Revolutionary Girl Utena: Anima

Notes and Disclaimers: The characters in this story are the creation and property of Be-Papas. Chiho Saito and Ikuhara Kunihiko, and I mean no (serious) harm by using them for a bit.

This story has explicit-ish sexual content between two women - please stop reading immediately if you are underage legally in your area of residence, or this would offend you. Having been warned so bluntly, do not tell me it's my fault that you read it. There are also spoilers if you are paying attention, so if you haven't seen the whole series, and want to avoid knowing stuff, you might want to stop reading now. Also, if your eyes hurt, or your head is achy, or your back hurts - stop reading and go take a break, OK?

This story is Alan Harnum's fault, because he mentioned that he would read an Utena lemon and I said I never write them. So of course I came up with an idea almost instantly. But he made amends by coming up with the title, for which I am grateful. And thanks to Adam, Pendant to the Queen. And upon rereading this, it occurs to me that I'm getting mushy in my old age.

If you enjoy this, please let me know at worldshakingff@earthlink.net



Anima

It wasn't supposed to have happened. It might not have happened. But
even as a dream, as a reflection of the faintest desire, it should
never have been. Not even as a false hope.

She had returned that night, later than usual - the grey light of
pre-dawn just on the cusp of the morning, before color reasserted
itself. She spent a moment without her glasses, allowing the
acid-washed shades of the morning to fix themselves in her mind. The
cool, wet, dawn wind spilled over the empty streets and the smell of
salt filled her nostrils. She turned away from the school, looking
over the endless sea and thought hard, as she always did, about
plunging headlong from the cliffs into its black depths. She wondered
what the outcome would be - death, transformation, or life. No one,
not even her brother, could claim to know the result of that throw of
the dice.

Her brother. The wind chilled her now, and her steps turned once again
towards home. She could smell him on her skin; feel his beautiful
hair, his strong grip - she put her glasses back on and stepped through
the dormitory gate.

Their room was dark. She could see no sign of movement or light in the
window, but she felt alert, as if something was awaiting her there.
Enter the dorm, shut the door quietly. Stairs, skip the one that
squeaks automatically so one doesn't wake Utena. The room they share.
The door. Her hand on the handle, turning, pushing...

"Anshi?" Utena's sleepy voice from the darkness of the room. She could
just make out the shape sitting in the top bunk.

"I'm home." Anshi kept her voice soft and pleasant, as one speaks to a
child awakened from a nightmare.

There was no answer and Anshi thought that perhaps Utena slept once
again. But no, her breathing was audible, ragged, shallow.

"Utena-sama?" Anshi allowed worry to fill her voice. This wasn't like
Utena at all. "Are you alright?"

"Anshi, I," a breath, almost a sob. "No, no. I'm fine. It was just a
dream, a nightmare, I guess."

Anshi walked over to the beds and stood looking up at Utena's hunched
figure. She held out a hand. "Tell me about it."

Utena stretched out her own hand to take Anshi's, but at the briefest
touch pulled away sharply with a gasp. "No!" She tried to slow her
breathing, the harsh breaths that came now, forced, as if she could
not breath the rarefied air in the room. "No - I don't think talking
about it would help."

Anshi placed a hand on Utena's leg, and the girl did not flinch.
Softly Anshi stroked her thigh, soothingly, and she spoke lightly.
"Let me make you some tea - in the morning it will just have been a
dream." She could see Utena's eyes now, as she grew accustomed to the
gloom. There was an unpleasant light in them, as if Utena watched her
fearfully.

Utena's hand, moving slowly, covered Anshi's pressing it to her leg.
Anshi could feel the muscles tense under Utena's pajama leg. Utena
lifted Anshi's hand, and held it to her cheek.

"You're real." Utena's voice came to her softly, as a sigh. "You're
real, right? Not another dream?"

Anshi wasn't sure how to answer that. She paused, then said, "I'm
here." And heard Utena sigh again. She could feel warm breath move
across her fingers, then the warm softness of lips. Anshi held herself
still and calm, although the sensation made her want to cry out.

