness come from anyway? Well, I said, "It has crossed my mind that the Dios who Utena sees is actually a projection generated by Anthy." Verthandi replied, "Hmm...then that would liken her to the projector in Akio's planetarium!" To which I responded, "Hmm...what if the planetarium is generating Dios, and Akio doesn't have as much control over the planetarium as he likes to believe?...Of course this would make the planetarium sentient. Hmm...that might be a fun fanfic. SKU from the planetarium's point of view." Then Verthandi said, "Write it!" D'oh! So, here it is! I, the Planetarium by Anj I lie resting. Not sleeping. I can not sleep, although I wish I could. Eternity can be so uninteresting. Sleep might make it seem to pass faster, though that would be nothing more than an illusion. But then, illusions are my specialty. He sits within my dome and gazes at the stars. And he watches the children below play the game he has given them. He has all of my vast power at his disposal, and yet he only watches. And occasionally sends letters. For him, I have created a great, dense forest, and within it a grand platform atop a slanted spiral staircase. No architect could build such a thing. It defies physics and reason. Although it is but an arena for his games, I am pleased with my creation. However, now that it is done, I have nothing to do but wait. Those who wear the Rose Seal duel for possession of my master's flower. And the victor believes that he owns her body, soul, and power. I almost feel sorry for the fencing captain, believing that he possesses the Rose Bride. Perhaps I pity him all the more because it is not she that his heart desires. He can not have that one, and he does not truly have this one. He has nothing. My master's sister visits again, as she does every weekend. He sprawls on the white leather couch and beckons to her. "Come here, Anthy." She lays her glasses upon the table and obeys. They do many things which have long since ceased to hold my attention. This is his reminder to her that she belongs to him, not the victor, and that she obeys the victor only because it is our master's whim. The fencing captain is ill. The kendo captain defeats him, and the Rose Bride goes to his side. I do not like him. Perhaps I will help the next challenger defeat him. That should be the young fencer, the piano player. No, it is a girl! Ah, I remember her. I showed her eternity. I gave myself a face, my master's face from before he lost his innocence, and I visited her. She wanted to die. I showed her one whose desire for death could never be matched. It made her feel better. Interesting, how human sadness fades when they see one who suffers more than they. They forget to pity themselves. The girl wanted to save my mistress. I gave her the Rose Seal and challenged her to try. I am pleased that her heart remembers her promise, even if her mind does not. She has a shinai. She does not stand a chance against the Sword of Dios. I'll give her a little boost. Just a whisper in her ear. My master will never know. Ah, that's better. The kendo captain challenges her again. He is stubborn, and she does not understand the importance of this game. She plans to lose. I plan otherwise. She's climbing the spiral staircase. I think I'll have a little fun. Epaulets and a cord like the Seitokai wear, and a little frill around the hem of her jacket. I like it. Just as she tries to lose, I give her another little boost. She's just as amazed as the kendo captain. She'll learn that I do not give up easily. I've chosen her. Finally, I too can play my master's game. The young fencer, the new fencing captain, and the brat all fall quickly. My master is conferring more with the Seitokaichou. I wonder if my master realizes that I am helping the girl. Interesting. The kendo captain has abducted the Rose Bride. They've come to my door. Come inside, Anthy. I'll leave the boy for my champion to find. And when they come up the stairs, we'll show them . . . what? You don't want to help, Anthy? Fine. I'll do it myself. You're unconscious now. How do you like that? I show my champion and the fool an echo of the past and a harbinger of the future all in one. They don't understand. I didn't really expect them to. The kendo captain is expelled for kidnapping Anthy. I'm not at all sorry to see him go. Now the Seitokaichou challenges the girl-prince. He's convinced her that it was he who saved her from the coffin! How dare he pretend to be me! My champion has been defeated! How could she be so easily distracted? I think my master has been giving the Seitokaichou special lessons, to put me back in my place. The Rose Bride goes with the Seitokaichou. She seems to miss the girl. So do I. What will it take to get my champion to fight again? She needs a push, but I can not give it this time. It is against the rules, you see. Ah, thank you sweet Onion Princess. Your loyalty is admirable. You have gotten my champion to remember who she is. Of course, the rules dictate that I must help the Seitokaichou this time. He is the victor, after all. Oh, this is terrible. My girl is going to die. Anthy, do you remember? You've seen this before. Do you remember how it ended? Do you really want to see that again? I don't. I see your tears, Anthy. I'll help. I break the power, and the Sword of Dios is now no more than an