Rose Petals and Cherry Blossoms A Shoujo Kakumei Utena/Card Captor Sakura crossover By Ming-Ling (ming_ling@hotmail.com) http://www.ming-ling.net/ccs/ All characters (c) their respective owners Chapter 6: True, Roses, and Duelists [beta version] [posted 8/11/01] The bells tolled loudly, filling the school with their magnificent clanging. Kaoru Miki sighed as he tapped his pencil on the edge of his notebook. It wasn't an ordinary high schooler's notebook, but Miki wasn't an ordinary high school student. Instead of subjects like "Geometry" or "Chemistry", the labels read things like "Rose Dueling Platform" or "Sword of Dios." Such was his research, hidden from everyone else. It wasn't as if they would have understood.. Not even his twin sister understood why the bells were ringing so loudly outside, although she had commented on them several times. He scribbled down another note, realized he had reached the bottom margin, and turned to the next page. In precise handwriting, he copied the title from the previous page. "Rose Bride." * * * * Rose Bride and Champion walked silently back to the Eastern Dormitory. Sakura was back in her school uniform, although her face was as red as the dress of the Rose Bride. Saionji knew when not to speak, and the only sound was the fading ringing of the school bells. When they reached the building, Sakura hurried inside and ran up to her room. The duelist shrugged and went into the common room to find something to eat. He had just buttered a piece of bread when the storm broke. "KERO-CHAN, HOW COULD YOU?" Saionji raised an eyebrow as he set the knife down. Anthy... He pushed the thought quickly away before it could finish itself. "WHY DID... GET BACK HERE, YOU SCRUFFY LITTLE EXCUSE FOR A CARD GUARDIAN!" Something small and yellow shot into the room and whirled around Saionji's head, making his eyes spin. He could feel the little winged bear-shaped plushie shivering behind him. Sakura stomped into the room, her slight build still managing to make the entire floor shudder. There was rage in her eyes, anger in the furrowed eyebrows. "Kero-CHAN!!" "Oh, so that's your name," commented the young man amusedly. "My real name," said the toy stuffily, "is Kerberus." "I can see where the '-chan' comes from." Little teeth clicked centimeters from Saionji's left ear. "I may be mistaken, but isn't Cerberus supposed to be a three-headed dog guarding the gates of Hell?" Both Sakura and Kero-chan blinked. "Okay, so maybe Clow wasn't as good a scholar of Western mythology as he lead himself to believe," muttered Kero-chan. "Just checking," he chuckled lightly. "What Clow knew or didn't know isn't the point here," hissed Sakura, ready to spit nails. "Saionji-san, Kero-chan did lead you to the Dueling Platform, didn't he?" The shape behind his head shrank back a little. "He did," Saionji answered, knowing Sakura would catch any lie he tried to make. "I KNEW IT! How ELSE could ANYONE have gotten by my Cards? KERO-CHAN!!" "Sakura-chan, I've been your Guardian for years, don't you think I know by now what's good for you?" The narrowed eyes offered the suggestion that maybe the Guardian had erred. "Kinomoto-san..." Her eyes flicked to meet his. He was slightly unnerved at this, but continued, "Do you really think you'll gain anything by killing your stuffed animal?" She stared at him. "I am NOT," growled Kero-chan dangerously, his wings shimmering white, "a STUFFED ANIMAL!" "Gurk!" He was pinned to the floor by Kero-chan's larger and more formidable form. "Stuffed animal, am I?" The Guardian Beast treated the duelist to a toothy smile full of sharp teeth. Saionji babbled for a second. "Stop it. Stop it, both of you." With a sniff, Kerberus moved off to the side. The young man gingerly stood up and brushed himself off. He looked back and forth between Card Mistress and Card Guardian before venturing, "Kinomoto, I expect some explanations later, but right now I have to say I agreed with Kerberus' actions. How many times must you be told that duels are left to the duelists? How many times must you flagrantly break all the rules before you're happy? If Kerberus hadn't brought me there, Juri would certainly have defeated you, and then where would we be? There's no precedent for this." Sakura stared at both of them, her hands shaking in anger. "I don't believe this!" she yelled. "Both of you! You don't control my life any more than Clow does! All I did was something I thought was right! How can anything that felt so right be so wrong?" They stared back as she took a few steps back. "Both of you! You're forcing me into a role I don't want! Into a decision I can't make! Just like..." "Kinomoto...?" "Just like..." Her voice trembled. "Sakura-chan!" "JUST LIKE SHAORAN!" Saionji and Kerberus could only stare as the Rose Bride ran out of the room, but not before they both caught the sight of tears in her eyes. He looked at the winged lion after a moment. "I think you owe me some explanations too." Kerberus' wings drooped and his head was down. "I wouldn't presume to tell you of what happened between Sakura and Shaoran," he said quietly, huskily. "That's something that Sakura must tell you herself, that must wait until she has healed enough to open her heart again." And that was enough to make his curiosity tear its hair out in frustration. * * * * She ran blindly through the school, ignoring the startled exclamations of students she passed. Luckily she did not run into anyone she knew, anyone who would try to stop her, anyone who would ask her to explain what was wrong. Everything was wrong! And nothing