Roses and Swords

A Quantum Destinies Side Story

Chapter 1

This is a story set in Jurai-Knight's 'Quantum Destinies' universe (with
his permission), and you will have to be familiar with that piece of work
to follow this story. The events within take place some time after chapter
nine of Quantum Destinies.

Standard Disclaimer:
The Quantum Destines universe is Jurai-Knight's. Many of the characters
within are not. Revolutionary Girl Utena is also owned by someone else.

Any and all C+C is appreciated. You can contact me at sommer@3rdm.net

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Professor Hiro Fuji moved through the vast halls of the Ministry of
Science to the room the monthly meeting was scheduled to take place. As
important as Project Phoenix was, he would have thought that they might
have been permanently assigned a chamber of their own. However, since they
usually only got together once a month to review the test subjects, it
would have been a waste of space, he supposed. He began to wonder if it
was nothing more than a matter of pride.

Pride was something he still retained in abundance -though some claimed it
was arrogance, his fellow scientists among them. He ran his hand through
his close-cropped black hair, a holdover from his time in the Security
Directorate. The routines he learned there had clung to him his entire
life. He still ran five miles every morning, then performed six sets of
fifty push-ups followed by the same of sit-ups. Despite being nearly fifty
years old, physically he appeared to be no more than in his late thirties.
The appreciative stares he received from women told him that. He was still
quite the physical specimen, and hardly the type most would have thought
to be one of the premier geneticists in the world.

Of course, with Project Phoenix underway, the next generation of the
Empire might all turn out like that, if not better.

Fuji checked his watch; he was a half hour early. News reports had said
traffic was heavy today, so he had left early. Now all he had to do was
wait. The sounds of children playing from up the hall caught his
attention. As he turned the corner he spotted two familiar faces: Doctors
Naoko Akagi and Yuji Katsuragi. Along with the pair were two young girls,
no more than six years old or so, playing with one another. Examining
their faces, he was fairly certain which one belonged to each doctor.

"Doctor Akagi. Doctor Katsuragi." He bowed before both, who bowed to him
in return.

"It's nice seeing you again," Akagi said. "I don't think you've ever met
my daughter." She turned to the two girls. "Ritsuko. Say hello to
Professor Fuji."

The blonde girl broke off the tug-of-war she was having with the other
girl and said hello. Ritsuko did not have a chance to do anything else as
the black-haired girl then shoved her aside and took her place before
Fuji. "My name's Misato," she declared with a smile.

"Don't shove me, Misato," Ritsuko complained.

"Why don't you make me?" And with that Misato stuck out her tongue and
shoved Ritsuko again. Fuji noted that there was no actual meanness in
Misato's features, implying that it was more like playful roughhousing
than anything else. Though it was obviously more enjoyable for one than
the other.

"Play nice with Ritsuko," Katsuragi warned as Misato continued to pick on
her.

"Kids," Akagi said in the tired voice that only people with children could
use. "My nanny canceled at the last minute, so I had to bring her here."

Katsuragi said the same thing and complained about the problems of being a
'single parent in this day and age.' Fuji was suddenly glad he never
married and had to deal with any children, or more specifically, children
that young. In truth, his life now almost completely revolved around a
very special set of youths. A life mirrored in the others that were coming
to the meeting. "Since we have a moment to ourselves, I wanted to ask you
something kind of off the record. How do you think the project has been
coming along? And I just want your basic opinions, not some long-winded
speech. We'll have more than enough of those at the meeting."

Akagi and Katsuragi looked at each other, then laughed. Katsuragi spoke
first. "I should say we have complete faith in it."

"After all," Akagi continued. "We've already given Ritsuko and Misato the
treatment. Sort of putting our money where our mouth is, so to speak."

"I guess that does pretty much say it all." Fuji was surprised. Neither
one of them was known for their blind faith, and he was more than slightly
surprised that they would be willing to give their own children the
treatment at such an early stage in the project. Of course, given the age
problem with the treatment, if they waited too long neither child would be
eligible for the process, and they would be left behind when the process
was made available to the rest of the public. There was still a safety
factor to be considered, though. Certainly he was not so overconfident as
to believe that the treatment was one hundred percent reliable, but what
in life was? And it was not as though they were his children. He decided
to just stop worrying about it and moved the discussion onto other topics.

Time passed quickly as they talked about a variety of subjects. The
doctors sent their daughters to another waiting room where a secretary
could keep an eye on them. It was shortly after their return that all of
the other project heads showed up, and they entered the room.

Upon entering, Fuji saw that the room they were using was more comfortable
than what they had used before. Director Saito, the head of the project,
must have arranged for it. The long table, which could seat as many as
twenty, was of a very visually appealing redwood, undoubtedly imported
from the Western North American Prefectures and costing a great deal of
money. The chairs were also very plush, a far cry from the uncomfortable
plastic backed ones they had previously used at all of the other meetings.

Fuji looked all of the other project heads over. All twelve were present,
including his old friend, Professor Kouzou Fuyutsuki. He also noticed
Doctor Yoshiki Matsuda. That was the one Fuji wanted to see the most. This
was the meeting where he got his overbearing ego deflated a bit.

Small discussions had broken out among the various members. It was not
until the head of the Project, Director Saito, entered that the others
quieted down. The rotund Director gave a simple greeting to the others and
took his seat at the head of the table.

"Are there any urgent messages or problems that demand some sort of
immediate response or attention?" No one said anything. "Good. Then I
don't see any reason why we can't begin the meeting. I want Professor Fuji
to open the review today. His preliminary reports seem to give us some
unique insights as to how the project is progressing."

