"The Purple Rose Saga": An otakufic by King Reanna

Episode Eight: "The Christmas Rose" (originally "The Midsummer Rose")

Written Dec.13-14, 1999

(We see a door- Miki and Kozue’s door. A hand- Reanna’s hand- knocks on it. The door opens. Kozue stands behind it)

Kozue: Oniisama? (her smile fades) Oh, it’s you. (We see Reanna)

Reanna: Hi, Kozue. How are you?

Kozue: I could be better. So, what are you doing here?

Reanna: I came by to pick up Himemiya Anshi’s things.

Kozue: Anshi-sempai is changing dorms again?

Reanna: (thinking) Damn! That’s right, she doesn’t know about the duels. (speaking) Yes. She’ll be staying with me now. (sneezes) How’s Micky doing?

Kozue: … He’s not here. He left a couple of hours ago with Anshi and hasn’t come back since.

Reanna: What?

Kozue: Didn’t you hear me? … You know where he is, don’t you?

Reanna: I thought he came back here!

Kozue: I knew it! He was with you the whole time! What the hell were you—

Reanna: Kozue, get a grip. We need to go out and find Micky! He might still be outside!

Kozue: (pauses, goes into her room) I’ll find him myself! Why don’t you just clear Anshi’s stuff out of here? It’s the least you can do. That little animal is getting on my nerves!

Chu-Chu: (voice) Chu-Chu!

Kozue: (at the door with her coat on) Excuse me.

Reanna: I’m coming with you. I care about your brother as much as you do.

(Kozue looks mad. She looks like she wants to slap Reanna, but she doesn’t; after a moment, she lets her hand down)

Kozue: Come on, then, let’s go.

(Kozue walks rapidly down the hall, and after looking after her for a moment, Reanna follows after her)

Title: "The Christmas Rose"

Touga: Mm-hmm. Yes, they did. Reanna did. No, I don’t know what she was thinking. Yes, Reanna won. To tell the truth, I wasn’t even expecting her to show up. She has yet to learn the true significance of the duels. Yes, and Merry Christmas to you, too. (Touga hangs up)

Nanami: (offscreen) Oniisama!

(Touga looks behind him)

Nanami: We’re decorating the tree now! Come on, Oniisama!

(Doorbell rings)

(We see Reanna and Kozue running through the snow. It’s snowing and the wind is blowing hard)

Kozue: Micky! Oniisama!

Reanna: Micky-chan!

Kozue: Where is he? Reanna, why don’t you just go inside. I’ll look for him.

Reanna: We’ll be more likely to find him if we’re both out here looking. Besides, I feel like I have to be out here looking for him. He’s my friend.

Kozue: Of course. People are always leaving their friends out in the snow.

Reanna: (stops running) Now hold on just a minute! (Reanna’s genuinely offended) I did not! I thought he went home!

Kozue: (stops) What the hell were you doing out here, anyway?

Reanna: Seitokai stuff.

Kozue: Out here in the snow?

(Reanna pauses, then continues walking. Kozue scowls, then follows her)

Reanna: Micky-chan!

Kozue: Oniisama!

(They both see a bit of blue, far off. As if on cue, they run over. Miki is lying, unconscious, in the snow)

(Kozue kneels down)

Kozue: Micky! Micky, wake up! (she shakes him)

(Reanna kneels down and touches his cheek)

Reanna: … He’s freezing!

Kozue: He needs mouth to mouth! (bends over)

Reanna: He does not! He needs to get warm.

Kozue: I can do that, too.

Reanna: I mean we need to get him inside! (looks around, sees a door into the school) Do they lock the doors to the school on holidays?

Kozue: That door should be open…

Reanna: Micky! Micky-chan!

(Finally, Miki’s eyes open)

Kozue and Reanna: (both very happy) Micky!

Reanna: Come on, Micky, let’s get into the school. You’re practically frozen. Can you get up?

Miki: (sits up) I’m… sorry I’ve caused the two of you so much trouble. I was just…

Reanna: Micky, stop blaming yourself. Let’s go inside. (stands up)

(Utena stands at the door to Kiryuu mansion)

Touga: Tenjou Utena. This is a surprise. Please, come in.

(Utena does so)

Utena: I want to talk to you about something. I got a call from Anshi. She said Reanna never wanted to duel, but you tricked her into going to the arena.

Touga: I don’t understand.

(Enter Nanami)

Nanami: What’s she doing here, Oniisama?

Touga: We’re just cleaning up a misunderstanding, Nanami. (Turns to Utena) Utena, I only talked to Reanna this morning to tell her that I had received a letter from End of the World.

Utena: Oh, really?

Touga: (genuinely concerned) Would I lie?

Utena: Apparently, so.

Touga: (thinks a moment) So where is Reanna now?