could be done about it. The forceful recollection of the last month she and Shaoran had been a couple made tears sting in her eyes. She held them back, but saw the campus as if through a shimmering veil. Why hadn't she gotten over him yet? How could they have loved each other so much, and yet not be able to remain together? The questions tore at her heart as they always had. Why? If she was truly the Rose Bride, could she truly enter the Castle of Eternity? Could her wishes be granted? She stumbled and grabbed blindly at the wall to maintain her balance. The scent of roses was thick in the air. Sakura wiped the unshed tears from her eyes and looked at the rose garden. Already it was looking more civilized and a much more beautiful place to walk around. She gripped the Star key in her hand, feeling its familiar shape and familiar promise of magic. It did nothing to console her broken heart and her anguished mind. Magic can't do everything. Footsteps sounded behind her. She whirled around madly, ready to face down Saionji. "Good afternoon, Kinomoto Sakura," said the director of Ohtori Academy. Everything she was prepared to say dropped out of sight along with her anger. "Good afternoon, Director." "So formal today, aren't we?" He chuckled, showing even, white teeth. "There's no need for such formalities in this rose garden. The roses know no titles." Sakura turned away slowly as if to examine a particularly fine red blossom. "Something is troubling you," said Akio in the form of not-a-question. "I thought taking care of my roses would be good for you. Was I so wrong in thinking that?" She reached out to brush the soft petals. "No," she replied softly. "It's just everything else." "I'm afraid I can't help with everything else." He lightly flicked his lavender ponytail over his shoulder. "I know." The rose nodded at her touch, brushing back against her skin, as if trying to comfort her. "The roses might, however. Roses know a lot of things. See their thorns? They know so much they had to create a form of defense. But a clever hand, a quick mind, a gentle voice can make them reveal their secrets." "And the roses on the platform?" And the roses on the school buildings and the roses on the rings of the duelists and the roses on the acceptance letter? Akio smiled warmly, putting his hand on her chin and making their eyes meet. "Those roses know more than all the others. They can see a lot from their high perch. Sakura, taking care of these roses means a lot." His voice was so soothing, so warming, so charming. "I wouldn't have asked just any student to tend to them. It took me three years to find someone special enough for this task. I've entrusted them to you, Sakura." She closed her eyes and listened to the cadence of his voice. She felt the warmth of his fingers brushing her cheek. "I believe in you." Her eyes opened suddenly as a whiff of air marked his movement. Blinking the sun's rays out of her eyes, she saw the diminishing form of Akio as a rippling shadow dancing among the last remaining light of the day. She felt suddenly better, as if a burden had been lifted from her. She had Akio's trust. Sakura held onto it as tightly as she gripped the Star key as she slowly made her way back to the dormitory. * * * * "Are you okay, brother Miki?" The young duelist blinked and looked up. "Brother Miki!" His image glared at him, inches from his face. "Kozue!" He took a step away from his twin sister in surprise. "My goodness, you've been out of sorts all day! What's up with you recently? It's like you've become so distant and you don't even care anymore. Honestly! Didn't you even see the letter we got from our parents?" He took the letter from her outstretched hand. "I'll read it in my room." Kozue sniffed, turned around, and stomped off, muttering as she left. Miki sighed. His sister never changed. She was always hounding him, pressuring him, and he could never push her off. He had changed, however. Ever since the World Revolution - or rather, the apparent lack of one - had made him grow up somehow. Kozue was still a child to his perceptions. She still longed for the time they had grown up in the garden, playing together on the piano, before reality had broken everything she held dear. She had never really recovered from that. If he could enter the Castle of Eternity... If he could bring about the World Revolution... But would Kozue really change? And did he really want to get involved again? He took the steps up to his room, wondering. He had dueled with Utena to protect Anthy. But then he realized that Anthy was already in good hands. Utena would not have prevented Anthy from playing the piano, the thing that had attracted him to the Rose Bride. He had no such connection to the new Rose Bride. He knew she was good at sports, not at music. She would much rather do a gymnastics routine than play scales on the piano. What reason was there for him to duel? He closed the door behind him and opened the window. The sky was rosy with sunset, and he glanced down automatically at the rose garden. He had chosen this room because of its excellent view. He blinked as Sakura wandered her way amongst the planters. He was about to look away when he saw someone else enter his field of vision. Ohtori Akio? He saw him talking with her. He was somehow unable to tear his eyes from the scene. The letter in his hand dropped to the floor, forgotten. What was wrong with him? Akio suddenly turned away and looked up. Their eyes met. In a flash, it was over and he could move again. Akio was walking back to his tower and Sakura, in