Fuji smiled as he opened up his bag and passed copies of his monthly
report around the table. Once everyone had a copy and had a chance to get
to the first page, he began. "Allow me to review a few things before I
begin. As most of you are aware, we placed several of the children
together in the Ohtori Academy. Unlike most of the other children, who we
were going to allow to awaken first, then bring together, we wanted to see
what would happen if they were in close proximity to one another
beforehand. Now that they have had time to assimilate with one another,
I'm proud to announce that the study has garnered some very interesting
results.

"All seven members of the test group have shown excellent scores in both
intelligence and physical activities, all of them high above the norm for
children of that age. On their own and without any outside encouragement,
they have taken over the entire membership of the student council. They
have even managed to spread their influence to some of the teaching staff.
Combined they represent the primary force now at the school itself. It is
their voice that is heard above all others. There is no non-project child
even close to them in influence and power there."

He watched as all of the project members listened intently to his speech
with satisfied looks. He had known that placing them in the school was an
environment that would produce results. Again he had to suppress the
satisfied smirk he wanted to give, since most of the others had originally
met his idea with skepticism. "Exemplary leadership qualities are only one
facet of this experiment that has met with our project goals. The children
have already organized a formal way of producing a group hierarchy to
choose who the alphas of the group will be. They have formed something of
a duelists club, whereby they engage in a number of duels per week. The
results of these fights serve to enforce the rule of the alphas of the
pack. I have the informal ranks on the sheets before you."

He watched as the others looked over the individual test numbers in
comparison to the apparent alpha rankings among the Adams and Eves. With
only the exception of Saionji Kyouichi, who was ranked fourth among his
peers when he was the third highest in the test scores, the rankings
followed the numbers pattern from highest to lowest, just as he had
thought they would.

Fuji continued, "As you will note, Utena Tenjou has the highest scores of
all of the test subjects at Ohtori. In fact, I believe only Nabiki Tendou
is currently rated higher than her, and Tendou is a year older. In less
than a month after her awakening, she has become the alpha of her group,
defeating even Touga Kiryuu, who has a score that is only slightly lower
than hers." He resisted rubbing his hands in satisfaction as he looked
towards Matsuda. "Since every other member of the group comes from a noble
family, and she is nothing more than a commoner, I believe it is safe to
assume that the theory about the noble bloodlines containing superior
genes and automatically becoming the alphas of the group is nothing more
than nonsense. Or as Utena is apt to say, 'Nobility is carried in the
heart, not in the blood'."

Doctor Matsuda gave a refrained evil glare. He and Fuji had argued from
the beginning about the superior genes that the nobility possessed. That
Matsuda was from a prominent family, and Fuji had only come from a lower
class background, only served to widen the rift between their viewpoints.
"You've been spending a lot of time with that test subject, haven't you,
Professor?"

"Not so much more than the others," Fuji said, noting the venom that had
dripped from Matsuda's voice. It was true that he had spent more time with
Utena, convinced that she would blossom into an alpha that would show up
the rest of the noble-blooded children. However, he had done nothing to
tamper either with her or with the project itself. He already knew that
the noble blood superiority theory was nonsense. Trying to cheat by
altering any part of it would have done nothing but show his doubts about
his own theories. Utena was a personal favorite of his, especially since
her scores were so high, but he would never allow that to bias the
project. "She has received extensive training in both armed and unarmed
combat, but that was only an attempt to gauge her abilities. The others
underwent the same training upon their awakening. The only difference is
she has continued to rise at a phenomenal rate, much more quickly than any
of the others did. You can see that on the weekly measurement charts in
comparison to the other children. It's all in the file I gave you."

Matsuda ground his teeth quietly so that the others did not hear it. Fuji
was telling the truth, much to his irritation.

"Don't feel so bad," Director Saito told Matsuda. "I thought there was a
good chance the noble bloodlines would prove superior to others. However,
it appears the process is more random than we thought."

With the head of the project all but telling him to calm down, Matsuda
forced himself to relax. There were also indications from the other
children that the purity of the noble bloodlines made no difference in
test scores or becoming an alpha of a group. There was possibly still a
chance that in a larger test group the nobility would prove superior, but
it was becoming less likely as the time continued and more results came
in.

Fuji took silent note of his victory. Now he had something he could cut
down Matsuda with the next time he became too pompous. However, it would
have to wait, Director Saito making his wishes to continue all too clear.
"There have been several other discoveries as well. Psychological profiles
and observations clearly showed that Juri Arisugawa demonstrated lesbian
tendencies in her pre-awakening days. However, shortly after her Phoenix
qualities began to surface, she has been interacting with the Adams of her
group in what is almost surely sexually interested ways."

"You're certain she wasn't bi-sexual all along?" Katsuragi asked.

"Psychology isn't a perfect science, of course," Fuji said. "But all the
evidence indicated she had no interest in men."

"So it appears that the biological attraction factors we built into the
children are capable of overriding deviant sexual tendencies," Katsuragi
said with a measure of satisfaction drifting into his voice.

"Must you be so crude?" Professor Anno asked.

Katsuragi held his hands up defensively. "I only mean deviant in the sense
that it interferes with the procreation with the species, which is the
ultimate goal of the project. Perhaps 'sexual preferences' would be a
better term?"

Anno nodded in agreement.