ordinary blade. The Seitokaichou may still win. He's quite skilled. But I've given my girl hope. She understands that she must win, and she understands why. There you go. Good girl. My master is interested now. Excited, even. He is ready to take a more direct role in the games. He asks me to awaken Nemuro. Ah, Nemuro! Like wine, he has refined with age. I must give him a playing field. Over ashes and burnt stone, I recreate the image of a building long gone. White stone, wood paneling, carpeting, furniture--such things are easy. I make them solid. Students will touch them and feel the correct textures. The wood must smell of varnish, the carpet of shampoo. Those who enter will see their reflections in the windows and in the glasses covering the framed photos. The building is perfect and real, stronger than the memories from which I built it. They will call it Nemuro Memorial Hall, but they will know only part of the reason behind that name. That is the difficult thing, reshaping the memories of every student in this academy, and of every teacher, every parent, every alumni, and so on down to the food service delivery drivers. They will not remember that the building was demolished. They will only remember that there was a fire, and that one hundred boys died. They will never understand why. Those hundred boys are important. I gather their sleeping spirits and encase them in shapes like their bodies, and now I entomb them in a chamber which never existed--which still does not exist outside of my sphere. In the reception hall, I line the walls with chairs, one for each boy. The signs on the chairs direct the visitor to the interview chamber. When the building was real, that chamber was an ordinary room. But to connect the world above with the tomb below, I transform it into an elevator. It will be an amusing parallel. Just as the Seitokai take an elevator up to read their letters from my master, the new challengers will take an elevator down to receive their black roses. Anthy wraps herself in a shape something like a boy Nemuro once knew, but perhaps more resembling the innocent boy who haunts her own memories. It wasn't your fault, dear Anthy. You saved him. What happened after that was not your fault. Nemuro is using a new name now, and moving among the student body. I make them all believe that he has always been among them, that he is a well known person on campus. I make him believe that Anthy is the boy he lost. I make him believe my champion is the girl he lost, as well. He thinks he is in control. I pity him, just a little. I will allow myself to have some fun. I think of my hundred chairs and hundred coffins, and I give those boys a hundred desks. I'll paint a bloody shadow of each of them on the arena floor, as well. Just for a change of scenery. And I'll give my girl a clue. On each desk, I will place a token representing that which drives each of Nemuro's warriors. Are you clever enough to figure it out, my champion? Even if you don't, you'll still win. I'll help you. We start with my master's fiancee, our lab rat. My girl defeats her easily, but now the real game begins. Nemuro will find those with strong ties to the Seitokai, bonds strong enough to draw out their very souls, which I will shape into swords. A blade made from a soul is special, nearly unbeatable in the proper hands. Nemuro's warriors will be strong. But what Nemuro fails to grasp is that the sword and the heart of the Duellist must resonate. His champions feel strongly for those from whom they draw their swords, but they take those swords by force. They will never resonate properly. The Sword of Dios, of course, is made from the soul of Dios, the very last splinter of the prince's pure soul, as a matter of fact. My girl feels a bond to Dios, or rather, to me. Dios died long ago. My master may claim to be Dios from time to time, but he is only the husk. I myself am but a faint impression, a thumbprint on the world. But I digress. The point is, with Dios gone, the sword is mine. And it is by my will that this last sliver of Dios' nobility resonates so well with this girl. Still, I am bound to help Nemuro, as is Anthy. It is easy to sift through the minds of these children, to find the one thing that will drive each of them to fight. It is so very easy, and I loathe it. No, Nemuro, do not take the Onion Princess! She is stronger than the others. Remember, it was she who dragged my girl-prince out of her despair after the loss to the Seitokaichou. Yes, the Onion Princess is strong enough to defeat the girl-prince, but we won't be able to control her. I told you, I told you. Anthy, I feel your fear. I can not help you now. My champion will not raise her sword against this girl she loves. All I can do is watch. We will surely lose this time. Oh, my champion, you impress me again. The others fall easily. Now Nemuro himself battles. He is strong. But my master has decided that he is no longer useful. I remove the veil from his eyes, and he sees what my illusions have obscured. He is too stunned to realize that my champion is striking. Forgive me, Nemuro. Erase it all, my master instructs. The elevator and tomb vanish, and the building is once again a burnt out shell. Anthy need only wear one face now. And lastly, their memories. None of it ever happened. I'm glad they do not remember. Especially