a daze, also left for what Miki presumed was the Eastern Dormitory. She looked so lost. He could help her. She was lost because she knew not what she had gotten herself into. He could give her knowledge. She deserved to know. He saw the notebook lying on his desk. He knew. Soon, so would she. * * * * He found him as he exited the library with several research books in his hand. His words were simple, formal, and straight to the point. The books almost clattered to the ground as he walked off, tapping his fingers along a battered old notebook. * * * * "Miki wants to duel you tomorrow?" asked Sakura, still acting coldly towards Saionji. "At noon." "Why?" "Kinomoto, all the duelists have their reasons." And what is your reason, Sakura did not ask. "This was rather surprising, actually. I thought Miki didn't want to get involved again, just like me. The next upset would be for Nanami to duel with me. That would be interesting... I've never dueled her before." "Saionji-san..." "And don't you dare start getting thoughts of trying to duel him yourself, Kinomoto," said Saionji sharply. "There's too much at stake here." Her lips narrowed to the thinnest of frowns, but she did not protest. Akio trusted her to take care of the roses. He trusted her. She had to do her duty as the Rose Bride. He trusted her. "If that's it... I believe I will get started on that research paper." She walked him pick up his books and head up to his room. Another duel. Why? She had to know. She had to find out. She grabbed a light sweater and slipped outside without Saionji noticing - although that wasn't a hard task. He was so deep into his own studies that she could have rung the school bells to announce her departure and he wouldn't have so much as glanced up from his books. Sakura first thought of waiting in the rose garden, but then decided she had been spending too much time there lately. The roses were growing again thanks to her magic, but they were hardy flowers that didn't need constant attention. She ended up staring at her wavering reflection in a fountain, letting the gentle spray cool her thoughts down. "Sakura-sempai?" She blinked and turned around. "Kiryuu-san..." "Don't call me that," said Nanami, "or I'll think you're addressing my older brother." "Sorry." "You look troubled." "It's nothing." Sakura took a deep breath and patted her chest. "Nothing I can't handle," she added, trying to sound as if she was up to the challenge. Nanami looked at her for a long moment. "It's not nothing. Why else would you be out here?" "I'm fine," said Sakura with a slight edge. She was starting to get annoyed at Nanami's insistence. "Sakura-sempai, whatever is wrong isn't going to go away by staring at coins in a fountain. I... I want to be your friend. A true friend. And true friends tell each other when something's bothering them. Please..." She reminded her of Tomoyo, who would never let sleeping dogs lie if it concerned the well being of her best friends. And she missed Tomoyo. Even though they couldn't hang out as much in high school, a quick email before class did nothing to bridge the distance. Nanami did nothing to break the silence, so finally she answered, "There's going to be another duel." "Another duel? But my brother didn't... You don't mean... Mickey?" "No... Kaoru-san." "Oh, no, I meant... 'Mickey' has been Miki's nickname for, well, ever. But why is he dueling? I thought he would be the last one to pick up a sword or a rose, after me." Sakura shook her head. "I don't know. I wish I did." If both Nanami and Saionji felt Miki was unlikely to duel again, then why had he set forth the challenge? "That doesn't make sense," Nanami frowned, twirling a bit of her light hair absently. "Unless he's trying to escape his sister's influence. She's as clingy to him as I used to be to my older brother, at least until I grew up. Kozue, however, hasn't changed a whit except to grow her hair out a little. When is the duel?" "Tomorrow. It feels like... I don't have any control over what happens. Like my life has been neatly written into someone's day planner. History midterm, November fifth. Email from Tomoyo, every three days. Duel, day after next." The younger woman didn't know how to respond, and so said nothing. "Ever since... that day... my life has totally changed... If I didn't have magic to support me, I'd... I don't know what I'd do." "Everyone has earth-shattering experiences," said Nanami consolingly. "Mine was becoming a duelist. You have to learn from it and change accordingly." Sakura gripped the star key tightly. "Sometimes it's hard to change." She smiled warmly. "Sometimes it's for the best." * * * * "I swear, Miki has got the worst timing, planning this all when I have a research paper due on Monday," Saionji grumbled as he and Sakura waited for the elevator to arrive. "As if I don't have enough on my mind." Sakura watched silently as the metal grill slid to the side, allowing them to enter. The elevator gave a slight shudder and began to rise quickly. "I can't even think of a decent topic to write on, and the last thing I need is this distraction," Saionji continued to mutter under his breath. The bells rang out the noon hour as the elevator reached the top, and Rose Bride and Champion climbed up the last few remaining stairs silently. They paused together at the gate, the wind sending a flurry of rose petals across their path. The young man with blue hair was already there, waiting. A fencing sword lay at his feet, almost hidden among the flowers, and he picked it up when he heard their arrival. Saionji glanced