Fuji cleared his throat. "I wouldn't go so far as to declare that a
statement of fact. This is only one test subject, and there is no
guarantee that her interest in Adams will hold, or that she will give up
seeking same-sex partners either among the Eves or outside Project Phoenix
altogether. We'll need more test cases to see if the pheromonal cues of
the Adams and Eves is capable of overriding inherent sexual preferences,
or if it's some kind of psychological change that the Phoenix Children
undergo themselves. We will be keeping a closer eye on her, of course."

Director Saito broke in. "Still, if she has suddenly expressed interest in
the Adams, and none of the Eves, then it's not unreasonable to assume that
the pheromonal cues are playing a role in this. I want a very close eye
kept on her. Double the amount of people assigned to watch her, while
still being surreptitious about it. This is exactly the sort of thing
we've been looking for in the Mark II process. Please continue."

Doctor Akagi had been listening to the conversation while leafing through
the information on several of Fuji's test results. Something on one of the
later pages caught her eye, and she interrupted Fuji before he could
continue. "I'm concerned about this unusual attraction Nanami Kiryuu seems
to have for her brother, Touga. Is it as bad as it appears?"

Fuji nodded. "She has been showing a very unhealthy interest in her older
brother. There might have been signs of it before her awakening, but now
they're conclusive. She has definitely shown extreme signs of
possessiveness and possible sexual interest."

"Do you think it's a breakdown in the genetic 'circuit breakers' we put in
the children to keep siblings from showing interest in one another?" Saito
asked. It had long been a worry of both himself and the others that the
attraction factor would carry over to siblings. It had always been the
opinion of the council that having an Adam and Eve living under the same
roof, without any other Adams or Eves available, would result in a
coupling over seventy percent of the time. If they could not develop a way
for family members to resist being interested in one another, the whole
project would have to be scrapped. Inbreeding was still a problem, even
with the genetic restructuring that Project Phoenix children had
undergone. To combat that possibility, they had put genetically placed
responses in each of the children that if a pheromonal lure was similar to
theirs, they would not feel any attraction towards one another.
Simulations indicated it would be effective up to a first cousin level.
Any relation beyond that and the buffer would not be effective. They also
had no accurate data on how effective it would hold up among half-sisters
and brothers, a situation which none of the test subjects was in.

Doubt was apparent on Fuji's features. "Unknown. But even if that is the
case, I don't think it's cause for alarm. None of the other project
children that have siblings have demonstrated similar behavior."

"Indeed," Fuyutsuki agreed. "Two of my test cases, Tatewaki and Kodachi
Kunou, have never expressed that sort of interest in one another. And I
believe Professor Fuji's own test subjects, the twins Miki and Kozue
Kauru, have either. Not only that, but Touga has expressed no interest in
Nanami, yes?"

"True," Fuji said. "There's never been any indication that he has any
desire for her. We are fairly certain he's had intercourse with Kozue, so
we know his physical attractors are probably working correctly."

"It could be a genetic flaw," Matsuda replied. "We always knew there would
be as much as a three percent error ratio built into the process.
Admittedly, that's a lot better than the initial ten percent we were
suffering in the Mark I children, but it's still room for error. It sounds
to me like this might be an instance of it." Matsuda's previous anger was
now forgotten as he delved once again into the project's results.

One of the others that had remained silent up to that point, Doctor
Kunikida, leafed through several sheets until he came upon a curious
detail. "What's this about an esper that hangs around the alpha of the
group?"

"Oh, that." Fuji was surprised he had gotten that far through the report.
"Her name is Anthy Himehiya. From what the Mobius Institute tells me,
she's a telekenetic of enormous power. She'd be a valuable member of the
Institute except for one tiny detail: her personality is complete passive.
She wouldn't harm a fly on her own. She was transferred to Ohtori to see
what her reactions would be in a school environment in the hopes that she
would become more aggressive, but there was no change in her personality.

"Curiously, shortly upon the formation of the duelists club, Anthy began
spending time with them, or, more specifically, remaining close to whoever
the current alpha of the group is. It's more than a general attraction.
Her initial interest was in Saionji, but the moment he fell to Touga, she
switched her attentions to him. I had assumed it was some sort of sexual
attraction, until now. Utena has become the alpha of the group, and Anthy
is now completely subservient to her."

"Do you think she can sense their pheremonal scents?" Futuysuki asked.
There had been little study done on a possible link between espers and
Phoenix Children. Too little was understood about the genetics involved
with psychics, and considering the last doomed attempt at genetically
creating espers, all projects were shelved until more studies could be
done to understand them better.

"The Institute believes that she has somehow subconsciously tapped into
their hierarchy, perhaps through a low level of telepathy, and that she's
following the alpha of the pack. Given the number of times she has
switched to the alpha, I think that's probably true."

"I haven't seen any indication of this at the Imperial Academy. We have a
couple of espers registered there," Fuyutsuki said, then admitted,
"Although I haven't exactly been looking for it either."

"It could be just this particular girl. If she's that passive she might be
looking for someone like an alpha to follow," Saito said, having more
familiarity with espers and the Institute than the others. "We still know
next to nothing about the creation or mechanics of psychic abilities.
It's not a priority, but I think it would be advisable to keep an eye out
on interaction between the children and any espers they meet to see if
similar reactions occur."

The others nodded their heads in agreement, their minds staring to race
with the new possibilities.

"It's been an eventful session today," Katsuragi said to the group.

"Heh. Small surprise," Matsuda said in better spirits. A great deal of the
information that he had learned today was going to be applied to the
children under his observation. "This project represents perhaps the
greatest single achievement in the history of man. And it is entirely the
Empire's. No one can even come close to what we have achieved here, and it
is largely thanks to us."

