Chapter Text
She didn't know how long she had been walking for. Dull pain gnawed at her back as she trudged forward, her feet stumbling over vines and branches. Her sight was blurry and her throat was dry. Despite the warmth of the sun overhead, she had stopped sweating long ago.
Her legs were trembling as she pushed forward through the thick forest. A fallen log blocked her way forward and she clambered over it blindly, barely registering when she lost her balance and fell to the mossy ground.
She couldn't find the strength to lift herself back up again. As she rested on her side, she stared at the white ring on her finger.
Her vision started to fade.
Loud clanking approached her, but she couldn't tear away her dying gaze from her ring.
A distant voice echoed as her shoulder was jostled. Her eyes fell closed.
Unfamiliar burning liquid splashed in her face and she reflexively curled into a ball and spluttered. She felt energy flowing back into her sore muscles. She could even understand what that distant voice was saying, though it still sounded strangely muffled. "—okay? Are you feeling any better? Hello?"
Before she could cough out a response, more liquid was poured onto her head. It seemed like it absorbed straight into her scalp, filling her with warmth. She managed to leap to her feet and look around in bewilderment.
A rotund set of armor holding a golden flask stood before her. Somewhere inside the cavernous metal was the voice of a young woman. "Are you alright?"
"Who are you?" she blurted out. "What did you just do?"
The young woman laughed joyfully. "I think I might have just saved your life! What are you doing out here with no armor on?" The round helmet tilted to the side. "Or any sort of defenses? I suppose it isn't really my business. But anyway, I'm Wakaba Shinohara, of Catarina." She held out a metal-gloved hand. "Who are you?"
She reached forward and grasped the girl's hand. After a moment of thought, she answered.
"Utena Tenjou."
The two walked slowly as Utena continued to recover. Wakaba was more than willing to fill the silence, telling her newfound companion about her recent adventures. "And while I admit this isn't a part of the forest I had been in before, I certainly wasn't expecting to find anyone else here! It's just so out of the way of anywhere I've seen people before. What were you doing out this far?"
Utena gave her a helpless shrug. "I can't say I really remember. I must have been lost." She stared down at her feet, still amazed that her muscles had mended so quickly. "I am really grateful that you saved me. As soon as I can repay you somehow, I will."
Wakaba waved her hand dismissively. "Oh no, no problem at all! What's the point of me adventuring if I don't get to go on some adventures?" She let out a short, triumphant laugh and Utena couldn't help but smile in response.
"Though I do admit, I am not really familiar with this area," Wakaba added. "I hope I don't get us lost! You need to get back to a bonfire for sure."
"A bonfire?"
"I know there's one that's very safe, but it's a long walk. If we're lucky, we can find another that's just as good."
Utena nodded despite of her lack of understanding.
The forest was growing thinner. Thick oak trees were giving way to younger saplings and groups of aspens. Yellow-tinged leaves shook in the breeze. Muddy moss grew around curling ferns and wildflowers. Utena noticed some piles of crumbling masonry that were overgrown with rose bushes, and she was careful to avoid snagging her clothes on thorns. The roses were becoming more common as they walked forward.
"Ah! What a pretty place!" Wakaba exclaimed as she lifted her hands and removed her large helmet. Curlicues of brown hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. She closed her eyes as she took in the sweet scent of the flowers.
Utena looked past her new friend; the ground sloped downward into a basin that was full of rose thickets. At the bottom of the hill was a stone and glass dome. While the glass was nearly opaque, she could still see the flicker of a flame inside.
She nudged Wakaba with her elbow. "Is the fire that you're looking for in there?"
"Huh?" Wakaba looked down into the basin with surprise. "Oh! It looks like there is one." She donned her helmet again. "You should stay here, just in case. I'll go see if it's safe." She patted the sword hilt in the scabbard at her side. "I'm sure it'll be just fine."
Before Utena could protest, Wakaba began strolling down the hill. Swallowing her unease, Utena waited and watched as her companion approached the dome.
Wakaba knocked on the stone and called out. "Hello! If any are present, I am Wakaba Shinohara of Catarina. I mean no harm. I desire to use this bonfire and be on my way."