wordlessly at Sakura, and she nodded. Trying to ignore the confusion and sadness in her heart, she held Akio's rose out in front of her and chanted the words that were already so familiar to her. The rose transformed into the Sword of Dios as she transformed into the Rose Bride. Sakura plucked two roses from the planters and placed them in the pockets of both men, then stepped back. There was a strange look in Saionji's eye... "Shall we begin?" he asked his fellow Student Council Member, holding out the Sword of Dios. The bells rang out the answer. Sakura watched numbly as the battle began. Saionji was stronger, his attacks pushing the smaller man back, but Miki was faster, and easily dodged Saionji's attempts to cut off the rose. Sakura remembered, somewhere in the back of her mind, that Miki was a member of the fencing club just as Juri was. She had no idea what to do with this knowledge, so she set it aside. Unlike the other duels she had seen, this one was fought without words. Neither man wasted his breath on fancy phrases but relied entirely on his dueling ability. The duel raged on for many intense minutes, but she felt something slightly wrong. There was usually a sort of balance on the Rose Platform that was missing. Sakura opened herself again to the rose-magic, the circle glowing at her feet. But even with the power running through her veins she couldn't figure out what was so different from the other duels. It was a thought that lay at the tip of her tongue but still thoroughly out of her reach. Remembering how she had somehow used the rose-magic to help Saionji win the previous duel, she held onto it, dimly aware of the sparkling castle waiting above her. Waiting for what she also did not know. She could almost feel it beckoning to her, as if she should suddenly fly into its myriad windows and enter it. Now was not the time to enter the Castle of Eternity. She knew that and held onto the fact tightly, resisting the pull. There were more earthly matters to worry about, such as the outcome of the duel. It became apparent who the winner would be quite early in the battle, but Miki continued to fight on anyways. He was fighting for something he believed in, and such belief would not let him do less than his utmost. Still, Sakura felt that whatever the imbalance was, it was affecting him. Saionji was also fighting for something he believed in, something that was stronger than Miki's belief. It gave him an extra edge, and it was only a matter of time before the sharp tip of the Sword of Dios sliced off the rose in Miki's pocket. The bells clanged loudly, announcing to the world the results. She felt the magic slowly leave her as the Sword of Dios became a mere rose again. The Castle of Eternity shimmered away into nothingness, although she could still feel it was there at the edge of her senses. Waiting. Miki bowed respectfully to Saionji, who gave a startled bow back to acknowledge his efforts. When Miki raised his head, blinked a few times in confusion. "Kaoru-san, are you okay?" wondered Sakura. "I..." He looked at the both of them, his gaze resting on the rose that still lay in Saionji's pocket. "I'm sorry, I'm perfectly fine. Just a momentary spell of dizziness, that's all. Congratulations, Saionji-sempai. It was a duel well fought." Saionji grunted an acknowledgement, his mind returning to other matters at hand, such as his topic-less research paper. "Let's go," he said to the others, walking back to the elevator, but not before giving Sakura that strange look again. She watched him silently for a second before following. There had been something very wrong with this duel, although she did not know what it was yet. Still, she meant to find out. Something about Miki... * * * * He looked down at the rose garden, his notebook closed on the desk in front of him. Something very strange had just occurred, and he wasn't quite sure he understood it all. He distinctly remembered watching the Rose Bride and the Director talking in the garden, and then... And then... what? A blur of events. Somehow he had challenged Saionji to a duel. Why? He had no need to duel for the Rose Bride. He had lost, but that was all for the better. He did not know what to do if he suddenly found himself engaged to her. How could he explain such a situation to his sister? He looked at the notebook again. Mysteries. It was full of mysteries and unanswered questions. And knowledge. He could give her knowledge. * * * * He found her as she left the lecture hall with some of her friends, all chatting about how hard they thought the midterm might be. She looked up when she saw him and excused herself from the others. He gave her an old, worn notebook, telling her that it contained his old calculus notes that she might find useful. Her friends giggled, although a few gave him a look that suggested that they would have rather gotten the notebook. He cautioned her to be careful, and to review it in private. She nodded her understanding, accepting his gift with a hint of confusion in her eyes. He walked off, humming an old piano song under his breath. END OF CHAPTER 6 ...to be continued... **NOTES: Nanami refers to Touga as her 'older brother.' I had originally planned to use the Japanese term of 'onii-chan' for this purpose but decided against it for various reasons. In the tv series, Nanami referred to Touga as 'onii-sama' - a more polite form that showed how much she idolized him. As you can tell in this fic, Nanami has gotten over that idolization and now uses the same term that Sakura uses to refer to /her/ older brother.