Fuji took note of the number of heads that nodded in agreement around the
table. It really was amazing what people could intentionally forget when
they chose to. He took it upon himself to burst the pleasant little bubble
they had wrapped themselves in.

"Lorenze Keele," Fuji said softly, and found himself rewarded with the
room falling into a deathly silence.

Matsuda recovered first, then shot Fuji an evil stare. "Look, the Germans
Human Instrumentality Project was an abysmal failure. Over ninety percent
of the children became complete psychopaths. The Germans themselves were
planning on redoing the project from scratch before we took care of the
matter."

"And what of the remaining children that were not failures?" Fuji asked.

"They were liquidated. The Germans were afraid that any children they
produced would turn out like the other test subjects. We got that from
Keele's own personal files when we captured them."

"Yes. Very convenient, that. We were never able to get our hands on
anything else of his over the years, except that one time," Fuji said as
he watched Matsuda light up a cigarette. Talking about Keele always
aggravated Fuji's older rival to no end. Starting to smoke was always a
sign of that aggravation. Fuji took delight in the time he had gotten
Matsuda to light up an entire pack in one discussion.

Director Saito entered the conversation. "We back checked it through the
Security Directorate. Files and bodies of all the test subjects were
accounted for through alternate German resources."

"Besides, it doesn't matter," Matsuda reassured him. "Black Ops teams
killed Professor Oppenheimer. He was the mastermind behind the genetics
portion of the Human Instrumentality Project. Once he was dead and all of
his notes and experiments were destroyed, the whole thing was completely
scrapped. They couldn't have recreated the project, even if they wanted
to."

"And Keele's dead," Akagi provided. "He died when his Antarctic base was
destroyed six years ago."

"Did they ever find the body?" Fuji asked, fully knowing the answer.

"Of course not!" Matsuda snapped. "The whole base was vaporized, along
with over three hundred members of the Empire's best special forces units.
I should know. My son was among them."

"We all feel for your loss," Director Saito said, then turned to Fuji.
"You're obsessing about Keele again, doctor. He's long since dead, and
everything about the Human Instrumentality Project has ceased to exist."

Fuji had to shake his head at that. His fellow project members were
becoming more desperate to reassure themselves that there was nothing to
fear. "Keele's been declared dead by our own much vaunted intelligence
service four other times in the past, and he always had a nasty tendency
to turn up alive anyway. Forgive me if I am a bit incredulous."

"Paranoid, you mean," Matsuda murmured just loudly enough for everyone to
hear.

Fuji shrugged, his respect for Matsuda deteriorating further. "I just find
it terribly convenient that everything and everyone related to whatever it
was he was working on in Antarctica was completely destroyed. We still
have no idea of what he was up to. The whole thing reeks of a set up."

"That is neither here nor there," Director Saito informed him, his
patience at losing the direction of the meeting at last at an end. "We are
here to discuss Project Phoenix, not whether or not Lorenze Keele is still
alive. Let's continue with the discussion."

That declaration ended any further talk of the matter. Fuji completed his
presentation. Others followed, though none were as full of the number of
new discoveries that Fuji's was.

It was as the group broke up (and Fuji shot Matsuda a smile, causing the
older man to leave in a huff) that Fuji took the opportunity to talk to
Fuyutsuki. He was met pleasantly, and the two began a discussion about the
session's events.

"I hope to have a great deal more to share with the others the next time
we get together," Fuyutsuki said.

"Hoping to one up me?" Fuji knew Fuyutsuki would not take that seriously.
The two had been friends for too long.

Fuyutsuki gave a light-hearted grin. "Top you? Never. But I think things
in my group of children are about to happen. My gut instincts tell me it's
going to be something big."

Fuji took note of how eager Fuyutsuki was. That would make what he had to
say even easier. "Speaking of big, I was thinking..."

"A dangerous pastime."

"I know," Fuji chuckled. "Seriously, I have an idea. I know that Utena is
the alpha in my group and likely to remain that way. Touga is close to
her, but I want her tested her against someone new. Someone that might be
tough enough to give her a run for her money."

"I suspect this is where I come in," Fuyutsuki said.

"Yes." Fuji took the plunge. "I'd like to test her against one of your
children. Either Nabiki Tendou or Ranma Saotome. Utena's scores are right
in-between the two. And we know that a differentiation of less then thirty
points is insignificant."

Fuyutsuki considered that. Testing either one of them against Fuji's
'pride and joy' would be a valuable experiment. It would give one of his
children experience against another highly ranked Eve from outside the
test group. Certainly it was an opportunity he was reluctant to pass up.
Also, if either Ranma or Nabiki defeated Utena, it would give Fuyutsuki
bragging rights to the top alpha in all of the test groups. All he had to
do was choose which one.

"Saotome," Fuyutsuki decided. That way he would still have his number one
child in reserve, just in case Tenjou somehow defeated Ranma, not that
Fuyutsuki thought that was likely. He had seen Ranma fighting with Nabiki.
Tenjou might have been good, but the skill with which Saotome, as well as
Nabiki, fought would be difficult to match. No, Fuyutsuki thought, there
was little doubt that when it came time for the next session, he would be
able to proclaim that his test subjects were the best of the best.

"When should we have them meet?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"I think a couple of days should be enough,' Fuji said. "Why don't we
surprise them? We'll inform them on the same day the match is to take
place."