After a pause, a glass panel swung open as a door. A tall figure stood in the opening, backlit by flame. In the dim light, Utena could see the impression of a lanky man with long, wavy hair. He stood more than a full head over her armored friend.
"Hold out your hands." The man spoke dryly, but with a younger sounding voice than Utena had expected.
Wakaba laughed and complied. "I can leave my weapons outside if you want, friend."
The man said nothing but looked down at her metal gloves as if searching for something. He smirked. "You're no Duelist."
Wakaba's helmet tilted in confusion. "Sorry?"
With movement so fast that Utena couldn't even decipher what happened, he drew a sword and slashed at Wakaba's outstretched hands.
Utena felt her stomach drop like a stone as Wakaba stumbled to the side and tried to reach for her own sword. The man simply stepped forward and placed a well-aimed kick on the rounded breastplate, nearly knocking her over.
Time seemed to slow. At Utena's feet was some long forgotten gardening implement. Not minding the thorns that tore at her hands, she ripped a wooden-handled broom from the ground and began to charge down the hill. As she maneuvered through the tangled growth, she saw Wakaba fall to the ground. The man's sword was lifted far above his head with the point aimed at the seam between Wakaba's chest plates.
Utena hit him at full speed. A scream ripped out of her as she drove the blunt wooden end of the broomstick into his ribcage. The weight of her body drove it in further as she fell on top of him. She was surprised to find that he was wearing no armor, only elaborately decorated clothing.
Dropping the broomstick, she pinned him to the ground and started to throw punches.
Beneath her fists, a green rose burst into a whirlwind of petals, and the man simply faded out of existence with an anguished scream.
"Utena? Utena!" Wakaba's voice broke through the haze. Utena stood and watched the green petals scatter in the breeze, but the weight of the rounded Catarina armor nearly pushed her back down to the ground. Wakaba had her grasped in a bear hug.
"Are you okay?" Her voice was shaky as she took a step back and looked Utena over, checking her for injuries. "I'm so sorry that happened—I should have expected that."
Utena gave her friend a look of concern and patted her reassuringly on her shoulderplate. "There's no way you could have known."
Wakaba nodded and walked over to the entrance of the glass dome. She cautiously leaned inside while Utena looked around the exterior. The rose bushes here looked more vibrant and displayed blooms of colors she had never expected a rose to have. The full rainbow seemed to be present, and the large blooms were beautifully fragrant. To the left of the glass building was a small freshwater spring, and the bushes there were carefully trimmed back. A stone lip surrounded the outermost part of the spring, and a metal watering can embossed with floral designs sat there beside a dirt-streaked trowel.
Wakaba turned to wave Utena over to the greenhouse. "It's a little dark in there, but it seems safe."
Utena walked forward with a smile but stopped when she heard the sickening sound of metal sliding through metal. Wakaba still stood facing her, but the point of a blade came forth through her chest.
The sword slid back out; Wakaba fell to the floor and slowly faded away, leaving nothing but a bloodstain. In the doorway stood the same man as before. He flicked blood off of the blade with distaste and fixed his stare on Utena.
Acting on instinct, she stepped back and snatched up the broom. She held the handle vertically as meager protection. Trying to control her panicked breathing, she waited for him to make the first move.
He stared at her for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Recognition flashed upon his face, and he threw his sword to the ground with a laugh.
"Finally," he said as he held up his right hand. Sunlight glinted off his rose crest ring.
Utena nearly dropped the broom. "You—!"
"Anthy!" He interrupted her as he yelled into the dim interior of the glass building. "Prepare us for a duel! A real one!"
A small figure appeared out of the darkness. Utena felt dizzy with the scent of roses.
A young woman with dark brown skin wearing a ragged red dress held a bouquet of roses. Sunlight glinted off of her thick glasses as she approached the man and placed a green bloom upon his chest.
She turned and walked over to Utena, her gaze fixed upon the ground. She managed to affix a white rose to her tattered black jacket.
As the woman raised her head to look at Utena's face, the sun turned her glasses into shining mirrors. "If the rose is scattered, you lose the duel," she whispered. She gave the broom handle a long stare, as if considering it deeply. "Good luck."
