


Akio and Juri, Based on a True Story

by Angel Sentier



Category: Utena
Genre: Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-10-23
Updated: 2004-08-12
Packaged: 2013-05-22 05:44:17
Rating: T
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,231
Publisher: www.fanfiction.net
Story URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1571261/1/
Author URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/459459/Angel-Sentier
Summary: [COMPLETED] Based on an actual event which happened between a Juri cosplayer and an Akio cosplayer. Juri's pondering her problems and guess who gives her comfort and advice. If you get confused, just think symbolism.





	1. Out at the Pool

Default disclaimer: I don't own Revolutionary Girl Utena or any of the characters in it! Please don't sue me, I'm a poor college student/actor! I'm not making any money off of this, I just like to have fun writing about these neat characters.

Also, this is my first submission, so please review, even if it's to tell me how warped I am and how you don't believe this ever really happened. (But I swear it did! Akio-san can back me up!)

* * *

"Akio and Juri - Based On A True Story"

By Angel Sentier and Pandari

It was a rather warm summer evening at Ohtori Academy when Juri wandered out to the pool area. She couldn't go in the water because chlorine did awful things to her luxurious orange curls, but she was hoping it would be a little cooler there. It didn't help much, but she wasn't about to loosen the neck of her uniform when the few people meandering about might see her secret hanging about her neck. Casually, she observed Touga splashing about in the spa with his latest girl and tried to get her mind off of the usual.

"Penny for your thoughts, Miss Arisugawa?"

A smooth voice broke through her private moment and she looked up, in annoyance at first as to who would dare approach her, then she blinked in surprise when she saw whom it was. The tall, dark skinned, pale haired acting headmaster was looking down at her, an odd half-smile floating about his lips. He looked a little out of place, wearing his ruffled red shirt and tailored pants out by the pool, his hair looking like it never moved, let alone ever saw a drop of chlorine, but then she supposed she must look just as strange out there in her uniform.

She straightened. "Mr. Chairman." She registered his question and cleared her throat. "They aren't worth it."

"You're right, they're probably worth much more."

His slick reply put her on guard, after all, she'd heard the rumors around school about him. It didn't take a not-so-veiled innuendo from Touga to know what went on behind the headmaster's opulent doors.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Chairman?" she asked, wanting to hedge this as quickly as possible and get back to her own thoughts. He probably only wanted to know where his sister was anyway.

"Me, Miss Arisugawa?" He seemed surprised. "Why, nothing! I simply saw you standing over here and wondered what unpleasant thought could mar such a lovely face. So I suppose the question should be. what can I do for you?"

She hesitated, at once taken aback and wary. He seemed earnest enough, though he'd never showed any interest in "philanthropic" work before, she'd mostly seen him flipping over the cars in his garage and assumed he was obsessed with aerobics.

As if he sensed her reluctance, he extended his hand before him, an elegant unfurling of the fingers, gesturing toward a path leading away from the pool. "Perhaps you will at least give the honor of allowing me to escort you for a short walk?"

She cast a sideways glance at the redhead in the hot tub, but he was fully engrossed in other matters. Nodding a slight bow, she began to walk with him along the indicated path.

* * *

To be continued… 


	2. Down at the Rose Garden

Author's Note: Originally, we started writing this story as a funny one, since the pairing is so unlikely, but when I started writing the second chapter, it ended up being so serious... So, I titled this the obligatory serious chapter, since the future chapter(s) will be funnier. However, I think this chapter kinda needed to be serious, in order for them to get closer. Hope you guys don't hate it too much after expecting more funniness. More to come!

"Akio and Juri: Based On A True Story"

Chapter Two

The Obligatory Serious Chapter

By Angel Sentier and Pandari

Juri walked down the path leading away from the pool, her spine with more starch in it than one of Saionji's jackets, keenly aware of the figure beside her. He strolled, sauntered, really, as if he hadn't a care in the world, as if walking with her in the middle of the night was the most normal thing ever. Fleetingly, she wished she had that kind of ease. It simply had become second nature to her over the years to keep everyone at arm's distance. That was her, the cold and aloof prince, as quiet and deadly as a tiger, not afraid to strike as quickly as one.

But Akio, he was infinitely more dangerous, she realized. He smiled gently at his quarry, his relaxed posture put others at ease, made people comfortable, lulling them into security, never suspecting that at any moment he could strike... but silently, subtly, so that no one could tell what he had done.

In realizing all this, Juri felt more confident, for one of Akio's most disconcerting points was that no one ever knew what he was really thinking. Keeping in mind that he probably had some kind of ulterior motive, she was on her guard. Although, what he could possibly stand to gain from asking her about her troubles, she couldn't guess.