"I would like it at Imperial Academy," Fuyutsuki said. Home field
advantage never hurt.

"I was thinking the same thing." Fuji did not want the possible loss of
status to occur on the Ohtori Academy grounds. On the offhand chance Utena
lost, one of the others might try to press an unfair advantage and take
her position as alpha. It would be best that the fight occur at the
Imperial Academy.

"I'll call you with more precise details."

"Good," Fuji said. "I want to go over some of the new information we
received today. Then in two days we'll meet."

Both men decided to break up the discussion and departed. Fuji got into
his car and drove off, wondering exactly how to tell Utena that she had a
duel of a different kind coming up.

Sweat poured from brows as the elegant clash continued, wood striking
wood, yielding an oddly appealing symphony only broken intermittently by
the sound of a strike on flesh. The blows rained in on one another, each
wooden blade seeking the target so as to gain victory for its wielder. In
an ever widening circle the two duelists met, thrusting, parrying,
swinging a blow in an overhead arc only to meet with nothing but air, then
being forced to back off lest the other connect with a sword stroke of
their own. And so the dance continued.

Everything about the dueling pair was a demonstration in opposites. One
was a tall, powerfully-built man with a greenish tint to his long hair
that curled at the ends. His opponent was a girl, shorter by a head and
slender, though tightly muscled, with pink tresses that flowed straight
down past her neck. The man was using a technique that relied upon his
superior power, whereas the girl's relied more on speed. Even their school
outfits were different despite having similar styling: stark white for the
man, jet black for the girl.

The fight was just entering its second minute when the man, Saionji saw
the opening he needed. His opponent had at last made the mistake he knew
would come. He brought his bokken over in a wide swing, knowing that he
would strike with a resounding blow into Utena's skull. A smile broke out
across his features as the satisfaction of his long-awaited revenge upon
the girl overwhelmed him.

That damned Utena Tenjou. His mind flashed back to the first day he had
set eyes upon the odd girl with the pink tresses, and who wore the elegant
black styling of a boy's uniform to school. The one that had the audacity
to publicly challenge him to a duel on only her fourth day there. Even
then he knew it would be a day to remember. The instant she had issued it,
the hushed whispers of the crowd that gathered to admire him (and he had
many admirers, though not as many as Touga) gave him the information he
needed to know.

"It's the new girl."

"Her name's Utena Tenjou. I heard she's a second year cadet."

"No. She's only in her first year. Why does she wear a boy's uniform
though?"

"Who knows? She might be a little strange, but there's something about her
that's just so...sensual. It makes her handsome, yet still feminine."

"Ha! It sounds like you're in love, Wakaba. You're giving up on Saionji
pretty quick. Though there is a presence about her..."

Saionji ignored the rest of the comments and scoffed at the insolence of
the bizarre upstart. He approached her, intent on delivering a reprimand
that would remind the others to remain in their proper place as well. As
he got closer, he could have sworn he smelled the odd scent of something
in the air, and suddenly felt himself drawn to her. The effect was even
more powerful than the one he had when his fellow Student Council member,
Juri Arisugawa, was around him. Looking at the new girl's face, a face
full of confidence yet lacking in arrogance, he found himself in agreement
with the others. There was a sort of sensuality around her that made the
cross-dressing seem somehow appropriate. He silently decided that, after
delivering his reprimand, he would make her his before Ohtori's most
infamous playboy, Touga, had a chance to.

The crowd, which had already parted when Utena had delivered her bold
challenge, gave an even wider berth as he approached her. He stood before
her, looking down into eyes that held no fear of him, just righteous
determination. The girl was far too impertinent for her own good. He
brought his hand back so quickly that only a few in the crowd were able to
follow the movement. With one blow he would put her in her proper place.
The hand descended and the girl...

..ducked almost too quickly for Saionji to follow. In missing the slap,
he found himself off-balance, giving her the opening she needed to deliver
a kick into his stomach, driving the air from his lungs.

She stood over him, a smirk on her face that would have enraged Saionji if
he had still been able to breathe. "If that's all the speed you have, it's
not going to be much of a fight."

She turned without giving him another glance and made her way to the
gymnasium. The crowd followed her, not giving Saionji a backward glance.
He felt anger build as he vowed to hurt the 'soon to be not so pretty'
girl. No one humiliated Saionji Kyouichi like that. No one.

He moved to the gym, shoving the people aside that moved too slowly to
make way for him. He saw that the girl had already drawn a bokken from a
nearby set and was going through a basic kata with it, loosening up. Only
later would he remember that she had moved with an exquisite grace that
even the best swordsman among them, Touga, paled in comparison to.

However, his rage blinded him as he tore a bokken out of the rack, nearly
destroying it in the process. No time was taken to warm up as he brought
his bokken up in a guard position, giving only a moment for Utena to
prepare, then attacked. Adrenaline pumped through his system, exciting him
even further as he lashed out with vicious strikes, trying to break
through Utena's defenses to deliver unto her the beating he felt she so
richly deserved. But somehow her defenses held. He tried harder to power
past the blocks, and in so doing, made a mistake. She brought the bokken
up into his stomach, than lashed across his face with a power that he had
not thought possible for her lithe form. He was sent reeling across the
gym, trying to defend himself from her increasingly powerful attacks. It
was to no avail, as a third and fourth blow found their marks. A fifth one
caught him across the temple, driving him into unconsciousness.