the Onion Princess. My master overlooked something. The kendo captain is back with the Seitokai. His expulsion was reversed by the direct action of Nemuro. Everyone is staring at the kendo captain, wondering why he's back on campus, wearing his Seitokai uniform. He does not know himself. I'm sure my master won't mind if I take care of this on my own. I could simply make it so no one sees the boy. They would all continue, knowing he has been expelled and believing he has never returned. He would walk around campus like a ghost, unseen and unheard, until he went mad. No, I must not give in to such impulses. I must remember Dios and why he died. I must not dishonor him further by torturing this boy unnecessarily. There. As far as anyone knows, the kendo captain never left in the first place. He has always been by the Seitokaichou's side. Now my master moves the girls into the tower. All of us are together under my dome--my master, the Rose Bride, the girl-prince, and myself, the unseen. No, not unseen. They all see me with their eyes. But my master views me as his tool. Likewise, Anthy still does not recognize me as anything more than our master tells her I am. And the girl-prince--my girl, my champion--she sees me as nothing more than a bulky and vaguely discomfiting projection machine. My master changes the game again. He begins once more with the kendo captain. I am not surprised. Since he was the first opponent of my champion in the first round, it makes since that he be her first opponent in this third round. My master is fond of such symmetries. Because it is a new game, I must give the arena another new look. Since my master has taken the kendo captain for a ride in his car, I fill the arena with matching red convertibles, jutting from the floor like the monoliths of Easter Island. As soon as I finish creating this illusion, I realize I don't like it. In fact, I find it rather distasteful. My master is amused though. He loves his car. So I must continue this illusion, to keep him happy. And because I know what my master plans for the girl-prince, I feel sorry for her. So I give her a gift. True, she has fine legs and strong calves, but the stairs have been wearing on her. I hollow the core of the pillar and place within it a gondola. It is also a gift for my dear Anthy. Now that they are living with her brother, she will not have as much privacy with her girl-prince. I hope my gondola will give them some few moments of intimacy. He has finished with the kendo captain, and the boy is ready to fight. He wields an ordinary blade. I am confused. This is like the first game. My master knows that the girl-prince can beat any ordinary blade, that she can even defeat soul-swords. This must be a trick. Yes, I am sure that it is a trap. I do not think that's fair. I want to give my girl a stronger sword. And what could resonate with her heart better than her own soul? I take away the Sword of Dios. My girl is surprised, as is the Rose Bride. My master, watching from afar with the Seitokaichou, seems rather distressed. I hope he will not realize that I did this of my own free will. I hope he thinks of another explanation. I can not plant one in his mind. He would notice. I can create illusions for anyone else, even for Anthy, but never for my master. Anthy, my Anthy, you know what you must do, so why do you not do it? Why do you just stand there and watch your girl-prince fight without a weapon? Help her, help her! Is your heart so cold now? I'll whisper in your ear, in the girl-prince's voice, reminding you of the words she spoke to you last night. "No matter what, we'll help each other." Yes, Anthy, draw her soul from her, and I'll shape it into a sword. See, I'll even make it resemble the Sword of Dios. Do you find that comforting, Anthy? Now, my champion, fight. Excellent. That went well. Your soul is strong indeed, my girl-prince. I do realize that I panicked. I regret that now. Especially because my master, having seen how truly magnificent the soul-sword of my champion is, has decided that he wants it for himself. In trying to save my girl, I have damned her. I have given my master a new plan. My only consolation is that my master does not realize that I was responsible. He blames Anthy. One by one, my master takes the Seitokai in his car. Even the old fencing captain returns for this newest game. They each wield the sword of their own soul against my girl, and she wins each time. The battles are harder, though. Not only are the challengers stronger than ever, but my girl is weaker. My master is quietly devouring her heart. He will make her into another Anthy. Anthy understands what her brother is doing. And she understands what will happen to her girl-prince, and to herself, should he succeed. Anthy, I wish you would help me. Help me to help her to help you. You could save yourself, Anthy, don't you see? But she doesn't, of course. Her brother has long since devoured her heart, and she believes she is empty inside. But if that were true, then he would not need to work so hard to keep her with him. Every night, now, he takes her within my dome. It never used to be so frequent. And now he brings the Seitokaichou's sister into our home. This I do not understand. I wonder if my master has gone insane. This girl is strange. She looks upon my master and his