Before Utena could respond, the woman was jerked backwards and held in a vice grip by the man. "Enough," he hissed. "Give me the sword. Show me the glory that belongs to Saionji Kyouichi." He grasped Anthy by the shoulders and jostled her roughly.
Utena squinted. So this man's name was Saionji, and he possessed the same crest ring as she did. While the connection did vex her, as she became used to the scent of the roses, her thoughts turned more to how he had cut down the person who had just saved her life with no more consideration than someone would have when swatting away an insect.
She spun the broomstick in her hand and pointed the end at him. "That's enough. If we are going to fight, let's fight."
He gave her a look of derision. "You're going to fight me with a broom?"
"I had no problem doing it before." She shifted her feet, lowering her center of balance. "And anyone with enough of an ego to talk about themselves in the third person has to be more bark than bite."
He snorted and turned his attention to Anthy. "The sword."
The woman stood still for a moment, then clasped her hands over her heart. "Rose of the noble castle…"
A strange light effused from her body and Utena felt a pull towards her, as if gravity had moved and centered upon the bright orb appearing from her chest. Anthy was still reciting a breathy chant, but Utena could only focus upon the appearance of a shining sword from that globe of now rapidly dissipating power.
Saionji grabbed the hilt of the sword and removed it with as much care as a man removing a knife from a steak. Anthy fell to the floor.
Utena took the first move, lunging forward and feinting to the side as Saionji slashed at her. The tip of the blade whiffed past her arm, and as he overextended she used the straw end of the broom to smack his face.
He growled in frustration and pivoted on his heel, bringing the sword around in a large sweep. This time it did catch her and she felt her tattered jacket rip further. Leaping back a safe distance, she watched as he also went on the defensive as he tried to remove the broom's dirt from his eyes.
As they circled each other, she started to feel as if she had no chance of making it out of this duel alive. On a deeper level, however, she realized that she didn't really care. Her only real motivation was to take this man's ego down a peg—since he seemed likely to come back if killed anyway, she could at least exact petty revenge in the name of her fallen friend.
If she could, she would exact vengeance upon him again and again, striking him down if he were to return—but that seemed unlikely with a broom as a weapon.
Her eyes widened. Saionji had thrown away his sword earlier. Where had it landed?
Saionji lunged at her but she sidestepped and rolled behind him. She spotted his discarded sword beneath a tangle of thorns.
The two circled again, neither wanting to risk taking the first major move. Utena made a few quick jabs with the handle as if it were a real sword, and each time Saionji took wedges out of it with the magical blade.
With one more testing jab, the blade got stuck as it bit too deep into the wooden handle. Utena pulled as hard as she could. While the sword did pull free, it was enough force to cause Saionji to stumble forward. As he tried to recover and turn his stumble into a stab, she stepped aside and used the straw end to blast dirt and rocks into his face. As he took more time to clear his vision, she used the handle to hook through the hilt of the discarded sword. Flipping the broom vertically, the sword was torn out of the bush and it slid neatly down to her hand.
She smiled as she held a broom in one hand and a sword in the other. Saionji glared at her and snarled. When he rushed forward, she dropped into a crouch and thrust his sword upwards. She felt the thick resistance of flesh as it pierced his chest.
All was silent. Utena hadn't realized that she had squeezed her eyes shut. When she gathered the courage to look up, Saionji began to laugh.
"Don't you know, you stupid girl? Only the rose matters." He moved to the side, wrenching the sword from her grasp as it stuck in his ribs. "You soil the name of Duelists by—"
He choked to a stop as she smashed his green rose with the broom handle. The magic sword faded away in his hands.
As before, he disappeared, and green petals fell to the ground.
Not wanting to relish her victory for too long, Utena leapt to her feet and looked inside the glass building. Seeing nothing of interest except for a small fire contained in the center, she closed the door panel and started lifting rocks from the perimeter of the spring.
With a few minutes of effort, the doorway was effectively blocked from opening. With enough effort he might be able to find his way out, she thought, but it would be revenge enough for now.
She stood back and admired her handiwork with her hands on her hips. However, the relief was short lived, and the feeling of being utterly lost gnawed at her thoughts. She picked up Saionji's abandoned sword and looked it over. It was dull and nicked, but it would do.