Utena lowered Anshi's hand, now clasped between her own, and held it
pressed to her chest. "I'm sorry. I'm acting strangely. I was just a
dream - but it was so real." Anshi watched as Utena reached up to brush
away a tear from her cheek. "You were dead, laid out in a coffin, but
when I went to say good bye you sat up and grabbed for me. You - your
body was covered in horrible wounds and blood, and you reached out for
me. But as you touched me, you faded away."

Anshi started and pulled her hand away with a jerk. This wasn't right.
Utena could *not* have seen that.

Utena seemed not to have noticed that she was no longer holding
Anshi's hand. Her body slumped, she held both hands clasped to her
chest. Anshi found herself breathing hard and spent a moment taking
deep breaths, calming herself. She opened her mouth to speak, but
Utena moved first.

Sliding down from the upper bunk, she landed lightly on the floor
facing Anshi. Slowly, as if afraid that the other girl would
disappear, as she had in the vision, Utena reached out and held Anshi
by the shoulders. "You are real, aren't you Anshi? I' m just being
foolish, right? I know... I know it was just a dream." And she laughed
a little; a forced laugh that was nonetheless comforting. But her eyes
held an unspoken plea.

Anshi looked up into Utena's eyes, and seeing the madness, the
prescience fading from them, allowed herself a small lie. "I'm real,
Utena-sama." And she could see the fear vanish. It was that simple.
One more small lie among a host of lies. And when she leaned forward
to place a light kiss on Utena's cheek it was no more a lie than her
words had been. But as Utena turned her face to return the kiss, Anshi
could hear the beating of their hearts, and she wondered to whom it
was that she was lying this time.

Their lips met and Utena's hands tightened on her shoulders. Anshi,
tired, perhaps too tired to think, still remembering his touch on her
skin, his taste and smell reacted, more strongly than she might have...
Another time she might have ended this, persuaded Utena to return to
bed with comforting words. Instead, she lifted her head to Utena,
parting her lips slightly.

Anshi couldn't know what went through Utena's mind at the moment, but
she could guess. The overwhelming desire to confirm Anshi's reality,
her wholeness; to make sure Anshi would not fade from her grasp.
Pulling Anshi close to her, Utena buried her face in Anshi's neck, not
quite kissing it, just tasting, feeling. Anshi felt her already
weakened guard crumbling. A small noise, like a whimper, escaped from
her lips as her resolve fled. Her hands rose, burying themselves in
Utena's hair, while in her mind, the last portion of her will cried
out inside her head.

Utena pulled away sharply, inhaling through her teeth in a hiss.
Looking down at Anshi, she couldn't help feeling the delicate frame
pressed up warmly against her own. One hand moved up from the shoulder
it clung to, and encircled the smooth dark neck. Their lips met, and
all rational thought, spurred on by fear and desire, swiftly departed,
leaving only the timeless communion of the body.

Utena captured Anshi's lips, this time kissing her hard. When Anshi's
tongue played gently at the corners of her mouth, Utena opened her
mouth to meet it. Her hands seemed to have developed a will of their
own, as if tracing every inch of Anshi's skin would redefine her, make
her more real. Anshi gasped as Utena's hands found already sensitive
nipples, and again, as Utena knelt, stroking her legs, brushed lightly
between them, filling in skin and hair and wetness in her recreation
of Anshi.

Kneeling in front of Utena, Anshi untied the bow on her blouse, then
removed the garment completely. Utena, not content to merely sculpt
Anshi by hand, needed also to craft her Galatea with the touch of lips
and teeth and tongue. When Anshi was naked, Utena laid her out on the
floor, and taking one hand in her own, began to sketch her newest
version of Anshi. Minutely, she kissed Anshi's arm, finding each
muscle, each bone and placing it in her blueprint. When she reached
Anshi's shoulder, the vanguard of her hand reached out to shape one
breast, then the other. Lips finished this fabrication, and left Anshi
breathless. No longer able to be a mere statue, Anshi found herself
asking her creator to finish her, to bring her life. But Utena would
not rush such a demanding work.

A second wave of soft breath, finalizing the shape of Anshi's eyes,
her ears, her mouth, then the sweet moment when her tongue was given
life. Hands now crudely forming ribs, descending to a slim waist, and
rising up to fill in the spine. Anshi arched herself up under Utena's
hands, her back and shoulders real now as they had never been before.

