=o==o==o==o==o==o==o==o= 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... A: Have you heard the latest? *with hand to face after turning head this way and that* C: *drinking her tea with loud sipping* B: No... what is it *head looks left and right* A: Well someone wrote a love story. C: *drinking her tea with loud sipping* B: Was it by someone famous? I can get a copy and have the author sign it! A: No one will step up and claim it... but it's the talk on everyone's lips. B: Is it ... perverted or something? C: *drinking her tea with really loud sipping* A: No... that's what makes it odd. B: Have you read it yet? *holding up A's copy from the table* A: No... if the author is afraid to come forward I don't know if I'd want to read it. C: *who's been drinking her tea with loud sipping* I hear it has forbidden love. A&B: Really? C: Hai. *hands B her copy* Have my copy... I can get another. *walks off whistling* Huu Huu A: *doing the up and down squat thing* I don't know if I can read it. B: *doing it in opposition* I don't know if I dare read it. A: *to audience* Would you read it? Could you read it? B: *also to audience* Could you dare read it? Would you dare read it? A&B: *now off camera as the next scene with red drop screen comes up* Should you even consider it? Should you dare consider it? Utena, and Wakaba are sitting under the tree they have lunch at. It looks like rain will be in their future... the clouds are there already... the sun is still casting it's warmth. The campus is fairly quiet... moreso than normal. Utena sees that her friend has a new book,"I should probably get a hobby as well..." Eyes focused on the words in the book Wakaba says,"'Don't you already duel for those you love?'" Utena's eyebrow twitches,"Wakaba...?" "Nani? Why the look? I was only quoting from the text? The heroine fights for justice... and her friend is always getting into trouble... the funny thing is I don't know the gender of her friend... it's weird... but enthralling... beautifully written you should get a copy. I think you'll love it... it's so romantic," says Wakaba with a heart popping out of her eye as she winks. "But you said she's always dueling over her friend's fate... doesn't sound like they have time for romance," Utena says laying back and looking up at the clouds. "Oh there's a line about that." "It figures..." "Don't be such a spoilsport! Ahem! 'When there is a love like our love... the briefest moment is but a tender hour spent in loving company.' Waaaai!" Wakaba clutches the text to her. Utena rolls her eyes. Wakaba doesn't notice,"Neh Utena... why don't we ever talk like that?" "Well... uh... huh?" Utena looks down and pulls Chu-Chu from her bento,"Ohayo Chu-chu... is your mistress about too?" "Hai Utena-sama," says Anthy walking up the hill to them. She carries with her one of her multilevel bento boxes. "Would you like to try what I made for lunch?" Wakaba closes her book and puts it down... it's one of those composition books with the black and white blots on the cover... but it looks like all the pages were ripped out with new pages put in it... if it wasn't for being rebound with a simple cord... it would probably scatter in the sudden wind. Anthy places the box down and reveals the layers... vegetable fried rice... egg foo yung... won tons... and some fortune cookies that look like she made them herself. It all looks like it was the forth or fifth attempt. "I see you've been working on what I said. This looks great Himemiya!" Wakaba gives her the thumbs up. "But isn't this more a dinner setup than lunch?" Utena says appraising the food. The Rose Bride looks at the food she prepared,"Is it?" "Hai. But it's here now... and it'll work great with what Wakaba made." Anthy simply smiles as everyone piles stuff into their bento boxes. Content that it was well received. Utena sees Anthy isn't eating,"Ano... Himemiya... you aren't eating?" "I ate already... Saionji-sempai insisted..." "He didn't hurt you... I thought he wasn't on campus anymore... You are okay right?" "Hai Utena-sama... he wanted someone to eat with him... while he read," Anthy looked at Wakaba's book,"You have a copy also?" "Oh that... it seems everyone has a copy... only 3 yen in the book store. You two seem to be the only one's without a copy," Wakaba points out various groups reading both quietly and laughingly... Tsuwabuki-kun can be seen running from the bookstore after Nanami tucking one copy into his shirt and holding one up and dashing to catch up to the younger Kiryuu. Utena sighed in consternation at the scene,"Well anyway the author should be proud. Their work is a complete success," Her view showed a nearly floored by the beauty Juri quickly correcting her composure. "Seems everyone is reading it." "You'd think that... but..." "But?" "It's unsigned... the clerk was being mobbed by girls wanting to know who wrote it. Guys too. But no one knows. Rumor has it... that... well it's silly..." "You'll tell us sooner or later won't you so just tell us." "Well of the top rumors... it was written by a member of the faculty... someone on the student council... or... one of us three. Isn't that wild? I mean it's totally unfounded," Wakaba suddenly looks into the book and then at Utena... reads some more... then looks at Anthy who just smiles..."Did one of you write it? Because then I'd have the first signed copy..." "It wasn't me... I don't even know the title..." Utena went back to diligently eating. Wakaba looked to Anthy,"You then?" But alas Anthy was making a little plate for Chu-chu,"Hai Wakaba?" "Nevermind," she handed Chu-chu her last cracker from her own meal,"I shall find out who wrote this! Nothing will stand in my way!" "Neh... shouldn't you finish reading it first?" Utena