As she turned to leave, she saw the girl from earlier sitting on the ground, watching her.
The two stared at each other in silence. Utena, feeling uncomfortable, politely cleared her throat.
The girl rose to her feet and gave Utena a deep bow. Her voice was low and lilting. "As surely as your rose crest led you here, you were the victor of that duel. I am the Rose Bride. I tend the flowers here, and I will tend to you. As my champion Duelist, from this day forward, I belong to you."
Utena was taken aback. "Ah…well, I don't really think I'm any sort of duelist. Me being here is really just a mistake. I was being guided by a friend…" she trailed off, unable to read any sort of response in the Rose Bride's blank stare. "In any case, I think I'm going to keep walking ahead and try to find some civilization. You can come too, if you like."
Anthy bowed again. "I will follow you."
"Oh…" Utena scratched the back of her head and smiled. "It'll be nice to have someone to walk with again, I suppose."
Anthy nodded and began to walk the perimeter of the glass building, picking up tools and placing them into a cloth bag. As she went, she took clippings of some of the roses and stored them with care in a carved wooden container.
Utena decided to try some small talk. "So, do you live here?"
"I tend to the roses here." Some moss and a stash of coins hidden under a rock went into the bag.
"What are the roses for?" She followed her as she went over to the spring and filled a metal flask with water.
"The roses are for you, Miss Utena." The ghost of a smile passed over Anthy's lips. It disappeared as quickly as it came.
Utena tilted her head, but before she could press further she heard loud crashing from within the glass building. "Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes, Miss Utena."
Utena gave Anthy a wide smile. "We should probably leave before he finds a way out."
Anthy nodded. "Yes, Miss Utena."
As they were leaving the shallow basin, Utena noticed a silhouette in the distance. She froze in place as Anthy kept walking forward. It was standing a far distance into the trees, back the way she and Wakaba had first trudged through.
"Miss Utena?"
"Yes?" She glanced over at Anthy. "What is it?"
"In what direction are we going to walk?"
"Oh…" She looked back out into the forest. Whoever it had been, they had turned and left. The thought of some new threat left her on edge.
She decided to go in the opposite direction of the mystery figure, and the two walked together in silence. While she was nervous, she felt much more confident with Saionji's old sword at her side.
She noticed that the rose Anthy had fastened to her was rapidly wilting. Anthy motioned for her to stop and opened up her wooden box. A larger white bloom replaced the faded rose.
"Hey, Anthy," she asked tentatively.
"Yes, Miss Utena?"
"What's so special about these roses?" She touched the petals of her own gently.
"As a Duelist, your goal is to maintain your role as champion. If another duelist challenges you, their goal will be to knock the rose from your breast, just as you will try to do the same to them. The rose is a center for your soul and will shield it from harm, no matter the injuries that your body faces. As long as the rose is untouched, you can survive even a fatal blow. A large blossom such as this is not intended for dueling, but for protecting you from other threats. A smaller blossom will not survive for as long, but offers a smaller target for your opponent Duelist."
"And if the rose is destroyed?"
"If you are simply traveling, your soul will be made open to harm, and if you are killed afterwards you will be sent back to the rose garden. If you are dueling, you will be returned to the rose garden, and you will lose your place as champion."
"Are there a lot of duelists?" Utena didn't want to expect fighting anyone she came across.
"To be a Duelist is a high honor. Only those deemed worthy are given the rose crest."
Utena listened to the crunch of leaves underfoot as they walked forward. The trees were becoming sparse, and the few that were left seemed to be dying. Ahead she could see stone grave markers scattered haphazardly on a hill.
The slope went steeply upwards, but when they reached the top the ground gave way to a steep cliff. From their vantage point, they could see that the densely packed graves stretched ahead and gave way to another precipice. Beyond that, a massive stone wall encircled a foggy city below.
After taking in the view, Utena turned her attention to finding a way to get down the cliff that they were on. Below them but above the graves, a narrow overhang ran across most of the sheer stone face. Utena doubted the drop would hurt her, but she wasn't too sure about how the Rose Bride would hold up. She seemed rather tired just from walking here. "I'm going to try and climb down. Do you want me to carry you? It might be safer."