Later he woke up, head bandaged and ringing as though he had a concussion,
though he was able to think clearly. He saw Touga sitting in a chair at
the foot of his bed, which he quickly realized was in the school
infirmary. The first thing that went through Saionji's mind was surprise
that his old friend had cared enough to see how he was. However, that
illusion was quickly shattered when, after asking a few cursory questions
about Saionji's condition, Touga began interrogating him about the
'fascinating new girl' that he had heard about. Saionji informed him that
it had been a lucky blow, and that the girl would lose the second time
they met.

But that had not happened, and Saionji had met defeat a second time, even
faster than he had the first. Shortly after that he dropped a match to
Juri, one in which he had challenged her in an effort to improve his
morale. Fearing he had lost his touch, he had gone into deep training to
improve both his conditioning and skills. Dean Fuji had even helped him by
having several special trainers run him through an intense physical
regimen that was far more difficult than anything the school's normal
curriculum carried. After completing it, he was certain that it would make
the difference.

And it had. He was now poised to take his long awaited vengeance. All he
had to do was connect with Utena's undefended head. He brought his bokken
across, committing everything to memory as the wood was only a split
second away from impacting with her skull. The thought that would become
memory turned sour as, at the last second, Utena ducked under the blow;
the bokken struck nothing but her trailing hair. As what happened all too
often when he fought Utena, Saionji found himself off-balance for a
moment. It was a moment Utena took full advantage of. Her right hand, the
one holding the bokken, came up and caught Saionji full in the nose,
breaking it. Pain overwhelmed him as blood poured from the broken
proboscis.

She quickly followed up with another blow even as the first cry of pain
escaped Saionji's lips, bringing a knee up into his stomach and doubling
him over in pain, driving him to the ground. The bokken slipped from his
grasp and clattered to the floor. It was as he was trying to regain his
footing that he heard the words that cut in over his agony.

"Hey, Saionji. Remember how you hit Anthy the other day?"

An image of Anthy came to him. The exotic, dark-skinned girl had once been
his. But the instant he lost a duel to Touga, she changed suitors to the
victor. When she was with Touga, there was nothing that could be done.
Even Saionji would not cross him like that. But once Utena had defeated
Touga, Anthy had ignored the playboy altogether and began following Utena.
In Saionji's mind that meant she was available. So, on the previous night
he approached her, demanding they begin their relationship again. Anthy
politely rejected his advances, claiming she belonged to Utena, In anger,
both for her rebuff and for the implication a mere girl was more desirable
then him, he backhanded her across the face. It had not been the first
time he had slapped a girl for forgetting her place, or even the first
time he had struck Anthy. He left her holding her face, warning her that
if it was only winners she desired, then she would have one come tomorrow.

And now tomorrow had come. Apparently Anthy had told Utena what had
happened or she had seen it for herself. She did not sound particularly
pleased either.

"Answer the question!" she spat.

"Yes. I remember."

A bokken crashed into his skull, hard, driving him into unconsciousness.

"Big mistake," Utena said, nudging Saoinji's prone body with her foot to
make sure he would not be getting up any time soon.

A finger hit the button on a stopwatch. "One minute, forty-five seconds,
Miss Utena. That was your best time yet."

"Thanks, Miki." Utena turned from Saionji's fallen body to the others,
whose forms were partially hidden of the shadows of the room. It was an
unusual place, located in the highest tower on the campus, and prohibited
from everyone but the Dean and the Student Council, and whoever they chose
to bring with them.

The circular design of the room itself was odd. It was large, about forty
feet long and fifty feet wide, and an ideal size for dueling. The large
windows that dominated an entire side of the room allowed the morning
light to bathe the room in a soothing yellow glow. During noon the whole
thing was brightly lit, and Utena would occasionally go there to enjoy the
day. But as the sun set, it would produce shadows that hid everything on
the opposite side of the room, giving the whole area a very sinister feel.
Perhaps that was why most of the duels tended to take place during those
early evening hours.

The other six occupants of the room emerged from the shadows, varying
degrees of emotion on their faces. Touga Kiryuu turned the smile that so
many of the school's girls swooned at on Utena and appeared truly
impressed, while his sister, Nanami, hid nothing of her jealousy as she
scowled in Utena's direction. Miki Kauru had a friendly smile for Utena,
mirroring their own easy friendship, while his twin sister, Kozue, had
nothing but disdain directed at the girl with the pink tresses. Juri
Arisugawa had her usual imperceptible look, while Anthy Himehiya rushed
over and practically gushed over Utena.

"That was a wonderful victory, Miss Utena." The fading sunlight glinted
off of Anthy's glasses as plucked the pink rose, that she had given Utena
for luck, from the lapel of her left breast. After that she offered the
sweating girl a white towel.

Utena took it, mopping the sweat from her brow as she accepted Touga,
Miki, and Juri's congratulations. Occasionally she still felt as though
she were the odd girl out, especially since she was the only one that wore
the standard black uniform of the school while the others, save Anthy,
wore the white version of the same outfit, identifying them as the
representatives of the Student Council. The one reassuring thing was that
even the girls wore the same uniform as the boys, and as with the clothing
she usually chose, the Student Council's uniforms were much more masculine
in style than what most women wore. The only one in the room others would
have been easily able to identify as a woman, from a distance, would have
been Anthy, who was dressed in the standard white shirt and blue skirt of
a female student of Ohtori Academy.

"I told Saionji he wasn't ready for this." Touga Kiyuu, the tall,
strikingly handsome third year cadet and president of the student council,
gave a disappointed shake of his head as he looked at the fallen form
before them.