sister and wishes it were her with her brother. She does not understand that this is part of what killed Dios. I will strip her of these delusions. I keep her awake one night and lure her to the dome. She sees my master and the Rose Bride together. Now she understands. She understands better even than my master. She tries to warn my champion, but the girl-prince doesn't comprehend. I wonder why she duels now, then I realize that she is trying to save my girl, to force her away from my master and the Rose Bride. But I want my girl to win. If she is defeated, she will not be able to save my dear Anthy. It is easy to beat this other girl. She has no one to help her. Alas, now I wish she had succeeded. My master has the girl-prince in his car, and I know I have lost the game. The girl-prince does not see what he is, and I can not show her. Now Anthy sits within my dome, thinking of the drugged bouquet and feeling the burden of that guilt driving the eternal Swords of Hate that much deeper into her soul. It hurts her too look at the real stars tonight. I show her a schoolchild's starscape, with drawings and labels on all the constellations. It distracts her for a moment. But to the one who suffers eternally, even the briefest of respites is welcome. When my master returns with the girl, she is different. He has claimed her, and she has lost her direction. Even the shadows are agitated. It seems they have grown tired of mocking us and are making their own bid for the girl-prince. Their play shows my girl one fragment of the truth. They are biased, it is true, but in their own way they are trying to help. At the very least, they must feel strongly about it, or they would not all three be acting together. When they are finished, I congratulate them on their fine performance, and I chide them for their slanted portrayal of the one-time Rose Princess. They berate me in turn for refusing to see what she has become. Then we have tea and cookies together. You wonder how? They are shadows, and I am a planetarium projector. I created the image of tea and cookies, and it was real enough for all of us. But I should not have stayed so late playing mah-jongg with the shadows. Now that I am back, I see that my girl-prince is wearing earrings. She is more feminine, less herself. What can I do? Anthy sits by her side, saying nothing. If Anthy won't show you, my girl, I will. For an instant, I allow her to see the Swords of Hate and the air thick with the spray of Anthy's blood. Understand, my champion, what is at stake. And now the Seitokaichou is making his own play for my champion. I may not especially like him, but he realizes what my master is. He is less my master's lap dog every day. Perhaps I see a reflection of myself in him. Or maybe it is the other way around. In any case, the worst is yet to come, so in the fleeting peace of the night I give the two of them a gift. I paint the sky with an aurora, then turn my attention elsewhere so they may have some privacy. The next day, they duel. The Seitokaichou wants so badly to save her. I almost let him. But I think of Anthy, and I know that the Seitokaichou is not interested in freeing her. He desires only the girl-prince. But I need her. Because this is the last duel with any of the Seitokai, I make it different. I set all of the cars upon her, and I make them as insubstantial as wind against her blade. And when the cars are all gone, she defeats the Seitokaichou with ease. Now no one stands between my girl and the door she must open. No one except my master. I am undone. She saw my master and his sister beneath my dome. Now she is removing the Rose Signet I gave her. I am sorry, Anthy. It was a good try. We came closer this time than ever before, really. You are in despair. You feel it, don't you, Anthy. I knew you still had your heart. My Anthy jumps from the roof. Why? She knows she can not die. Ah, my girl-prince! She remembers her promise after all. Clever Anthy, tricking her into saving you. Now it is time for them to face him. They hold hands in the gondola. Be strong, my girl-prince. This will be your greatest trial. They enter my darkened arena, and I show them the Grave of Dios, his frozen image mounted on a floating sphere. My master emerges from the sphere. He takes my girl's hand, and then dismisses Anthy. I pick up my Anthy, leaving the image of her empty clothing falling to the floor, and I lay her upon the stairs, clad in something like she wore the day Dios died. My master draws the soul from my girl. I wrap her in the image of the Rose Bride's gown, hoping she understands that this is what he means for her. He promises her happiness, the chance to be the eternal princess at the side of the eternal prince. She hesitates. Don't disappoint me, my girl. She asks what would happen to Anthy. Oh, she is indeed my champion! She takes back her sword and prepares to fight. I raise the shutters and reveal myself, the planetarium. My master praises me. "There is no place higher than this room." My champion says she hates this place because of what my master and his sister do here. My master commands me to show her the image of her own sin, and I am compelled to obey. She weakens. I am sorry, my girl. I hate this place, too. My master draws the Sword of Dios from Anthy, and the Duel of Revolution begins. I try to remind my