Utena: (still suspecting Touga) She went to get Anshi’s things from Micky’s dorm over an hour ago and still hasn’t returned to her room. Anshi tried calling there, but only Chu-Chu was there.

Nanami: (quietly) What’s going on, here?

Touga: So, what do you propose we do?

Utena: Well, apparently, Reanna isn’t at Micky’s and neither are Micky or Kozue.

Nanami: (a little louder) What’s going on here?

Touga: They wouldn’t be outside in this weather, would they?

Utena: I don’t know, but…

Touga: You’re worried about them?

Utena: Of course.

Nanami: (yells) WHAT’S GOING ON, HERE?

Touga: (turns) Nanami! (turns to Utena) I think we should check Kaoru’s dorm. Then Reanna’s dorm. If they’re not there, we go look for them. I’ll call Juri. Maybe she knows something.

[Scene: The school. We see Miki for a moment, from the chest up, showering in the gym shower. Then we see Reanna and Kozue, sitting in the gym, leaning against the wall. Kozue gets up)

Kozue: I’m gonna go check on him.

Reanna: (grabs her wrist) (nonchalantly) No, you’re not.

(Kozue sits back down)

Reanna: I feel sorry for Micky. I don’t know how he puts up with you.

Kozue: (turns) What do you mean by that?

Reanna: You really do give sisterly love a whole new meaning. You should back off of Micky and me. We’re just friends!

Kozue: Ha! You’re six grades ahead of him and you’re in love with him! Aren’t you? You’re in love with my Oniisama!

Reanna: (fidgeting with the cord on her fuku) Don’t be ridiculous. I just want to be his friend. It’s better than being in love with my own brother.

Kozue: At least I’m not a slut like you are!

Reanna: (struck, then calms down) A slut! Well, if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black, then I don’t know what is. (stands, walks away)

Kozue: Go back to America!

Reanna: … And a Merry Christmas to you, too! (door slams)

Anshi: Hello? Oh!

(We see Touga, Nanami, Juri, Utena and Chu-Chu on the other side of the door)

(A certain wall at a random sunset. Grams: "Kashira Seijin." C-Ko appears wearing a Santa hat)

C-Ko: Kashira? A quarrel, a quarrel… each have doubts but they continue to quarrel.

(C-Ko mimes being a boxer)

C-Ko: It’s not as two-sided as you think! They also quarrel with themselves!

(C-Ko punches herself out)

C-Ko: But how can you win an argument with yourself?

(Fade out)

Utena: Stop quarreling?

(Reanna sits outside the gym, leaning against the wall. She sighs and looks at a clock. It’s 4:00)

Miki: Kozue!

(We hear Kozue giggling. Reanna moans and rests her face in her hands. She gets up and is about to go into the gym when the door is opened from the inside and Miki runs out, hair still wet, half-clad in his fuku. He’s working on buttoning his jacket)

Reanna: I’ll maim her if you want. (doesn’t look up)

(enter Kozue)

Kozue: What’s wrong, Micky? I thought I needed a shower, so I thought I’d join you.

Reanna: Kozue! Did you even consider what I said during our talk?

Kozue: Talk? Did we have a talk? I don’t remember having a talk.

Reanna: (genuinely angry) You are—rrgh!

Kozue: Consider the feelings mutual!

(We see a wider shot of Kozue and Reanna. Miki is gone. Reanna looks around, sighs)

Reanna: Kozue, I don’t want to fight with you. Let’s stop this and try to get along.

(Kozue is silent for a moment)

Kozue: We have a lot of reasons to be mad at each other. Like—

Reanna: (laughs. It’s obvious she’s trying to be friends) The list is long. Better to not recite the whole thing.

Kozue: Longer than you know.

Reanna: This is turning out to be quite a Christmas, ne?

Kozue: Mm-hmm.

Reanna: I didn’t know it ever snows like this in Japan.

Kozue: Usually it doesn’t.

Reanna: Hey, if all of you people were born here, then how come you don’t look Japanese?

Kozue: What do you mean by that?

Reanna: Nothing. You know, this reminds me of how winter gets sometimes in Wisconsin, where I came from.

Kozue: (smiles) I thought it was always cold there.

Reanna: (laughs) Not always! It gets pretty hot in the summer there. I remember this one summer where it was so hot, we…

(Reanna’s voice fades out as the picture fades to the "To be continued…" screen)

(Grams: "Jitai Yokoku." We see Utena (et. all) walking around outside, Miki and Kozue hugging warmly, Reanna talking to Juri, and everyone sitting around the library)

V.O. Utena: This has been a really weird Christmas, huh?

V.O. Reanna: Hai, and it’s not over yet. But you know what?

V.O. Utena: What’s that?

V.O. Reanna: Kozue and I are finally starting to get along.

V.O. Utena: Maybe this will work out okay after all.

V.O. Utena: Next time on "Shoujo Kakumei Utena:" "Christmas Love!"