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                        Because I have nothing better to do Productions
                                  An Eldrick Tobin project
                           From "It makes sense in my head" Theater
                       In Association with Never Challenge A Pervert Inc.

                                    "Flowering Romance"
                        A Shojou Kakumei Utena story that never was...
  Part 3


Juri Arisugawa was still disturbed by her own dreams... she'd never ever 
pictured herself as a lounge singer... and yet last night she was draped over 
Miki's piano... in a smokey night club belting out lounge hits she didn't even 
know. She pulled out her locket and looked at it... Shiori had been her manager.

She closed it and had it gone when she heard the footsteps... and recognized 
them. "And how is our reigning Duelist?"

"Huh? Oh... well... I don't think I know to answer."

"That's unlike you to sound so down, Tenjou. Are you having a relapse of the 
turmoil from before?"

"Turmoil yes ... but it's different... I don't know how to explain it."

"You'll join me for lunch then, and we can discuss this."

"Really?"

"If I repeat myself the offer dies with the words."

"Ha... Hai. I'll tell Wakaba and Himemiya to not expect me."

Anthy waved from the Rose Garden's door,"I heard Utena-sama I'll tell Wakaba. 
Don't worry."

"Thank you Himemiya. I'm sure Wakaba made something delicious... I envy both of 
you."

Juri turned and quirked an eyebrow,"Are you saying you don't want to have lunch 
with me?"

"It's not that... I couldn't talk to them about this... so the food wouldn't 
taste so good today anyway."

"Ah a smile for the people you care about. I understand."

"It's not like that..."

"Sorry Tenjou... I've been reading that book as well," sempai held up her 
copy,"And so I'm reading things into everything lately."

"I bet it isn't affecting your dreams though..."

Juri frowned,"Actually it is. This way."

"Ha... Hai."




"So Tenjou... what are people saying about me lately... you seem to be one of 
the ones who knows and is willing to tell me."

"Some of the students think you wrote The Book. There's the rumor that you are 
trying to get one of the teachers to leave by ignoring them... and there's a 
rumor that you have a special locket... with... well... it's cruel... but some 
think that locket has a picture of you in it. That's all I know of rumors... but 
remember I barely knew who was on the student council before..."

"The Duels and your engagement... How is the Rose Bride if you don't mind me 
asking."

"Himemiya is Himemiya."

Juri nodded,"And how is Shinohara-kun taking your engagement."

"I Don't have the heart to tell her what's going on... and I didn't think it was 
within the rules anyway."

"No actually it isn't... so what was this dream? My information leads me to 
believe your disposition is because of this Book or this Dream you had."

"It's not easy to explain sempai..."

"We are both here because of it... I think it shouldn't be a mystery... don't 
you?"

"Buying lunch was very generous of you... I owe you at least a similar issue. 
It was one of those dreams were you either choose between 2 things you love... 
say... fencing and ... I dunno... bowling... or choose neither and ... feel like 
you're going to hell."

Juri mulled on it,"Well there's hoping you can finish your set with nothing but 
strikes boosting your hand so high your bowling opponents can't hope to beat you 
even if you leave... and arriving right for your match at fencing. This doesn't 
always work out..."

"You as usual sound like the voice of experience, Sempai."

"I had to do similar once. So what was your actual dream?"

"Something I couldn't just do both with."

"How horrible is doing neither?"

"It would be like I never existed."

"Then you have to choose. If there is no other way... like say a sudden sprain 
of your lead ankle that only allows you to pick the sport that it would be 
better suited to do in it's pain."

"Or make one not like you... or look for someone else?"

"Not like you? Like on page 100 where the Heroine tries to make Her Love despise 
her?"

"Actually I'm not that far yet."

"This is my third read of it."

"Who do you imagine as the Heroine?"

"Myself."

"And as Her Love?"

"Someone I knew once. You? I can imagine you see yourself as the Heroine... but 
what of Her Lover?"

"I... nevermind... I can't seem to make up my mind."

"Well when you do the story will progress all the faster."

"Yeah I just hope not so fast I don't know what's going on anymore."

"Like now?"

"Yeah."



Miki is with Anthy and Wakaba. Miki is standing, and Anthy is seated watching 
Wakaba and Miki make grand gestures.

Himemiya stood when Utena walked over,"How was your lunch with 
Arisugawa-sempai?"

"An Inquisition... but I lived."

Wakaba looked over thoughtful,"I'm sorry I pried so much earlier, Utena."

"Nothing like what Sempai did."

Miki clicked his watch then said,"Um... I feel out of the loop here. Was the 
dream as bad as mine? In it I was being chased by a 40 foot tall version of 
Kozue-chan who breathed fire and stepped on me. Terrible thing I know... I 
haven't been able to face her."

"Utena-sama probably wishes her dream was so definite, Miki-sempai."

Wakaba jumped in,"I can see how you'd be upset by that if it's any 
consolation..."

Utena nodded and smiled for Miki's sake,"I hope your life returns to normal 
extra fast... and that she never hears about it."

Miki went wide eyed,"You and me both. Say wanna help out here?"

"Uh... not really... I can't act... I'll watch though... who's who?"

Wakaba cut in,"I'm the Dashing Heroine of course."

"She's doing a really good job of it, Utena-sama," answered Anthy,"Oh... out of 
tea... shall I get you one also, Utena-sama?"

"Uh... yeah Himemiya," when she was out of earshot,"So Miki enjoying your role?"

"Wakaba is a great improvivational actress... not that I'm any judge."

"Ah so you're after Wakaba too eh?" Utena teased.

Wakaba broke into the joke,"Yeah well you can't have me," and she glomped onto 
Utena,"Neh, My Utena?"