Her thoughts thus occupied, she hadn't even realized that they had wandered down near the rose garden. Or had he led them here, on purpose? He smiled as he paused by the entrance to the gilded cage-like structure.

"Shall we go raid the roses? My sister has been busy lately, and I've been meaning to come see the fruits of her labors."

It was a reasonable request, one designed to make her think that it was absolutely harmless and that the thought had occurred to him just at that moment. But looking at that charming smile, she had a brief impression that perhaps it might be wrong to be so suspicious. Acting on that impulse, she nodded and walked through the door he opened for her.

At once, her senses were assaulted by the sights and scents of endless roses, no matter where you looked. She had been inside the rose garden once or twice before, but never in the evening, and the sight of all the roses bathed in the moonlight streaming through the glass was breathtaking. For a moment, she was truly impressed with the Rose Bride's work, as it no doubt was a monumental effort to keep these flowers thriving in all weather, free of bugs and other floral maladies. The next moment, however, she assumed all this was a matter of course. She was, after all, the Rose Bride.

Juri startled slightly, realizing all of a sudden that Akio had come to stand behind her. Annoyed that she had let her guard relax, she moved to step away from him, only to be blocked by his arm. Her eyes flew to his, green fire alive within them, ready to tell him this outing was over, until she realized that he wasn't trying to put his arm around her or anything of the kind, he was merely reaching past her to pluck a rose from the vine.

She released a breath and closed her eyes for a moment in which to calm herself. This was going way past suspicion, this was bordering on paranoia.

Her eyes opened as Akio placed the rose, a red one, behind her ear. His smile was completely disarming as he looked at his handiwork. "It suits you."

"Oh, really?" she said. It was a stupid thing to say, but it was all that came to mind.

"Yes." He rumbled a low chuckle. "Shall we name it 'Touga'?"

Juri had no doubt that the rose had a proper name, but she couldn't help a soft laugh at the thought. In return, she turned and plucked a white rose from another bush. Placing it in his lapel, she offered, "Let's call this one 'Utena.'"

The flash of interest in his eyes was difficult to miss. "Was it thoughts of her that caused your frown, Miss Juri?"

She rolled her eyes at the form of address. "Only Miki calls me that. And no, not her."

"What shall I call you, then? Who was it?"

She noticed his subtle hint at a first-name basis, couched nicely within their continuing conversation, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of tricking her into that. "Most call me 'Captain.' And it was..." She hesitated, just in time. So proud of herself for catching him, she had almost let slip the identity of whom it was that upset her. Heh, 'upset' was an understatement. Shiori maddened her. And cramming every feeling that ever flickered within her heart into whatever deep dark space she could was slowly driving her crazy.

Akio was looking at her curiously, so she cleared her throat and began again. "It's someone I knew when I was younger."

His expression had turned too understanding. "Ah, I see." And she was afraid for a moment that he really did. "Someone you like?"

Juri turned away so he wouldn't see her face redden, so it irked her when she heard his soft laughter. The fire was back in her eyes as she looked back at him. "Is that funny?"

"Forgive me," he said. "It just that, the ice queen melteth." Her face must have registered her surprise, because he continued. "No one would think, from looking at you, that you have the same feelings as the rest of us, C-- Must I really call you Captain? After all, I'm not on the fencing team."

"Even if I'm a private person, I'm not cold, Mr. Chairman. I have the same heart as anyone else. I feel. Sometimes more than I'd like to." The last statement slipped out before she could stop it.

"Please don't call me that. I take it then, that this love is of the unrequited sort?"

She sighed. "Can we please only have one conversation at a time?"

He paused, and then laughed. "Very well. Let's first decide what to call one another, which will make things much easier."

"Alright. Everyone calls you Mr. Chairman, you can hardly object to that."

"But this isn't the sort of conversation one would have with 'Mr. Chairman.' For a few moments, could we be friends? At least, for the sake of solving your problems."

She considered and found him to be right. She wasn't even sure if she'd talk about this with anyone she considered a friend, let alone someone she didn't. So what possessed her to talk to him about it now? She didn't know, but... It actually wasn't turning out to be such a horrible experience.

"Should I call you Akio?"

His smile would probably have blinded her, had it been daytime. "I'd like it very much if you would. May I assume that the same courtesy will be extended to me?"

She hesitated only a moment. "Of course." It was only fair, though she couldn't help but feel as though he was deliberately knocking down her barriers. "And, yes."

"Yes?"

"It is unrequited."