Utena had moved down, leaving soft belly for last, and was now
sculpting Anshi's feet. Slowly, deliberately, she carved each toe, the
delicate work of the instep and ankle, each stage finished with
kisses. Anshi could feel her legs worked from mere clay into limbs of
flesh and sinew, which might one day hold her upright. Each muscle and
tendon lovingly placed, Utena continued to work up Anshi's thighs,
until only one thing remained. Anshi could feel Utena's hands kneading
the contours of her legs, her buttocks, her stomach and hips. And
when, for the second time Utena lightly brushed in the detail of
pubis, Anshi shook in anticipation. Utena's breath was tantalizing -
the very breath of life that Anshi now needed. When Utena at last
granted her that life, she cried with the noise of a newborn child,
hopelessly alive and forever lost until death should once again enfold
her with soft warmth.

Anshi lay on the floor shaking for the longest time, shivering first
with ecstasy, then with emotion, and at last with mundane cold. Utena,
her head pillowed on Anshi's belly, lay in a trance. Her eyes were
half open; she regarded her creation with wonder, idly tracing the
very angles and curves that she had placed there..

All at once Utena stood then, bending down, lifted Anshi from her
pedestal and set her up on legs now made flesh. Anshi thanked her and
again for the nightclothes she was handed. Now dressed, Anshi was at a
loss as to what to say to Utena. But Utena was not there. She had
returned to her bunk, and was already sleeping a deep, dreamless
sleep. As the pinks and oranges of a new day crept through their
window into the room, Anshi slept also.



She awoke to a profound sensation of disorientation. Muffled bumps in
another room told her that Utena was dressed and making breakfast. She
moved slowly, feeling her new, unfamiliar limbs and found that they
would work. She bathed and dressed and came out to the dining room,
just as Utena entered with a tray.

"Himemiya! Good morning!" Utena's voice rang with her usual
cheerfulness, her eyes were clear of fear and worry, and Anshi began
to doubt what she remembered of the night before. Her nerves, strained
by the tensions of love and hate, felt near to snapping.

"Good morning, Utena-sama." She stepped forward to take the tray, but
Utena gestured her to a seat. While they ate, Utena chatted away about
a project for science class and Anshi responded acceptably, if with no
particular inspiration. Silence, when it fell seemed normal, but Anshi
felt herself straining to sense any wrongness in Utena's mien.

"Hey, Himemiya." Utena looked up over her teacup. "How did you sleep
last night? I didn't wake you, did I? I think I had some bad dreams."

Anshi composed her features as she sipped, and smiled benignly. "I
came in rather late, so I slept well. No, you didn't wake me up."

Utena's face screwed up almost comically. "I know I had some strange
dreams, but I can't remember any of them. Hey, Himemiya," she looked
at Anshi and her eyes had an odd light to them, which faded quickly.
Utena laughed and shook her head." Forget it – it's probably best I
Don't try and remember the dreams. Forget it." And whistling
artlessly, Utena whisked their dirty dishes off the table and into the
kitchen.

Watching her leave, Anshi could not get the feel of Utena's hands on
her body from her mind. It should never have happened. It did not
happen. It was just a dream.

She wished that she too had the power to forget dreams. It would have
been so much easier all the way around.

Shoujo Kakumei Utena : The Trajectory of Falling Stars

Another Utena story for tonight, I think. This one is based (if memory serves) around episode 33 of the series - arguably the most startling use of a recap episode ever snuck under the radar.

I wanted to try my hand at using multiple viewpoints in a story, and more importantly to try and convey distinct voices more effectively. Plus I wanted to play with the Akio Car, because hey, who wouldn't?

C'est l'histoire d'un mec qui tombe	(There's a story about a man falling
d'un immeuble de cinquante étages;	from a fifty-storey tower block;
au fur et à mesure de sa chute il se	as he falls he reassures himself
répète sans cesse pour se rassurer:	over and over:
jusqu'ici tout va bien	so far, so good
jusqu'ici tout va bien	so far, so good
jusqu'ici tout va bien...	so far, so good...)

-- Mathieu Kossovitz, "La Haine"

Shoujo Kakumei Utena : The Trajectory Of Falling Stars

"Yes, of course I love you."

They're all the same. By now I can almost do this in my sleep.

"Yes, I'd love that."

