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                          "Thoughts of Adolescence"
                                                      Part 2: Discrowned Royalty
                                                                        By Neveen
 

She struggled to bring her fingers closer , she struggled to gain the grip, Tears flowing down her cheeks as she struggled to take her hand.
Sudden moments that were as quick as her intake of breath stole her away from her touch.
She watched as the Illusions stole her away and stabbed her mercilessly with their bitter swords of hatred and anguish. She cried because she could do nothing else but cry for what she lost, for who she lost.

And now even as she stood with a sword in hand she could not ignore the images of that pale hand stretching out to reach hers. She looked towards the man that had tormented her.
She had once loved him, she remembered that, loved him and cherished him, but reality threatened to steal him away from her and she trapped him away from the out cries of danger and fear that were called towards him.
 She was then cursed , accused by the calls and charged a Witch. The swords were a part of her then, the pain she felt caused her to retreat in bitter silence. He could not save her, he could not be her Prince or saviour, she was saddened by that but her silence revealed nothing but pain.
She had lost her Brother then, Reality stole the man she once knew and molded him into something that only society could recognize. She continued to love him, because he was her brother, or so she thought and struggled to believe, and in her heart she believed she was the one who caused him to change and to loose his noble self. But now as he stood before her, watching her, she now understood what had happened, and what she must do.
She watched him silently as he told her of his plans for the new duels, She listened to his plans to once again manipulate those into his game, it was like chess to him she thought to herself.
She looked up into his eyes, she knew what she must do, she told him she was going to leave, that he could continue playing his little games.
He questioned her, confused at her sudden Independence.
She told him that her "Prince" had only left his little Illusion, his game, but that she will find her again. And even as she gripped the hilt of her sword to hold back the sudden emotions that exploded within her she could not forget those threatening images of her hand.
" What will you do with that sword Anthy?, kill me?" He said, his voice slightly amused.
She stared at him, she could not answer him with words, there were no words that could describe what she felt.
She could hear the wind whispering over the arena ..."witch, witch....witch".
" You wouldn't harm your own brother" Akio said approaching her with his hand outstretched towards her.
Anthy looked down at his hand, images flashing once again of the hand reaching through the small crack of the coffin towards her..." take my hand" she had said.
She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked down at Akio's hand.
"No I wouldn't" She said as she lunged towards Akio , the images continued to flash before her eyes..
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"What does it mean to be feminine?" Utena says looking over at her questioningly.
"Girls are all like the bride of the rose in the end" Anthy's reply was.

"Let's have tea and laugh together ten years from now, okay?"

"Believe in me, I will protect you no matter what"
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As Anthy lunged towards Akio those words flashed through her head "believe in me..."
The sword held before her in her right hand, "believe in me"
As the sword entered swiftly through his chest, cutting through skin and bone he looked down at her in expressions of shock and pain.
"Believe in me"  The words echoing through her head as the images continued to torment her.
That hand that was held towards her, the voice that beckoned her to escape her coffin.
She watched as Akio collapsed to the ground blood flowing out of the wound in his chest.
She let the sword drop to the ground as she stared up at the sky in the arena.
"Believe in me"...
She looked down at the body of Akio and whispered softly, "a puppet."
 She bent down over him and took the rose crest ring from his finger, she looked down at it before she placed it around her finger.
"What does it mean to be feminine?"
Anthy shook her head continuing to stare down at Akio, "This was all a game to you, wasn't it ?" She asked.
She stepped over his body and walked towards the gates of the Arena , as she reached the doors she glanced back towards the body of Akio that lay on the ground, a pool of blood forming around him.
"Checkmate" She whispered to the air as she walked away.
"Believe in me, I will protect you no matter what".

He stood watching from his binoculars over the Arena, The Duel bells rang erratically, the eerie sound travelling over the arena in echoes.
"So this is how it ends" Touga said, looking down at the ring he wore, the ring that began everything.
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"He who believes friendship exists is a fool"
"Didn't you know? I AM a fool"
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In the end she ignored his words of warning, her innocence painted a pretty picture in her head of friendship and love but it also painted the stereotypical notion of "good always overcomes evil", "Light is stronger than dark". He watched Anthy walk away from the Arena, where is she going he thought to himself as he watched her leave, is this really the end?....
 

Anthy stood facing the gates of Ohtori academy, her bags lay beside her on the ground.
She looked towards ChuChu who had hopped onto her shoulder.
Picking up her bags she looked towards the gates and the path that lay behind those gates.
She looked towards the rose garden, her cage.
She turned back towards the gates and walked through them, walking into a new Duel itself .
It was her destiny, she could feel it, she knew that she must find her "Prince" , she looked down at the rose crest ring around her finger and she smiled softly to herself.
I will find you Utena, and we will have tea and cookies together...
"Believe in me, I will always protect you"
 

@-}--- Will Anthy find Utena?, Will there be a Revolution? was there already one? who will be the victor of Eternity? (hehe) find out in the last part of this story! Part 3 of "Thoughts of Adolescence" The Duellist Bride...
By: Neveen
(Aka, Neko, Neve, Riot Girl, Girl Prince)

(Note:Tell me what you think, if you hate it tell me, if you like it tell me...heh i wanna know!!!!!I promise to make part 3 longer!!
well anyways Sayonara! )