"He's so perfect," Ahiru sighed, watching the white haired boy from across the room. He was stretching gracefully, his arms perfectly arched. She sighed again, a blush tinting her cheeks. One of her friends rolled her eyes at the display while the other giggled, grabbing Ahiru and squeezing her.

"Poor, poor Ahiru! It must be so sad not having your love reciprocated! Oh, how cruelly sweet star-crossed lovers are!"

Pike sighed, shaking her head, "Cut it out Lilie. Leave Ahiru alone, would ya?"

Lilie pouted but let the orange-haired girl go, "I just can't help it! Whenever I see poor, little Ahiru with her doomed love, I get excited!"

Ahiru blinked, large blue eyes wide, "Doomed?"

Lilie grinned widely, nodding her head, "Of course! You don't really think Mytho would go out with you, do you?"

Ahiru hung her head, "You guys are mean…"

Pike stifled a giggle, "Sorry, Ahiru…But Lilie does have a point. 'Prince' Mytho doesn't even know you exist."

"You guys don't have to rub it in, though," Ahiru pouted, looking away. Her two friends giggled and Ahiru shot them a glare. It wasn't her fault that she had a crush on the school's number one dance student. From the moment she'd laid eyes on him, she'd been attracted to the boy with the lonely eyes and her crush only deepened with every passing day. Her friends, instead of encouraging her, however, usually made smart remarks such as those that only made her self-esteem take deep plunges.

"If you girls are quite finished," an irritated male voice scolded them and all three turned, frightened looks on their faces, "Perhaps I can start the class…or maybe one of you would prefer to…MARRY ME!"

Ahiru emitted a high quack, flailing her arms around, "No! You can start class, Mr. Cat. We promise we'll be quiet!"

The dark-haired man grunted, his green eyes narrowed with irritation, "I'll hold you to that promise."

"Yikes," Pike whispered once the teacher had turned around, "One of these days, you're going to end up marrying him, Ahiru."

"Shut up," Ahiru hissed, prodding the purple-eyed girl's side. Mr. Cat turned and flashed them a warning glare and not a word was uttered between them for the rest of class. They only dared speak when they were safely out of the dance room, away from Mr. Cat's sharp ears.

Pike threw her arms up, stretching, "Ugh, I'm beat!"

Ahiru nodded in agreement, dejectedly opening her locker, "So, what are you guys doing for Christmas break?"

Lilie giggled, bouncing around, "My family is going out of town to visit relatives!"

Pike shrugged, looking bored, "I'm staying home with the fam'. Nothing beats having Christmas at home. What about you?"

Ahiru smiled though it was a bit forced, "Oh, I'll probably stay at the dorms! Lots of homework to catch up on!"

Lilie once again glomped her and rubbed their cheeks together, "Poor Ahiru! It must be so horrible not having a family! Don't worry, I'll fold you up and pack you in my bag!"

Ahiru pushed against her friend, trying to escape, "Ah, that's all right! There's no need for that!"

She was finally able to pry herself free but unfortunately ended up bumping into someone behind her. The person gasped in surprise and Ahiru whirled around to apologize.

"Oh, I'm so so-," her breath caught in her throat as she caught a warm although somewhat forlorn golden gaze. Mytho smiled kindly, shaking his head. She stood there, her mouth hanging open and her face resembling a ripe cherry.

"It's all right," he smiled again, "Merry Christmas."

With a small wave, he was gone. Ahiru stood rooted to the spot for a few minutes before she clutched her head, groaning in frustration, "I can't believe it! He actually talks to me and I stand there with my mouth open! I'm such an idiot!"

Lilie was giggling gleefully, her eyes starry. Pike just shook her head, smirking down at the azure-eyed girl. Ahiru stared gloomily at the ground then froze. Reaching out, she picked up a bus pass…Mytho's bus pass. Her two friends leaned in close to see it and their eyes widened.

Pike gasped, "Is that…?"

Ahiru waved at the two, clumsily running toward where she had seen Mytho disappear, "I'll see you guys later!"

Ahiru ran as fast as she could, bumping into several people, but she was a girl on a mission and wouldn't be deterred. She ran down the street, keeping an eye out for her prince. A flash of white drew her attention and she turned just in time to see two large men with burglar masks grabbing and hitting Mytho over the head with a baseball bat. She gasped, horrified. The two men, hearing her, instantly fled, leaving the injured Mytho where he lay. She hurried over to him, shaking his shoulder gently.

"Mytho…? Mytho, come on, get up," she bit her lip, trying to keep her tears in. She put her head on his chest and was relieved to hear his heart beating. Determined, she bent down and put his arm over her, dragging him away from the deserted alleyway. With a bit of effort, she was able to drag him down a couple of blocks before a car passed by. The kind driver gave them a lift to the hospital and that's where she was now, in the waiting room, pacing back and forth. A doctor came out and looked around, his eyes lighting when he saw her.

"You're the girl that brought that young man in, right?"

"Yes," she wrung her hands in agitation, looking up with anxious eyes, "How is he? Is he okay?"

The doctor frowned in worry, "Well, I gave him a general checkup. It's a good thing you brought him in so quickly or he'd probably be suffering from serious concussions. However…I believe your friend has fallen into a coma."

Ahiru quacked in surprise, "C-C-Coma? Oh, no! Poor Mytho! Could I go see him?"

The doctor looked sorry, sympathy shining in his kind brown eyes, "Forgive me, young lady. But I'm afraid that only family members and those close to him can get in."

She hung her head and watched as the doctor walked out, "But…I was going to be his girlfriend."

She failed to notice a passing nurse who heard her; so she was surprised when that same nurse came up to her minutes later and told her the doctor had given his permission to go see Mytho. She didn't dare question their decision and her good fortune, just glad for the chance to be able to see her gallant prince.