"Uh... hai hai..." And she was released.

"Utena... you should be doing this instead... you're a natural for Dashing 
Heroine," Miki said as he scanned ahead in The Book,"Besides there's a kissing 
scene coming up..."

"We could make Anthy the Dashing Heroine then..."

"You're embarassing me Utena."

"I know I know... sorry about that. But just go on... ah Himemiya you're back 
they were just about to start back up."

"Well it would have been rude not to wait for you Himemiya-san," Miki said 
blushing. "'Against the laws of king and country I would wed thee if I were but 
able... but your family better than mine it is.'"

Wakaba took on her forceful stance,"'We should care not for those beggars at the 
table of bliss for they know not the feelings which you and I possess. Please 
let us just be... you and I... together. Love is what we have... and all we'll 
ever need. The rest is but icing on a donut... it makes it sweeter still but it 
is simply extra... unneeded... like a golden sculpture when one possesses the 
natural beauty of the golden nugget already. Bed down now my fair one, and I'll 
kiss away your worries.'"

Miki embarassed beyond words couldn't say his line and Utena stood up to point 
out the next part of the text... and caught the kiss herself. She blinked before 
stepping away, face flushed,"Wakaba?!"

"Na-ni?" she looked and saw Miki had slipped behind the tree, and that she'd 
kissed Utena. "Um... I'm sorry... I was caught up in the scene, Utena."

"It's... alright I stood up to point out Miki-kun's line, and simply got caught 
by the lips of Dashing Heroine Wakaba Shinohara. It's okay really."

"Well why don't you and Anthy try the next part... kissing the great and 
wonderful Utena Tenjou has thrown my acting out the window... I can't think 
straight."

"But... uh..."

Miki sat down where she had,"Go ahead really... I have to slow my own pulse," he 
had out his stopwatch and was breathing slowly. Wakaba sat down staring up at 
her. It made her feel like the whole campus was watching her. Of course that 
wasn't the case others were reading it or play acting it.

The Rose Bride took a glance over her lines before standing up and taking the 
"stage" opposite Her Duelist. She fell into her lines like she'd been practicing 
for days,"'For our evening's vigile we shall surely pay... but not one moment of 
it do I scorn for now that I hear the cock crow I feel somehow redeemed. 
Redeemed in your eyes. I cast doubt upon thee... and scorned thy advances for 
thou art a woman, and as sweetly brash as thou art it seemed alien to be coming 
from one such as yourself. Have pity upon my woeful whimsy... for I should have 
never doubted thee. Thou art my Groom in all ways... and like you I care not 
what family... King ... nay even God says of our union. And now I hug my Dashing 
Heroine who released me from myself,'" said Anthy as she embraced Utena.

Utena thought it was an eternity before she could raise The Book to eye level 
and try to read the words. Her eyes refused to focus on anything but Anthy and 
so she did her best to... wing it from memory. "My sweet one. Your faith in me 
in sorely misplaced... for I too doubted thee... I doubted I was enough for you. 
I worried all the time," she knew she was messing it up now... she felt she had 
the spirit down at least," Always was I worrying that you were destined for 
another... that I was only someone who was but your victor of the moment... that 
in time you would scorn me and spurn me for another when fate decided we were 
not meant to be. I'd lie awake at night dreading the day that you would 
leave...'" she dropped the book and held Himemiya close to her,"'I do not have 
the words for how I felt when you first entered my life... I was trapped in a 
spell of long ago and you and your roses caught me from afar. And held me. Held 
me such that I would break. Oh and break I did the time you were not mine. 
friends provided no such solace as your presense had given.

"'Oh and the happy day when we were together again, made the time away a test. A 
Test for how I feel about you. And it showed me that you were not someone I 
could have outside my life. I thank cruel Fate for showing me what my heart 
could see but eyes and brain could not,'" and Anthy leaned up to kiss Utena... 
and Utena leaned down to meet Anthy. They shared a kiss while Miki flipped 
around still for what Utena was talking about. Wakaba snatched the book away 
from him and glared at him, pointing at what he was missing by looking away. And 
soon both spectators were sighing at the beauty.

A sudden clapping by a pair of young hands broke the scene calmly and gently... 
Nanami's words of,"Mitsuru-kun stop clapping that's not even close to what the 
text says," weren't as well received.

"But Nanami-san... it was beautiful nonetheless," Tsuwabuki-kun apologetically 
retorted.

"I guess that kind of thing doesn't need a script. Come Mitsuru-kun..."

"Uh...  yes ma'am." He paused to bow to them and vanished after his Idol.

Utena was scanning through the book,"But I read that scene 4 times in study 
period."

Miki smiled,"Sometimes you have to improvise to make the music sound better. 
Lunch is almost over," he looked at Himemiya,"You... were... um... nevermind."

Anthy smiled to his departing back as she cleared up the lunch scene.

Wakaba smirked slightly,"You know if word gets out that you're such a good 
kisser... all the girls will be lined up to play the part of 'Her Lover'" And 
the bell rang,"See you back in class!"

"Himemiya what did she mean by that?"

"The Part was meant for you alone it seems Utena-sama. Perhaps someone had you 
in mind when they wrote it?"

"Yeah makes me wonder who wrote it too."

"You should move on to class Utena-sama."

"Hai hai the Dashing Heroine heads off to class."

Anthy performed her smile and Utena walked off to her next class. Himemiya 
watched her go with a single tear in her eye.

Chu-chu dove into the bag with the leftovers and proceeded to clean the plates. 
"Neh, Chu-chu Utena-sama's nice isn't she."

"Chu!" said the festive eater with his thumb up as he smiled slash paused for 
air between chews.


---------

End part 3.

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