asked before putting more of Anthy's okonomiyaki in her mouth. "Oh... yeah..." Wakaba laughed and picked the book back up. "Oh my," said Anthy pointing at the title. " "Flowering Illicit Love Affair"? Sounds like someone picked the wrong words... Flowering I can understand... on this campus... but michinaranukoi... maybe they meant Romance?" Wakaba pounced on it,"Ah-ha an exchange student! But... no we don't have any exchange students." "Perhaps we should just finish our meal and puzzle over it later, Wakaba. I guess I'll buy a copy to help." Himemiya looked up the sun suddenly casting her eyes into shadow, "Should I buy one too Utena-sama?" "Um... I'll buy one for you when I get mine. I'd let you use mine but it's hard for 2 people to read one book." "Thank you Utena-sama." "If a girl has a zit..." "She can't go to the prom..." "Inorder to go to the prom she must smash the zit..." "Smash the world's zit..." Juri and Miki join in half heartedly,"For the Revolution of the prom..." Miki seated on a foot rest reading the book,"Ano... Nanami-kun... you should just put some cream on that..." Juri seated on another foot rest... reading the same book with the neck of the outfit she's wearing undone,"You're letting it run your life. 'Inorder to go to the prom she must pop the zit...'" Miki clicked his stopwatch,"Juri is right on this... you're obsessing." "Would you like to get in the elevator and try again?" Nanami looked at the pair crossveined. "That was the third time anyway... I've even forgotten why we are up here," Juri flipped to the next page eyes going wide. Nanami sat in a chair and pulled her book out... there was no foot rest... "Neh could I have one of..." They cut her off,"No... it's getting to the best part," Juri and Miki looked at each other and where the other was in the book. "Stop heating up the balcony you two." Tenjou-san arrives and simply takes a chair with shaved ice set at it. She looks over at Anthy deep in read... expression unreadable. She sighs before starting into the shaved ice. She's dressed in her night clothes it's obviously later than one would think from Anthy's uniform. "Ano... Himemiya..." "Hai Utena-sama?" She looks up smiling. "Aren't you coming to bed? It's really late and if you don't get your sleep." "Hai Utena-sama." She seems to be about to just dump what she's doing right now and head off to bed. "Whoa... finish your shaved ice first... and I didn't mean right now anyway..." "Hai Utena-sama," quoth Anthy as she sits right back down and her spoonful a paragraph reading of the book. "Neh... Himemiya... what part are you at? I'm wondering what I can look forward to... the mushy parts are hard to read," and she blushes at that. "I have only 19 pages left... I'm almost done." "Wow, that's alot farther than me. I'm only 50 pages from the beginning... you're a hundred pages ahead of me. How did you do it?" "I just imagine they are people on campus... and everything works out, Utena-sama." "I was trying that too... only..." "Only, Utena-sama?" The Rose Bride asked her groom finally when it seemed she was going to leave the thought hanging. "Well I tried using Arisugawa-sempai in my head as the lead but I couldn't fit in my head who to use as the Distressed One... I went through the whole council... once I even used Kozue-chan and Miki-kun... but that didn't seem quite right... of course I tried Touga-san and Nanami-kun... and that almost worked... Juri almost worked... but I couldn't pair her in my mind with anyone but no matter what I keep thinking it's me... which doesn't sit right," she finished... picking at her shaved ice,"Who do you use?" Anthy didn't even blink, "I use you as the heroine Utena-sama." Utena blushed,"But considering what... the lead characters do... I mean... I don't think I'm like that with anyone... am I? I mean... who do you see as the other person?" Anthy got up and yawned lightly,"We should get to sleep Utena-sama... classes run a little early tomorrow as you said before. Shall I give that to Chu-chu Utena-sama?" She pointed to Tenjou's shaved ice. "Uh... hai... guess I have too much on my mind right now," Utena handed the ice over to Anthy who took it to their room and gave it to Chu-chu before changing into her sleepwear. Utena came in then and paused at the sight of Anthy framed in moonlight clad only in the air surrounding her. She turned her head. Himemiya simply finished dressing and bookmarked her page in the book before settling in for the night. Chu-chu busied himself with the shaved ice having missed the scene entirely. She got her own copy out and curious leafed to the page Himemiya was on... unconsciously she thought of herself as The Dashing Heroine... The air seemed thick and heavy... slick with the musk in the room... not five minutes had passed and yet Utena had her back in her arms... cradled against the evils of the world. Held close in the glow of love they shared. A glow brighter than the sun itself... with only the fog in the room to dampen their spirits. She looked down at the beautiful face... made prettier by what they had done. This was how they should be... how they should always be. The eyes opened... the mouth smiled ever so slightly and the voice like wind on roses said,"My Utena-sama... let's go to dreamland together..." Utena blinked... the face had changed... suddenly it had been her and Anthy... she had to talk a minute to slow her breathing... a minute to realize Anthy was talking... saying how it's a wonderful book. Utena was still flushed when she spoke, "What... what did you say Anthy?" The darkness that was The Rose Bride's bunk said,"Utena-sama... now is the time of dreaming, and though it's a good book should not keep you from it. That is all Utena-sama." End part one.