To be continued...


	3. Outside the Kendo Room

"Akio and Juri: Based On a True Story"

Chapter Three

By Angel Sentier and Pandari

Akio laughed and held open the garden door for her once more, indicating without words that they should continue their walk. "Ah, onto the other conversation. There is nothing to make this person look to you with favor?"

Juri shook her head gravely as she preceded him into the courtyard. "Nothing. S-- He doesn't see me that way." She used the word 'he' to shield herself. 'She' would have been too obvious since she'd already said it was someone she knew as a girl. "It's driving me insane. I can't love him the way I want, and because of that, I can no longer be the friend I was to him. Things can't ever go back to the way they were."

They were passing the kendo room at the moment. Rather than offer her an answer, Akio went to the window and peeked in. Grinning like a little boy, he beckoned Juri closer.

"What is it?" she asked. "Is Saionji practicing late again?"

"I'm not sure if 'practicing' is the word for it. Although I'm sure his --ahem-- sword is involved somewhat."

Raising an eyebrow at his peculiar wording, she stood on her toes to look through the window. Her eyes widened in shock, if not surprise, at what she saw.

Saionji was in there, all right, but he wasn't practicing kendo. He had a camera on a tripod set up and he had a kind of photography session set up in the middle of the studio, complete with black velvet drapes wrapped around his presumably nude body, rose petals strewn about, and a giant electric fan to make his emerald hair dramatically blow around. Juri had to fight down the urge to laugh and give away their position as she realized what Akio meant by his "sword" comment. She was sure this was a big ego-trip for Saionji, too, as well as another stupid attempt to win Anthy's heart. If nothing else, he could sell the pictures off to his many female admirers.

Akio looked at her with a wicked gleam in his eye. "Should we go in?" he whispered.

While the thought that startling Saionji in his current position might inadvertently reveal more of the man than Juri ever cared to see, the prospect of humiliating him was too great to pass up. She grabbed the handle of the door and pulled.

Locked. And the noise must have alerted their prey within, because a loud shout came forth, "Go away, or find my sword lodged where you wouldn't care to find it!"

Akio offered Juri a Gallic shrug. "Ah, well. Another time, perhaps?"

"I hope so. I'm sure the rest of the members of the student counsel would love to see."

"You know, Juri, you're quite lovely when you smile."

His comment startled her, almost as much as the fact that she had been smiling. She was trying to think of something to reply when he continued.

"I knew I could get you to forget your troubles for a moment."

So that had been his aim. And, even more surprising, it had worked. "T-thank you." Even if the sentiment sounded a bit awkward coming from her, his grin said he appreciated it.

He glanced down the hall, and then looked back at her, sudden inspiration lighting up his expression. "I have an idea. Come with me."

This time when he began moving off, Juri didn't hesitate to follow.

To be continued...


	4. Inside the Girls' Bathroom

Author's Note: If any of you are wondering why all the updates, all of a sudden... It's because I just got a job where I do a lot of sitting and not a lot of working and Solitaire can only be amusing for so long. ;; So I've taken my fanfics to work with me. Hopefully, I'll be able to get more stories finished this way. I hope more people will read and review!

"Akio and Juri: Based On a True Story"

Chapter Four

By Angel Sentier and Pandari

Of all the places Akio might have brought her, Juri was not expecting the girls' bathroom. But there they stood, in front of the pink door, and the art deco girl in the triangle skirt glued over the word "Women" watched them accusingly.

Warily, Juri glanced at the smiling man at her side. "What are we doing here?"

He turned that little boy smile on her like a sprinkler. "I've always wanted to steal something out of the girls' bathroom. Want to?"

She blinked, but shrugged. "Why the hell not?"

They entered.

For a moment, Akio merely stood and gaped. When he saw her confused expression, he shrugged self-consciously. "I've never seen the inside of a women's bathroom before. I once heard it referred to as the 'ladies lounge' and thought to myself, 'what the heck have they got in there?' To be honest, I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting things like a sofa, a big-screen TV, and colored water in the toilets... IS there colored water in the toilets?"

Juri, for about the third time that night, had to resist the urge to laugh at Akio's odd statements. For someone who always seemed so unruffled and cool, for lack of a better word, he certainly had an odd sense of humor. "Unfortunately, no. Although that would be pretty neat."

He then went to the sink and pressed on the soap dispenser, leaving a blob of pink goo on the counter. "I wanted to make sure they got the right kind of soap in here. I order all the soap, along with everything else for this school. Pink for the girls and blue for the boys."

"Why?"

"I didn't want boys having to wash their hands with pink soap. So I got manly colored soap."