Desperation in her voice, then a flood of relief. The words don't
matter - just a promise I have no intention of keeping, and which they
surely don't believe in any case.

"I'll be looking forward to it."

Perhaps I will. A pleasant distraction, if nothing else.

"As will I, Mister President."

A man's voice, deep and sibilant. The line goes dead. I almost drop
the phone in surprise.

I look around - not really in the expectation that I'll see anything, but
because there are some instincts you can't control. The evening suddenly
seems far darker than it should.

The courtyard bursts into light, a squeal of brakes and the roar of an
engine that couldn't possibly have been so close without my having heard
it.

"Care to join me, Mister President?"

So that's what he looks like... Perhaps the evening won't be entirely
devoid of interest after all.

There she is! It's almost like she's been hiding from me all afternoon.
Somebody's going to end up carrying me all the way back to my room if I
have anything to say about it.

I make a dash down the steps, hoping she won't notice me. Looks like
I-- Oooh. So that's why.

She's standing there in the car park with Himemiya Anthy's brother - the
Chairman, no less - and blushing so much I can almost see it from here.
She toys with her hair a bit, staring at the ground every so often as
they talk.

I bet she doesn't even know she's doing it. Or how gorgeous she looks,
just standing there in the sunset... I bet he does, though.

This calls for drastic action!

She's so wrapped up in him she doesn't even notice me creeping up behind
her. This should be fun! I lean over to whisper in her ear.

"Uuuteeenaaa..."

"Wakaba!" She jumps, looking guilty. She's so far gone it's almost
funny.

"Hello, Shinohara-san" he says. I'd almost forgotten about him. He
really is handsome - then again, I always knew my darling Utena had
good taste. Time to tease her a bit...

"Hi! Um, could you call me 'Wakaba' instead of 'Shinohara-san'?" It's
not hard to look giddy when you talk to him - I can almost feel Utena
staring at me already. I give her a nudge.

"Hey, what's with sneaking out here all alone with him? Getting pretty
forward, aren't we?" She blushes. "Are you two about to go on a date
or something?"

"Of course not. We just bumped into each other." Riiiiight.

"Really?"

"Really." She never was much good at lying.

"Really really?"

"Yes already!" she almost yells.

"Glad to hear it! In that case, Akio-san, could I go for a drive with
you?"

She's trapped now, and she knows it. I can almost feel the way she's
glaring at me.

"Hey!"

It's hard to keep from giggling. She's so easy to tease...

"I'm sure meeting you like this today must be fate or something."
Flutter my eyelashes, look starstruck.

"You've been coming over to play every day."

Ouch. Nice try, but she's waaaay out of her league.

"Pretty pretty please with sugar on top! I'll remember it my whole
life!"

I can see it in his eyes - he's enjoying this too. I could get to like
him...

"Well, let's see. If you've got a couple of hours free I'm sure we can
manage something."
"Yes!!" I nearly leap into his car. I can't believe I'm getting away
with this... Oooh, she's going to kill me later.

She mutters something nasty, making a move for the back seat. Oh no.
Not now she isn't.

"Uh-uh." I hold out my hand, stopping her in her tracks. "You stay
here."
"How come?"

I practically throw myself into his lap, rubbing myself against his
chest. His body's warm and hard under that shirt, and I'm not entirely
faking it any more.

"'Cause... a date is something two people do by themselves - right,
Akio-san?"

He nods slightly, caught up in my hair. Whoops.

"Oh really?" If looks could kill... Well, it's for her own good - this
is important! How else are we supposed to get things to gossip about?

She waves a half-hearted goodbye as we hurtle down the road. Now...
what's her new boyfriend really about?

"Utena?"

I look up from the pile of maths papers strewn across my desk, my heart
beating faster all on its own. What could he want?

"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you..."

"No, not at all. I can't seem to get very far with this stuff tonight
anyway." I haven't been able to concentrate all week. I've been so
forgetful lately...

He smiles. "Well, then. Could I ask a favour of you?"

"Sure." Anything to get myself out of here - the room feels so warm.

"I've got some roses I need to deliver tonight, and I was hoping you
could come along to help me."

Is that--? I'm suddenly so nervous my hands are shaking. Is he-- does
he--?

"I'd love to."

My mind's a mess. I'm so busy thinking that there's no way I can
possibly answer that I almost don't realise I already have.