The nurse halted in front of one of the rooms, grinning widely, "Here you are!"

Before Ahiru could even open her mouth to thank her, the round woman was gone, disappearing down the hallway. She shrugged before taking a large breath and opening the door. Mytho lay on the bed, looking overly pale. He had a bandage around his head but other than that, he looked like he was sleeping.

"Oh, Mytho," she whispered softly, stroking his hand where it lay on the bed. It hurt to see him like this, so vulnerable and weak. So caught up in her thoughts was she, that she didn't notice the door opening and a crowd of people come in. Not until one of them tapped her on the shoulder. She quacked loudly, standing up so quickly that she staggered backward.

"Whoa there, little one," the one who tapped her smiled, "Didn't mean to scare you."

He was big and muscular, obviously from working hard. A woman stood beside him, her hair a shocking aqua green. Holding her hand was a little girl with a similar hair color, most likely her daughter from the looks of it. A hunched over old man with strange clothing and a creepy smile stood in the back, his orange eyes unnaturally huge. At his left was a boy around her own age, his glasses glinting in the hospital light.

The boy fixed his glasses, looking disgruntled, "And who might you be?"

"Ah!" she blushed, bowing down, "I'm…"

But she didn't get to finish her sentence. The portly nurse who'd let her come in had entered and beaten her to it, "She's this young man's girlfriend and she was the one who saved him!"

"WHAT?"

Five pairs of eyes turned towards her, surprise and shock in all their gazes. Ahiru herself didn't know what to say. She just stood there, unsure of what to do. She felt like hiding. The nurse just continued to smile brightly, winking at her. The first to react was the little girl.

"What's a girlfriend, zura?"

That seemed to snap her mother out of her shock and she smiled kindly at Ahiru before looking down at her offspring, "It means that they're in love, Uzura."

"Lovey-dovey, zura?"

"That's right, my dear," the woman laughed softly, a high tinkling chime that Ahiru instantly liked. But that didn't make the blush on her face diminish in intensity at all. She opened her mouth to protest, to clear up this whole understanding but was cut off as the muscular man stepped forward and caught her up in a hug.

"Why, that's great! Thank you for saving Mytho," the man grinned widely and warmly, looking beside himself with happiness. The little girl seemed to take this as a sign that it was all right to come forward and also bestow a tight hug on the freckled youth.

The oddly dressed man also came forward, his grin widening, "That little rat! Got himself a new conquest and didn't even tell us about it! And here we thought he was still grieving over Rue. Sly dog!"

"Drosselmeyer, Mytho was probably going to tell us," the woman smiled wryly but then her expression darkened, "My poor Mytho. In a coma."

"Yes," the man frowned, looking worried, "But…he'll wake up soon. I'm sure of it."

The boy that seemed to have a perpetual frown on his face stepped toward her, looking at her in disapproval, "Do you happen to have a name, Mrs. Girlfriend?"

"Ah," Ahiru started, "It's Ahiru."

Uzura looked delighted, clapping her hands cheerfully, "She's a duck, zura!"

Ahiru flushed as everyone burst out laughing except the one who had asked, who instead wrinkled his nose in disdain and the tiny Uzura, who looked a bit confused.

"I'm Edel, my dear," the woman with the kind smile stepped toward her and delicately shook her hand, "It's wonderful to meet you."

"And I'm Karon," the man said gruffly then pointed toward the small toddler, "And this here's Uzura."

The bug-eyed man stood where he was but his grin widened, "Drosselmeyer, at your service. And the unpleasant runt at my side is Autor."

"It's nice to meet all of you," Ahiru stuttered, smiling shyly. She felt all warm and fuzzy inside. She wondered if this was what being in a family felt like. Perhaps…it wouldn't be so bad pretending that she WAS Mytho's girlfriend, just for a little while. These people seemed so nice and kind. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts…She couldn't lie like that. She had to come clean right now.

"Uhm…Excuse me?"

But the family wasn't really paying attention, all of them crowding around the inanimate Mytho. She sighed good-naturedly. She'd wait for them to finish pampering him then talk to them.

"Oh, Ahiru…Are you going anywhere for Christmas?"

Ahiru blinked, surprised by Edel's question, "Well…No. I'm an orphan so I usually celebrate at the orphanage. But I won't be able to go this year…"

"Poor dear…Karon? Could we perhaps…?"

Karon grinned widely, "Why of course! How about spending Christmas with us then, young one?"

"W-With you?"

"I assure you," Drosselmeyer winked, "We're not as crazy as we look."

Ahiru couldn't breathe, let alone speak. Someone was inviting her to a Christmas party…Someone aside from her unique friends. And they weren't just any family…They were Mytho's family. The boy she had a hopeless crush on. How could she refuse? And she could use that time to explain this whole ordeal to the family.

"Please accept our invitation," Edel grasped her hands, looking at her pleadingly, "We'd be so happy to have you."

She looked at all the expectant faces, wondering what she should do. Uzura grasped her hand and tugged, forcing her to look down.

"You have to come, zura," she pleaded, "You not meet Fakir yet, zura!"

"Fakir?"

Karon's grin widened and his chest puffed out with pride, "My other son. He and Mytho were inseparable when they were children. Didn't Mytho ever mention him?"

Ahiru colored, biting her lip. She'd heard that Mytho had a brother but that the brother studied at another school. She'd also heard that the two were nothing alike. Yet she'd never been really so curious as to inquire the brother's name. It hadn't seemed that important at the time.

"Don't worry about it," Edel laughed, patting her head, "If you come, you'll be able to meet him soon enough. Will you come?"

Ahiru looked out at all the expectant faces…well, except for Autor's, he still looked grumpy, and made her decision.

She took a deep breath, "I…I would love to go."