* Synopsis * C Part *
* Anthy is standing on the edge of the dueling platform. Utena walks up and asks what she's doing. Anthy says she's watering the roses, and Utena wonders why she's doing it so late at night. Anthy replies it's because she's the rose bride.
* Utena is silent and Anthy wonders what she's said that's wrong. Utena asks if she really sleeps with the winner of the duels, and Anthy asks if she's worried if she slept with Touga.
* Utena knocks the watering can out of Anthy's hands and tells her to be quiet. She angrily blames Anthy for making Touga act so strangely. She says she thought he would always be there like he was when her parents died and that they were going to see the stars together.
* Utena collapses into a huddle, crying. Anthy pats her hair for a moment before standing up and picking up an axe. She uses it to break a water main. The lights on the dueling platform go out.
* A rose floats in the water and bumps into Utena, who gets up to look at it. She stands up in shock as she can see the reflection of many stars in the water, then looks up at the starry sky. She then looks over at Anthy, who is smiling back, water from the broken main spilling out behind her.
* The song, "Toki ni Ai wa" begins to play as Utena and Anthy dance among the roses.
* The next day Utena is in class. The teacher tells them to find a partner and draw them. Utena looks for Wakaba but she's gone off with another person, and Utena discovers it's Anthy who's waiting for her.
* Utena follows Anthy to the observation tower. They enjoy the view for a moment before sitting down. Utena draws Anthy and thanks her for what happened last night, saying she felt a little better after talking out her problems. She says that she wants to be friends and takes off the rose signet because of what it represents. She also asks that have no more secrets between them.
* Anthy interrupts Utena and they switch places. Utena is apprehensive because Anthy wants to draw her nude. Anthy replies that it was Utena who asked that there be no secrets between them.
* Utena says it's not fair that she's the only one being drawn nude. Anthy agrees and also takes off her clothes. Utena notices lots of paintings in the tower [the ones from the opening credits.] She asks if Anthy is the model for all of them, and when she looks at Anthy, she sees a hole where Anthy's heart should be.
* Shadow Girl E-ko exclaims she has seen scandalous paintings of the School Director [Akio.] F-ko says it's nothing, that she has a scandalous tape. She puts it in the VCR.
* Nanami in cow-form is drinking at a lake, where she has a nasty encounter with Chu-Chu, Keropon, and 3 Elephants [of Doom!].
* E-ko wonders how this is scandalous, and F-ko says it's the wrong tape. She puts another on in the VCR.
* The music "Akio Enbukyou" begins to play and we see Akio dancing around with Kanae Ohtori, his fiancee. E-ko and F-ko comment on him and he looks at the screen and thanks them. F-ko wonders if it's really a tape.
* Akio's standing by his car, but he says it won't move because he lost the key. He takes a taxi instead. He returns to the observatory tower [his home?] where Anthy greets him.
* Later in the tower, Anthy is resting and Akio is pouring two glasses of drinks. F-ko says this is where the scandal begins and that this is the secret of the Rose Bride. Akio places a pill into one of the glasses. Utena is shocked and Anthy says this the secret behind the Rose Bride.
* The dueling song, "Bara no Rashin - Shura" begins to play as Utena takes the Sword of Dios from Anthy and Juri takes her sword from Shiori. The two duel above the school. Utena pushes Juri back at first, surprising Miki who's watching from above. Shiori is also watching from the side, but she leaves after a moment.
* Juri then presses her own attack, driving Utena back. Utena says she can't loose, and Juri asks if she really loves Touga that much. Miki is surprised, wondering just who "Touga" is. Behind him, Touga (who was watcing the duel) also leaves.
* Above, a jet flies through the sky, through the shilouette of a castle. Anthy says that the castle holds eternity, miracles, and shining things, and to win the Rose Bride means that you can enter the castle and have your wishes come true. She asks if Utena is still willing to throw away the rose signet.
* Utena is driven back against the wall and Juri tells her the rose signet doesn't belong to her. She attacks again and knocks the Sword of Dios out of her hand.
* Utena goes to pick the sword back up, but she's transformed into Dios, much to Anthy's shock. Juri isn't impressed until Dios' power knocks off her rose. Utena returns to her normal self, and Anthy says that for just a moment, she looked like..
* A cry comes from the ground below. Kanae is crying over the body of Akio, and draws everyone's attention to her. C-ko shouts, "News!" and the shadow girls wonder amongst themselves about Akio's demise.
* Shiori comes out saying it was the owner of the rose garden that killed him - why else plant roses but to cover the dead body? She says the proof is on a video, and F-ko gasps, "That's the scandalous tape I found!"
* Utena watches the scene in surprise, then looks around to find Anthy. However, she's gone, so Utena runs off. Juri watches her, as she briefly transforms into Dios once again.
* Utena runs through a darkened hall (that strongly resembles Nemuro Hall from the Black Rose Arc) following Anthy.
* On the video, one of the glasses (the one with the pill) is empty. Akio leans over the form of his prone sister and reaches out to touch her, but he draws back when he realizes she's not asleep. He asks how long she's been aware, and she says she doesn't mind. She says her brother is her prince and that he can do what he likes with her.
* Akio is angry and says he's not that kind of person. He then searches the room trying to find a key. He says a car without a key cannot run. When Anthy tries to calm him down, he stabs her with a knife, creating a hole in her heart. He then commits suicide by falling off of the balconey.
* Utena looks around the hall, following various traffic signs (again like the Black Rose arc.) A sign reads, "To the one engaged - I am waiting inside." Utena looks at the door and enters.
* The music, "Abraxas" begins to play. Touga is in the elevator, and the two are separated by a piece of glass. Utena asks where Anthy is, but Touga starts to tell Utena the truth behind the school as the elevator begins to descend. He says the whole dueling thing is a game, etc, but Utena interrupts him, saying she finally remembered how they broke up.
* Some time ago, Utena and Touga were in a park that had a lake. Touga got up and left Utena on the bench. On the lake, a girl fell off a boat and cried for help. Utena stood up and also starting calling for someone to help her.
* Touga ran back to hug the distraught Utena, dropping two tins (of candy?) he had bought. He saw the girl drowning and went to save her. Utena tried to stop him, saying that he'd die, but Touga insisted, saying it was what he had to do. He rescued the girl (Juri) but he was the one who drowned.
* Water fills Touga's side of the elevator as Utena watches with tears in her eyes. She thanks Touga and says he really was her prince. The two kiss through the glass, and Touga disappears.
* The elevator reaches its destination. Utena leans against the wall [previously the glass divider] for a moment before standing up straight and walking up the stairs to the dueling ground.