"You're driving quite fast," I tell him - simply because he is. The
streetlamps whip by on either side of us, faster than anything I've ever
seen before. The wind pulls insistently at my hair.

"She's purring nicely, don't you think?" he murmurs - a half-question in
my direction. For a moment I'm not sure if it's the car or his voice
doing the purring. I'm impressed. There's a power there that I hadn't
imagined, and I know a seduction when I hear it.

"Care to take the wheel?" One hand slips down to his side, inviting me
to lean across him into the driving seat. I favour him with a raised
eyebrow. It's not going to be that easy, even for him.

"What?" I act more surprised than I am. "But I don't even--"

"You're too uptight..." Almost honesty? No holds barred, it seems.
This will be fun.

"That was a rather indecent proposal, Mister Chairman." After all,
there are rules to be followed - but does he know that yet?

"My Ohtori Academy respects its students' independence, Mister
President." I'm sure it does - but he, he doesn't respect anything
unless he wants to. I can barely keep from smiling.

There's a new game to be played here, and I intend to win.

"So," I ask him, "how did you get to be the Chairman?"

As soon as I've said it I feel silly for even asking something so dumb.
He doesn't seem to notice, though.

"I have a confession to make" he says, leaning closer like he's about to
tell me a secret, "I'm not the real Chairman."

"What?" Utena wouldn't lie to me, would she?

"His body's in the trunk." My jaw must have fallen halfway to the floor
before he finally starts laughing, low and maybe just a little
dangerous.

"Sorry," he says, "just joking. The Chairman was unfortunately taken
ill some months ago, and since then I've had to take on his duties
around the academy."

"That must be really hard work..."

"Not really." He smiles again. "The students very rarely cause me any
trouble... I'm just here to make sure things run smoothly. To lend a
helping hand here and there."

He leans closer, one hand toying with my hair for a moment. "Besides,"
he whispers, "it can be rather enjoyable." Suddenly it's really warm in
here - I feel like I'm blushing right down to my toes. And I don't
even--

The sunset catches in his eyes for a moment, and I just slip a bit lower
in my seat. Well, okay, maybe I do just a little, but...

It's such a beautiful night to be outside. The stars are incredibly
bright, and the wind is warm as it blows through my hair. Every so
often I can just about smell the scent of the flowers in my lap... they
smell a little like him...

Suddenly the streetlights end, and it's like we've driven into an
endless tunnel through the darkness. The headlights are a tiny patch of
brightness ahead of us, and I can barely make out where the road is
going any more. It's kind of scary.

"How can you drive like this?" I ask him. "You're going so fast, and I
can hardly see..."

He turns and smiles at me, his hair rippling around his face.

"Close your eyes," he tells me.

"What?" He's got to be joking!

"Don't you trust me?" he whispers. "Just close your eyes for a moment."

I do, nervously, trying to work out what's going on. It feels like
forever, just the sound of the wind and the curve of the road pushing me
across my seat. After a while I start to relax, and I notice just how
hard I've been gripping my legs. My hands are a bit cold.

"Open them," he tells me.

I do.

I'm so shocked I feel like my eyes are going to fall out. The stars are
everywhere, colours and whorls and spirals reflected in the sea and so
bright I can see the road winding along the shore for miles. In the
distance I can see the lights of a fairground, a great big wheel of
colours dancing around in front of us.

It's only then that I realise that he's turned off the headlights.

He puts his hand over mine; his fingers are warm and soft. I'm still a
little scared, but it's the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Looking out across the sea I realise the sun's nearly set already. It's
amazing how fast the afternoon's gone... and I've hardly even got
anything juicy to tell Utena yet! This is serious!

"Ne, Akio-san?" I ask him.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of Utena? Now that she's living with you and all..."

He gets an odd look in his eyes at that. Sort of a wistful look, but
that's not all. "She's a beautiful young lady," he says. "The princess
of the Academy."

What an odd thing to say... But in a way I can see what he means. He's
very good with words sometimes.

"But aren't you engaged to someone already?" I'm sure Utena mentioned
it, in fact.

"You think I--" he starts, then laughs softly. "Yes, Shinohara-san, I
am engaged." A little smile; he reaches on hand across towards me,
making me feel shivery all over. "And besides, it would be... improper
of me to have a relationship with one of my students, wouldn't it?"