girl of the duels she has won. I show her the hundred desks and the field of upended cars. But my master is winning. Do not give up, my champion! You have the strength within you! "I'll be the one to free her from you!" she declares with all her might, "I'll become a prince!" My joy at her declaration is indescribable. I shatter the Grave of Dios, and I shake the eternal castle into pieces. My master looks at his world crumbling around him, and glares at me. He realizes now that I am on her side, that I have always been on her side. Go, my champion! Strike while he is distracted! Yes! He is fighting back with all his might, now, but you are stronger. Keep your momentum, just a little more . . . Anthy! What are you doing? What have you done? Oh, my Anthy, I thought you understood. Oh, my Anthy. Anthy does not look at the Sword of Dios, slick with the girl-prince's blood, as she flings it away. I swallow it with my darkness. My master doesn't want it anymore anyway. He realizes that the Sword of Tenjou is stronger. And my girl-prince is too weak now to defend herself. He hacks away at the Rose Gate with her sword, but he still can not get inside. It is not the sword that is important, but the hand that wields it. And that which lies behind the gate is not what he imagines, anyway. The Swords of Hate swirl around my Anthy, then attack her flesh like starving birds. You see, my champion, don't you? She keeps calling for him to save Anthy. He will not. How can I show her that she is the only one who can? I can not bear to see her lying there, bleeding. I gather together that tiny splinter of Dios from which I was born, and I give myself a new shape. As my body forms, I realize that a proper prince should have a white horse. I am not a proper prince, merely an echo. I create a carousel, and now I alight upon one of the fiberglass horses. White of course. Fiberglass--what was I thinking? I should have at least made them gilded wood. Now that I have a body, I speak. "Don't move now. I'll tend to your wounds later." I mean that part. Then I taunt her. "With power anything is possible. You can't do it, can you? You're a girl, aren't you? With power, you could free her from her fate. But how that power is used," I borrow my master's voice, "I decide." I lay beside her. "You've tried hard until now. Don't blame yourself. You've treasured your Rose Signet, so I shall give you a kiss as your reward." I lower my lips to her hand. "This is your consolation." I draw back, amazed at the strength with which she drives her fist into the ground, cracking the ring. She rises to her feet, even as the sword made from her soul breaks and my master throws the hilt aside. As my girl-prince staggers past him, I gather the pieces of the Sword of Tenjou, drawing them into myself. And I weep, for I had forgotten how magnificent a pure, living soul feels. With her bare hands, she claws at the thorny vines that cover the Rose Gate. Her first tear falls, causing ripples into the past and future, and freezing the present. The Swords of Hate hang suspended in time. The fallen prince looks up in horror. I smile as I walk away from him, to my fiberglass white horse. The Rose Gate has melted away, revealing not the power that the fallen prince believed he would find, but only Anthy's coffin. I savor the expression on my former master's face as he watches the girl-prince open the coffin. The world releases its held breath. The clustered Swords of Hate break away, revealing that Anthy is gone. Of course, she was never there. She has been in that coffin since the day she sacrificed herself for Dios. The Swords of Hate circle angrily, unsure of who to attack. I hide in the shadows, my fiberglass horse pawing at the ground. The new prince calls out to Anthy and offers her hand. Anthy awakens, hesitates, then reaches for the new prince. Too late. The fury of the Swords of Hate is shaking my arena apart. The bridge breaks, and Anthy's coffin falls. I know she is safe. I hear my girl mutter, "As I thought, I couldn't become a prince." No, you're wrong, my champion. You are the prince. You have freed my Anthy. You opened the door and called out to her. It was enough. You'll see. I'll show you. The Swords of Hate descend upon the new prince. There is no one to shield her. Wait, there's me! On my fiberglass white horse, I swoop past the surging blades and scoop her into my arms. Then I carry her into the bright part of the sky. The Swords of Hate can not find us. I am a master of illusions, after all. My former master flees as the Swords of Hate, like a hurricane, rip through the remains of the arena, and ultimately, the projector that has been my body for so very long. I am amazed that I am still here. Then I realize that it is because of her, because I merged with the Sword of Tenjou. I return the sword to her, and we awaken together. It is fitting, don't you think, that the new prince carries within her the last splinter of the pure soul of the old prince? Come find us, Anthy. We're waiting for you. Someday, we'll shine together. --Anj Proud member of the Wakaba Genki Preservation Society. @}-,-'-,-'-- "For those of you who've asked, absolutely nothing whatsoever happened today in sector 83 by 9 by 12. I repeat, nothing happened. Please remain calm." --Commander Susan Ivonova, "The Voice of the Resistance."