"That's pretty sexist. I doubt any of the boys even look at the soap they use, if they use it at all."

"Well, I notice. And that's fairly disgusting." He grimaced, then his face once again relaxed into that easy smile as he readjusted the red Touga rose behind her ear. "I just think that girls should always be surrounded by things that are beautiful and feminine."

Her chin lifted a notch. "You probably think I should be more ladylike." She'd heard the same sentiment from her family often enough, with her interest in fencing and dislike of dresses.

"Not at all," he said, surprising her once more. "You may not be the stereotypical female, Juri, but you have an elegance that is all your own. In a way, that makes you more like a lady than most, who merely seek to copy what they think is appropriate. To you, it comes naturally."

Juri wasn't sure what to make of his compliment. It wasn't until he touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers that she realized how warm her face was. Annoyed, she turned away from him, muttering, "Curse blushing. Curse the noun, curse the verb, curse the act!"

He chuckled. "I wouldn't curse it too much. You're beautiful when you blush."

"I'm not buying it. When I blush, my face clashes with my hair."

He only smiled. "Whatever you say."

They inspected the pictures on the walls of the bathroom, only to discover they were bolted to the walls. Neither of them really wanted the pictures anyway. They were odd, disjointed images of a nude man, with the important parts conveniently missing. A man with suspiciously green hair, but Juri made no mention of this. She did, however, feel sorry for the artist.

Casting about for something they could conceivably steal, Juri's gaze lit upon a non-bolted down tissue box. It was quite an ordinary cream-colored box with one-ply tissues, but she handed it to Akio.

"Your prize, sir."

"Perfect." He examined the box, tossed it into the air, and caught it. "I'll keep it as a memento of tonight."

"I don't think I need a souvenir to remind me. This night has been odd enough."

"Has it? Enjoyable, too, I hope."

She hesitated slightly, but it was true that the evening had been rather fun. "I... have managed to forget my... love life, or lack thereof, for a while, thanks to you."

He smiled. "The night's not over yet."

This time, he didn't wait for her to follow. Taking her slim hand in his, he pulled her with him across the school grounds.

To be continued...


	5. Under The Stars

Author's Note: I got a great review from devilurd this morning, it was so sweet! I haven't seen any other Juri-Akio stories either; I think I may be the originator. If I'm wrong, let me know. I'd like to see how someone else writes them.

"Akio and Juri: Based on a True Story"

Chapter Five

By Angel Sentier and Pandari

Walking tentatively because her eyes were closed, Juri was more nervous now than when they had first started this excursion. She hated having to trust anyone, and trusting that Akio wasn't going to lead her straight into a wall or down a flight of stairs was almost too much for her. However, she dutifully kept her eyes shut tight, in order to appreciate Akio's 'surprise.'

"Can I open them yet?"

"Almost."

She heard a whirring, a soft clanking noise, and then, "Alright. Now."

Cautiously, she opened her eyes and gasped at the sight that met them. Above the two of them glittered a million stars, more than a million, too many to count, bright diamonds set in a black velvet canvas, twinkling and winking as though they were giggling, but too far away to be heard. The sight of the cosmos laid out for her perusal was breathtaking, to say the very least, and all around her was nothing but blackness, so the stars' light was completely unhindered. Dimly, she realized that they must be inside Akio's planetarium.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful," she whispered, the admission slipping out before she could think about it. It was the most honest thing she'd said tonight, completely uncensored by her distrustful mind.

She jumped slightly when his warm hands came to rest on her shoulders. "I have," he said, his breath stirring the curls near her ear.

She didn't even hear when he came to stand so close to her and the sudden nearness tilted her senses for a moment, taking her a few seconds to answer. "Then you haven't seen enough of the world."

"On the contrary," he said, beginning to massage her shoulders a bit. "I've seen more than you could imagine. But I was merely referring to the fact that when I am blessed to view, at my leisure, such delicate flowers as yourself, my dear sister, and, of course, Miss Tenjou, on a daily basis... the universe tends to pale in comparison."

"You know what to say in any circumstance, don't you?"

He laughed. "You make it sound like I memorized what I say out of a book."

"Did you?" she asked, half-serious.

"Alas, no. Perhaps I'll write one someday."

He ran his fingers down the length of her arms and she repressed the urge to shiver. Taking her hands in his, he spun her around until she faced him.

"Do you dance, Juri?"

She blinked. "Dance? No."

"But you must. Your grace on the fencing field in unsurpassed. Surely such skill would lend itself to the dance floor as well."

"There's no music."

"Then sing something."