And suddenly it's like a little part of me realises that he doesn't
believe that at all, that's screaming like he's the scary bits of
Himemiya Anthy and Kiryuu Touga all rolled into one, only he's still
so utterly gorgeous...

"The sun's almost down" he says, interrupting my thoughts suddenly. "Do
you want to see if we can race the sunset?"

I just nod, because I'm not sure I can speak right now. Then the engine
roars like an angry tiger and we're zooming down the road so fast you
wouldn't believe, and all I can do is hang on for dear life and think
how much fun this is...

"Wow... that was just so much fun! I haven't been to a fairground in
ages - I'd forgotten what it was like."

He pulls the car away slowly, the lights reflected all over the bodywork
in glittering patterns.

"Thanks so much for taking me..."

"It's my pleasure," he replies, and he makes it sound like he means
every word.

"It's a pity Himemiya couldn't come." I sigh.

"Anthy's never really liked the fairground very much."

"Maybe, but..." My hand brushes something down the side of my seat, and
suddenly there's a huge sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. I
life the roses up from the floor of the car. "Oh gods... Akio-san!
What're we going to do about the roses? I forgot all about them! We're
probably too late, and I bet they've gone to bed and--"

"It's okay," he says, cutting me off. "I've already delivered them."

What?

I lift them slowly to my face, my hands trembling. They smell so
wonderfully sweet.

He nods, almost imperceptibly.

For a moment all I can do is stare at him. Part of me is just beginning
to realise what this could mean... and part of me has wanted it forever.

"Yes" I tell him, scarcely knowing what I'm doing any more. In his
smile, though, there's nothing uncertain.

The wind roars in our ears as we drive, the road beneath whipping past
in a blur. He runs one hand along the bodywork of the car, a gesture so
thoroughly lascivious it feels almost obscene. His eyes haven't been on
the road for minutes; it occurs to me that it doesn't matter a damn.

"So, Mister President... what is it that you desire?" He leans towards
me, and his eyes smoulder like the fall of angels.

The answer is on my lips with barely a thought. "Power. Power to
revolutionize the world."

A low, delicate laugh. "And how do you plan to obtain this power?" he
asks me.

"My will." As I have so many times before. I meet his gaze for the
last time, and now there can be no turning away for either of us.

"And what if you fail?"

I say nothing, but I realise that, win or lose, I no longer care. Such
a glorious game this will be...

He smiles, and the gods themselves weep.

"The End of the World I will reveal to you..."

I'm so tired... I really didn't expect all this to happen. I clutch my
hands across my chest, a little tingly thrill running through me as I
close my eyes.

As I drift off to sleep I can still hear his voice, soft and beautiful.
I wonder if today has all just been a wonderful dream...

"Is that Anthy?"

"What're you doing up there?"

"They're beautiful tonight... You didn't have to watch the
Planetarium."

"I didn't want to look at the real stars."

FIN

Shoujo Kakumei Utena : Where the Wild Roses Grow

This is one of my favourite stories, so I thought I'd make it my first real post here.

When I originally wrote it I'd just finished reading Lord Dunsany's "Time and the Gods" - essentially a long, loosely-interconnected series of short stories about the rise and fall of ancient gods. Dunsany's style is almost instantly recognisable, and I couldn't help but feel the urge to try and imitate it, just to see what would happen. There was, of course, only one series which would carry this kind of thing without devolving into parody...

So here it is: the Tale of the Rose, as I like to imagine Dunsany would have told it. So far his vengeful spirit has yet to hunt me down; I'm taking this as a good sign.

Somewhere, in a place with no name, lies a garden, wild and overgrown.
The roses which grow there bear flowers of deepest red; their leaves
sigh softly in the breeze; the morning dew drips silently from their
petals.

Lost, forgotten, they dream of past glories.

"It should not...

...is not...

...will not...

...was not ever thus."

Once, long, long ago, the roses of the world grew flowers of purest
white and knew the secrets of the gods. By day they shone with blinding
brilliance and gave comfort to the minds of men, but always they
struggled against the Lord of the Darkness, whose name was Fear, and His
eidolon servant Night.