"He had it coming," Juri, the second year cadet with the curly red hair
and the lean, yet supple frame spoke with the air of authority. Miki ran a
hand through is own short cut black hair before nodding his head in
agreement.

"So the 'Prince of Ohtori' wins again." Nanami snorted in disgust, not
even bothering to hide her contempt.

Utena ignored the sarcasm-laden use of her nickname and turned to Anthy.
"Could you do me a favor and take him down to the infirmary? I think I
broke his nose, and he's going to need it reset."

"Of course, Miss Utena." Anthy gave her usual pleasant smile. Of course,
Utena had now been with Anthy long enough to know that if she told her to
dance naked while reciting haikus to the student population, she would
have smiled in the exact same way and gone off to do it just as happily.

Anthy made no move towards Saionji. Instead, he levitated off the ground,
as though invisible hands had lifted him, and began to trail behind the
psychic girl. She went to the stairs that led back down to the main part
of the school, Saionji's unconscious form following.

Utena noticed Nanami and Miki shuddering slightly. They still were not
used to open displays of Anthy's telekinetic abilities. In spite of the
girl's power, unless Utena ordered her to, Anthy never used them. It
wasn't that she was afraid of her abilities or saw anything wrong with it;
she simply never felt like using them. That was only one of the many odd
personality quirks of the girl who had all but become Utena's personal
servant. She had tried to tell Anthy not to act like one and just be
herself, but it was to no avail. She did anything and everything Utena
asked of her.

Utena was still pondering what to do about Anthy when the sound of
clapping alerted her and the rest of the students to a newcomer's
presence.

"I saw your handiwork pass me on the stairs. I'm sorry to have missed the
fight."

"Dean Fuji!" Utena's heart raced as she stood before the man who had all
but taken her under his wing since she had transferred to Ohtori. He was
the one who had persuaded her to take the advanced physical training and
hand-to-hand combat courses. Now she was in far better shape then she had
ever been in her entire life and was nearly unbeatable in a fight, as any
of the people in the room could attest to. Only Juri and Touga could press
her anymore, and even then the outcome was never in doubt; the fights
simply lasted longer.

She calmed down a bit as Dean Hiro Fuji approached her. "I might have been
a little rough on him, but I'm sure he's okay. I wouldn't really hurt
him." No matter how much he deserved it, she added mentally.

"Of course not. You're always in control and would never go out of your
way to hurt anyone." He patted her on the shoulder. "You know, I couldn't
help but noticing, you seem to be very popular in school nowadays."

Utena blushed. "I don't know what you mean."

"Come now, you're being too modest." Touga interrupted. "I hear the name
'Utena' on everyone's lips."

"Indeed," Fuji said, pleased at Touga's interjection. The boy was doing it
to impress Utena, of that much Fuji was certain, but it still assisted
Fuji in his own intentions. "Ohtori Academy finished first in the fencing,
kendo, and basketball tournaments, thanks in no small part to you."

"You're making too much out of it," Utena said, turning an even deeper
shade of red.

"Not at all," Fuji assured her. "I was just wondering if you were going to
run in the student elections that are coming up in a couple of months.
With the school expanding as much as it has, I was considering opening up
another position on the Student Council. You'd be the perfect
representative."

"I don't know," Utena said, suddenly unsure of the direction the
conversation had taken. "I don't think I'm cut out for politics."

"Neither is Kozue," Miki said. "But she's on the Student Council. I think
you'd be a wonderful representative." He was unaware of the evil glare his
sister shot at him.

"You have all of the abilities to be an outstanding leader. Besides, all
of your friends are already members" Fuji insisted.

Utena wondered where he had come up with the idea they were friends. Miki
and Anthy, who were first year cadets like herself, were the only ones in
the group she would call friends. The other fell into different
categories.

It was very odd how she had seemed to just fall in with the group, just as
they had more or less accepted her when she appeared. It was almost as
though they had all felt an inexplicable urge to be around one another.
But they weren't really friends. Juri was more like an acquaintance,
though there was something of a polite rivalry between them. She didn't
trust the silver-tongued Touga or the much more quiet Kozue. And she knew
both Saionji and Nanami hated her with a passion. Despite the level of
distrust she felt for many of the members, she still felt herself
inexorably drawn to the group, compelled to prove herself to the best
among them. And she had proved that. Perhaps it was simply that they could
provide her with the challenges she sought to improve herself.

And then there was that odd, almost palpable sensation when she spent time
among them. It was only recently that she could admit she found herself
attracted to most of the men in the group, especially when they engaged in
their regular duels, but it was not as though she actually wanted to go
out with any of them. Saionji was a conceited jerk. Touga was admittedly
handsome, but also a playboy that seemingly had over three quarters of the
female population swooning over him (including Kozue, much to Miki's
irritation). Miki was nice enough. Utena had almost asked him out early
on, but then quickly reconsidered. She felt it would be best if they
remain friends, especially since he was the only one on the council she
felt she could trust. No. Although she was tempted occasionally, she was
much more satisfied with the platonic relationships she had with the men
in the group.

As to actually becoming a real member of the council, well, she did tend
to hang around with them most of her time. And she did have problems with
some of the things they tended to do when acting as the Student Council.
Perhaps it wouldn't be so objectionable to at least consider running for
one of the seats.

Fuji saw the seeds of the idea beginning to take root. It was time to back
off. Pushing too hard would only make her resent the idea. "It's just a
thought. There is another reason I am here.  I wanted you to do a favor
for me."

Utena was relieved at the change of topic. "I'd be happy to help out
however I can."