Her eyes widened. "No."

He only smiled at her vehemence. "I warn you, if you don't, I shall be forced to do the honors and believe me, I don't think your ears could survive the stress."

With a slight grimace, Juri searched her brain for something she could conceivably sing without too much embarrassment.

"_This rose is our destiny..."_

Akio swept his arm around her and suddenly, they were dancing around the floor of the planetarium with only the stars for witnesses.

Surprisingly, as her voice echoed back at her, she found that it wasn't nearly as terrible as she thought. At least, Akio seemed to enjoy it. She didn't realize she was smiling again.

To be continued...


	6. To The End Of The World

"Akio and Juri: Based on a True Story"

Chapter Six – The FINAL Chapter!

By Angel Sentier and Pandari

Without meaning to, Juri's footsteps began to slow as she and Akio approached the poolside, the place where their adventure had first started out. She was surprised to realize that she really didn't want the evening to end, especially when she had been so distrustful of him at first. Of course, that wasn't entirely her fault. Akio's smooth, effortless charm instinctively put Juri on her guard. But really, he was a playful guy, and someone who had tried his hardest to make her forget her problems for a little while. He was a bit like Touga, really... Just less like a man-whore than Touga was.

She didn't even really mind the fact that his hand lightly rested at the small of her back, a light companionable touch. Akio turned to look at her with concern when she stopped walking completely.

"What is it, Juri?"

"This is it, isn't it?" she said, her gaze downcast. "After this, the spell is broken and it all goes back to before. I'm Miss Arisugawa and you're Mr. Chairman. We won't be friends anymore. And, no offense, even though you've done a wonderful job of helping me to forget my problems for a while, I'm no closer to solving them than I was when we first started this walk. We can't walk anywhere else, we've gone everywhere, so what am I supposed to do?"

She lifted her eyes to look at him and for a moment he appeared thoughtful. Then, he smiled as his gaze lit on something near Juri's foot. He knelt down and picked it up before she could see what it was. Straightening, he took her hand in his and placed something small, round, and metallic on her palm.

It was a gold hoop earring. No sign of its mate anywhere and no sign of the person it might belong to either. She looked at him, quizzically. What was she supposed to do with this?

"Here's what you do," he said, very seriously. "You take the ring. You put on the ring. You say, 'Arrrrrr.'"

She blinked, then burst out laughing. A real laugh, loud and full-bodied, her head thrown back, her eyes squeezed shut against tears. When Akio offered her a tissue from the purloined tissue box, she threw her arms around him in an enormous hug.

"Thank you!" she cried. "That was exactly what I needed to hear!"

Akio returned her hug, then pulled back to smile at her. "I'm glad."

Not knowing where the earring had previously been, Juri stuck the hoop on her thumb, where it just fit. "Arrrrr!" she gave her best pirate growl and began laughing again.

Akio just smiled. "That's much better. A smile fits you so much more than a frown, Juri."

"You charm by the book, Akio."

"I take that as a compliment."

They laughed together, but Juri furrowed her brow as she continued to look at the ring around her thumb. Showing it to him, she asked, "Akio... Does this mean we're engaged?"

He stared at the ring for a minute, then a slow smile spread across his features. Rather than reply, he just wrapped an arm around her waist. Suddenly, a sleek red convertible drove up out of the pool and pulled up beside them, despite being driverless.

"Remote control," he whispered, then winked at her, holding a finger to his lips. "Shh... No one knows it." He opened the door of the passenger side for her and without a word, she entered the soft leather interior.

Draping an arm across her shoulders, Akio pulled his hair out of its customary ponytail and his shirt, as if by magic, opened halfway, revealing much of his chest. He caught her staring and shrugged sheepishly. "It always does that when I get in the car. I think you have to be partially naked to drive this car, it's in the warrantee." He revved the engine. "Where to?"

"Anywhere, Akio."

"I'll take you to the end of the world."

As they sped off, the red and white roses flew through the air, torn from Juri's ear and Akio's shirt respectively by the wind. As they tumbled to the ground near the pool, something else glinted through the air and landed on top of the two blossoms.

In the morning, the girls' swim team would find the pieces of a shattered gold locket scattered among the bruised remains of one pink rose.

THE END

Author's Note: Remember, think symbolism, people! I hope you enjoyed this fic, I know it was really amusing when it happened to me and Pandari. Maybe I can convince her to write this story from Akio's perspective, since I've done the whole thing from Juri's. If you see me at an anime convention, I hope you'll take a picture of me in my Juri costume. Perhaps my lovely fiancée, Akio, will be there, too.


End file.