The roses despaired at the power of Night, and ever made plans against
Him. And it came to pass that two children - a brother and his sister -
were abandoned in the place where the roses grew, and the roses knew
that, at last, they could act.

Between them the roses raised the boy and his sister, trusting their
thorns to guard the children from the darkness. To the boy-child they
taught the ways of chivalry and the arts of battle, and to his sister
they taught the deepest secrets of their magic.

In time the children grew, and the roses left them to find their way
together in the world. As a parting gift the boy was given a single
flower, which he wore always at his breast, and which comforted them in
the darkness.

To the young man every woman in the world was a princess, and together
the siblings fought to rescue them from the creatures of Night. Soon
the boy was known throughout the world, and men called him the Rose
Prince for the flower he wore above his heart.

As they travelled, many men saw, at last, that the creatures of Night
were no longer their masters and they joined the Prince upon his quest.
With their hands they built for him a great fortress, and at its heart
was a garden where the roses grew wild. Together the Prince and his
followers drove away the darkness from the lands of the world, and Night
fled before them in terror.

But Fear looked upon the world and saw the triumph of the Prince over
His servants, and swore vengeance against him. So He travelled far
across the land until, at last, He reached the mist-shrouded domain of
Death. Into Her dreams he crept, whispering tales of the Prince and how
he fought to free the world from Her dominion.

Death heard His words, and saw the truth of them, and She was sorely
afraid. Raising Her arms to the sky, she gave a great cry and called
forth Her dread warrior Time and His army of hours. Death told Him of
the Prince's quest, and so Time rode forth across the world, leading His
army to battle.

Against Time's army the Prince and his companions were powerless; their
armour crumbled at His touch, their bodies weakened and their swords
shattered. One by one they were forced to flee, and Time harried the
Prince and his sister nigh unto the gates of their fortress and slew all
those that they had come to hold dear.

Despairing and terribly wounded, the Prince rested within the high
walls, tended by his sister. Every morning she looked beyond the gate
to see the army of Time and knew that the walls would soon fall. In
desperation she called upon all of her vast power to create a weapon
with which to fight them.

From the depths of her soul she drew the silver chains which bound her
heart and forged them in the crucible of her magic. At last she went
unto her brother, who was barely able to stand, and said unto him:

"My beloved brother, I beg you, take this sword and drive back the army
from our gate while there is still time."

"But how", he asked her, "can I fight against Time, whose merest touch
is death?"

She kissed him softly upon the cheek and answered: "This sword is
eternal, and He is powerless before it."

So the Prince rode forth from the castle and the army of hours fled
before him, parting like water before his blade, until he faced dread
Time Himself.

Time looked down upon the Prince and smiled cruelly. He drew his
tarnished sword of rust and cracks, before which the very mountains
crumbled into dust, and met his opponent.

The Prince stood firm, holding forth his sister's blade, and their
weapons clashed like the sound of thunder. Shocked beyond measure, Time
saw His sword of rust shatter before His eyes and fled in terror from
the field.

Victorious and exhausted beyond endurance, the Prince was carried from
the field into his sister's waiting arms. She laid him down upon a soft
bed and bid him rest, barring the gates of the castle behind her.

For many days and nights the Prince slept, barely awakening despite the
tender ministrations of his sister. Inexorably the days wore on, and
soon there came whispered tales of the return of Night from faraway
lands, each more terrible than the last.

One morning the Prince's sister awoke to a knocking at the door.
Outside she found an old man with tears in his eyes who begged her to
return the Prince to them, so that his daughter might be saved.

"I'm sorry.", she replied, "He can help you no longer."

The old man looked back at her with anger in his eyes and left without
saying a word.

Still the Prince's condition grew worse, and with each passing day his
sister grew more afraid. Seeing this, the Lady Death rode forth from
Her vale of mists, bringing with Her Jealousy, who was the daughter of
Fear. To the castle of the Rose Prince They rode, and in the darkness
They watched at the windows and waited.

The Prince's sister slept uneasily, afraid for both her brother and
herself. Into her dreams Jealousy began to whisper, coming to her in
the guise of a thousand beautiful princesses, each of whom longed to
claim the Prince for themselves.

Meantime, the army of Night drew nigh, and the men of the world were
sorely afraid. In desperation they armed themselves and came to the
castle of the Prince to beg him to lead them. Finding the gate barred,
they hurled themselves against it in their terror, crying out to the
Prince within.