Anthy nodded, and soon Utena was carrying her on her back. She barely seemed to weigh anything, and Utena was able to start climbing down the cliff with ease.
When she reached the overhang, she let Anthy slip down from her back. They could both comfortably stand on the ledge, but they would have to watch their step as they went forward. The ledge sloped gently downward as they went and eventually rejoined with the ground. To their right were more graves and a squat, gnarled tree. In front of them were stone steps that led to crumbled arches and an enormous crow that sat upon a high wall.
Utena stared at the crow, and the crow stared back. It quorked once, shuffled its feet on its perch, and looked away from them. Utena let out a sigh of relief.
Past the crow was a room flooded with shallow water and another stone arch. Beyond the arch, the ground gently inclined down towards a bright bonfire encircled with steps. Utena drew her sword and motioned for Anthy to stand close behind her. She approached the bonfire with careful movement, surveying the area for any threats.
There was a man in loose chain mail sitting languidly off to the side of the fire. A sword and battered metal shield were propped up against the stone wall behind him. He raised an eyebrow at her cautious approach.
"Where in the hell did you come from? Surely you're not another Chosen Undead. I don't think I could take another prophesized hero running around the place." He leaned to his side, trying to get a better look at Anthy, who was standing just behind Utena. "If you're looking for a fight, you won't find one here."
After some consideration, Utena lowered her sword and found a place to sit close to the fire. Anthy pulled a stone flask out of her bag and placed it directly into the flames for a few moments. When it glowed the same gold color as the fire, she removed it and handed it to Utena.
She recognized it as being the same healing mixture that Wakaba had once given her. It would be well worth holding on to in case her rose was damaged. Nodding her thanks to Anthy, she slipped the container into a pocket.
"Well, you both look far from hollow. But what are you doing traipsing around in clothes like that? Did you get lost on the way to the ball or something?" The man's tone was sardonic, but he did seem genuinely curious.
Utena's clothes were battered and torn, but her coat did have the trappings of what some noble could have worn. Her epaulets held most of their white tassles, and the buttons holding the jacket closed still shone with hints of gold. Anthy's dress was ragged, but the rich red color beneath the dirt implied it had once been beautiful. Utena looked at her ring and thought back to how Saionji's clothes held some similarities to hers, though his getup had been more elaborately embroidered. Finally, she spoke up and replied. "I guess this is just what Duelists wear."
"Duelists? Is that some new covenant?"
"I guess so?"
The man frowned. "Wonderful. So there's another set of fools to keep track of, then."
Utena shrugged, and the conversation died with that.
Anthy and Utena sat side by side at the fire. Utena was leaning back upon the stone steps as she watched the flames flicker. She could feel sleep beginning to overtake her.
The fire cast dancing shadows upon the ground. She imagined that she could see the shapes of people flitting in and out of the ever-changing pattern.
Just as she was about to drift off, the shadows slowed, and she could see two very human silhouettes stretch out from the flames.
One shadow said to the other, "So in the beginning, there was just eternity?"
"Yes, of course!"
"And after that, more eternity!"
"No, no! Not at all!"
"Oh! How could it have been eternity if it didn't last forever?" The shadow placed a hand upon its forehead in dramatic despair.
"It did last forever! It's just that afterwards, there was disparity!"
"Afterwards—how could it be afterwards if it lasted forever?"
The other shadow sighed. "Let's tell a different story."
"Okay, go ahead."
The shadow girl cleared her throat. "Yes. So, in the beginning, there was eternity."
The other shadow raised her arms in despair. "You said a different story!"
"Ah, this is a different story! This is a different eternity! A different disparity!"
"Do you really know any other stories?"
"Do you know?"
"Do you know?"
The shadow argument faded away as Utena fell asleep.
(Next time on For Friendship, Perhaps : Miki struggles to go on his own journey, the Chosen Undead explains the rules of living in Lordran, a warrior of sunlight and a man embraced by his goddess lend their aid, and Blighttown awaits.)
(This chapter's title is from When Where Who Which. It's recommended listening! Additional thematic relevance can be found with the Firelink Shrine theme.)