"Excellent. There is something of a challenge match we have with the
Imperial Academy. I met the Dean from there recently, and he was going on
continuously about a student he has that is supposed to be an excellent
fighter. The Dean's claim was that he is 'the best there is'. Since, like
you, I have such pride in this school, I could hardly let such a statement
go unchallenged. I thought you might be willing to help out since you're
the best fighter Ohtori has to offer. The only catch is, the match would
be held at the Imperial Academy."

Pride swelled in Utena's chest. "I accept. It's time we showed everyone
who the best school really is." Ohtori Academy had a tendency to be
considered somewhat less prestigious than Blackhall or Whitehall, and less
academic than the Imperial Academy, almost like a little brother to the
other three. This would be a chance to show the Imperial Academy, at
least, who had the better students. Besides, it would give Utena a chance
to match her skills against someone new. She was surprised to find herself
already wanting to meet whoever this 'best there is' person was.

Touga made his way to Utena's side. "I would consider it an honor to go
with you."

Utena made a deft move to avoid the hand that was about to end up on her
shoulder. Touga seemed to look for opportunities to come into contact with
her (he was 'a touchy-feelie person', Miki once said in private when
describing Touga), and every time he managed to brush against or place his
hand upon her, a not altogether unpleasant tingling sensation made its
presence known. Undoubtedly, that was how he had picked up other girls,
and Utena could almost understand the appeal. However, unlike those other
girls, she was able to resist his 'charms'.

"Ah, I'm flattered by the offer," she told him. "But I think I'll pass."

"Oh, come now. Going into 'enemy territory' alone would be foolhardy.
Please allow me to accompany you. I am one of the best fighters here."
Touga backed away from her, subtly moving in what he considered a
graceful, yet alluring manner. At least that was what the other girls said
when they composed poetry to him. He had the 'grace of a lion during the
hunt' they would say.

Off to the side, Nanami gaped in surprise. Why was her brother being so
insistent on accompanying that rude and impertinent cross-dresser? And how
dare Utena refuse his wishes, not that she wanted the two of them alone
together for even a second. It had to have been Utena's doing. Somehow the
wicked little low-born, weirdo had hooked her claws into her brother and
enchanted him. Nanami had never seen Touga so fixated on any one girl like
this. True, he spent time with many different girls, but he just used them
to feed his ego and brushed them aside when he no longer desired for their
attentions. Nanami did the same thing with the many boys that came onto
her. Touga didn't care about them the way he did Nanami. She knew she was
special to him, just like he was special to her. None of those other girls
were a threat, so Nanami couldn't care less about them.

However, Utena was proving herself different from the others. Not only did
she appear resistant to Touga's charms, but now her brother was starting
to demean himself. It was not just in his choice of romantic partner, but
in his behavior as well. They were Kiryuus, one of the oldest and most
prominent families in the entire empire. They had made a fortune in
various business ventures and were very prominent in one of the most
powerful zaibatsus in the Empire. Their grandfather had even been an
advisor to the Emperor, at least he was before he died in the bed of one
of his mistresses.

Many of her grandfather's traits had been passed on to Touga, including a
propensity towards decadence and women. That was one of the reasons Nanami
kept such a close eye on him. She had to make sure no undeserving woman
came close to her brother. She was the only one that was worthy of his
attentions. She knew it in her heart, which, lately, would beat faster
when he was close to her, or when she trained with him. Surely that
irresistible attraction, that burning desire that preyed upon her thoughts
all day long, was felt by him. Sooner or later he would come to realize
that. It would just take a while.

In the meantime, she would have to take steps to ensure that Utena would
be...unable to return her brother's affections. Obviously she was playing
hard to get, all but demanding her brother pursue her. Well, her teasing
was going to cost her. Nanami would see to that. Already a plan was
forming in her mind. Utena was going to be away from the school, and away
from any assistance some of the others might give her should she be
threatened. It would be the perfect opportunity for something bad to
happen to her. And Nanami knew just who could take care of it.

Utena, unaware of Nanami's thoughts, decided to end Touga's harassment.
"You raise a good point. It would be kind of stupid for me to go alone.
Hey Miki, want to tag along?"

Miki was surprised at the unexpected offer. "Uh...okay. I would consider
it an honor too."

"I'll take Anthy along as well," Utena said, smiling sweetly at Touga. "I
don't think it would be a good idea for you to be there. It really is
beneath the president of the student council to attend such a small and
insignificant fight. Why, the Imperial Academy people might think you have
nothing more important to do here at the school."

Touga knew he had lost, but was too proud to hide even the slightest
indication that he had. "You are correct. It was merely concern for you
that I was showing. But if there is any one person in this school that can
take care of themselves, it would the 'Prince of Ohtori Academy'." He
bowed and took the stairs to return to the school itself. Nanami followed
closely in his wake, shooting a glare at Utena as she departed.

Fuji smiled. Utena's mind was as sharp as a sword. "Then it's settled.
I'll have a car pick the three of you up outside the west gate after
school in a couple days. Be sure to bring your best bokken and not a
sword. After all, this isn't going to be a death duel."

"I will," Utena said as the others began to filter out of the chamber.
"Oh, Dean! I almost forgot. What's my opponents name?"

"Ranma Saotome," he told her.

Utena smiled in appreciation and thanked Dean Fuji for choosing her to
represent the school. Things certainly were happening quickly all of a
sudden. Excitement began to flood her being as she wondered what sort of
boy this Ranma Saotome would be like.