Hearing their voices, the Prince rose weakly from his bed, intending to
join them for his final battle. His sister saw this and begged him not
to leave.

"I must", he told her, "for who else will fight for them?"

"Even if it means your death?" asked his sister, angrily.

"Even then", he replied.

"Then you are a fool!" she cried, and fled the room.

In vain the Prince struggled to stand, but now there was no strength
left in him and he fell back against the bed in pain.

Outside, his sister wept at his foolishness, raging against the men at
the gate and their petty princesses. In her anger she at last saw the
face of the Lady Death at the window, who spoke to her, saying:

"I will put an end to your brother's suffering, and he shall be yours
forever if you will only allow me to enter."

In reply, the Prince's sister opened the window and said only:

"Please, take away his pain, so that all the petty princesses of the
world shall have him nevermore."

Death smiled at her in thanks and caressed her cheek softly in one cold
hand. "Go then to the door, and send away the mob, so that I may do my
work in peace."

The Prince's sister turned and ran from the room, the touch of Death
still shivering against her skin. When she was gone, Death walked
softly to the Prince's chamber and lifted him in her arms. Her
fingertips brushed closed his eyes and she spoke but one word: "Sleep."

Soon his body grew as cold as the stone floor upon which he lay, and the
flies crawled all about him. And Death raised her hands and called to
the flies, saying:

"You are mine and he is yours. Rise up and leave this place."

And the flies rose up in the form of the Prince and made their obeisance
to the Lady. Together they crept from the castle and rode swiftly away.
In the gardens, the roses wept.

At the gate the clamour of the crowd grew ever louder, and the Prince's
sister grew angrier still. At last she flung open the gate, and the mob
fell instantly silent.

"Where is our prince?" asked one.

"Go away!" replied his sister. "He is mine, and you and your daughters
will never again take him from me."

In fury, the men took up their swords and fell upon her, their blades
piercing her body with terrible hunger. The earth grew slick with her
blood, and the men spat upon her body and left her to die.

In agony, her own blood choking her voice, she cried out:

"Lady Death! What of our bargain?"

And the Lady came to her and replied:

"Our bargain still stands, now and forever."

She pleaded with Death to end her suffering, but the Lady turned away,
saying only:

"Lady! What of our bargain?"

Inside the castle the men of the world found their Prince, the sleep of
Death upon him, and many wept openly, for now there was none able to
hold back the dread army of Night.

Together they made for him a coffin of wood, and carved the figure of a
rose upon it for their remembrance. In the garden of the castle they
buried him, and upon his grave the roses grew flowers of deepest red.

At last, exhausted by her pain, the Prince's sister slept, and in her
dreams a thousand pincesses laughed. She woke with the dawn light to
find a gentle hand resting upon her brow, and she saw the face of her
brother, who was the Prince of the Flies.

His touch healed her of her wounds, but for her pain he could do
nothing, and he wept, because he still remembered who he had been.

"How have you returned to me?" she asked him.

"The love I have for you is stronger than the Lady Death will ever
be" he replied. "From this day forward, you are my only flower."

At this his sister smiled and kissed him softly upon the cheek.
"From this day on, I am your flower" she replied.

He lifted her in his arms and seated her upon his great horse, and
together they rode away. And soon Time returned to the castle, having
heard the fate of his hated foe. He sent forth His hours against it,
and the walls could no longer stand before him. Triumphant, He too
departed, leaving behind only ruins.

And from the power of their magic the Prince of Flies and his sister
built a castle of illusions amid the clouds. In his arms she found
solace from her torment, and there they lived from that day onward,
dreaming of happiness.

And in the world below there was none left to stand against the Night,
and Fear was once more its master. He looked upon the world and saw
what He had wrought from the minds of men and, seeing it, smiled.

FIN

In a place whose name has long since been forgotten, there lies a
garden where the roses grow wild. Beneath the cold earth lies a prince
in his coffin, entombed forever in madness; beneath his skin a myriad
roots writhe blindly, their thirst unending.

The roses that grow there bear flowers of deepest blood red; their
leaves whisper madness to the winds. In the rain and the morning mist
their petals shed his tears.