IceHeart: Happy Halloween! It's a day early, but have it anyway.

Garnet: She wrote it in less than two days, so it's probably not very good.

Akira: We hope you enjoy it, anyway!

IceHeart: I do not own Princess Tutu or any of its characters. I only own this short story that I have written, and its plot.

Rue sighed for the eleventh time that session. She desperately wanted to keep on practicing the routine, anxious to perfect it in time for the Halloween festival. She wanted to have another few goes and see if she could correct that particularly hard part during the bridge, when the music got a bit faster. In fact, if she had it her way, they wouldn't stop practicing until the sun went down. But, as she watched her new dance partner take another drink of water and wipe the sweat from his brow, she knew that wouldn't be happening.

"Good work today, Rue," puffed Hikaru, the dance partner in question. "I think we really improved from last time."

Of course, they hadn't. Or, if they had, then it wasn't enough to be noticeable. They should have been spinning through like running milk, or unwound silk, or, well, she didn't know. But she did know that where they were at that point wasn't right.

It was times like these that made her really miss her original dance partner, Mytho. He had been so graceful and smooth, and increasingly easy to work with. She could still recall that distant smile he painted on his face, that thick white hair that blew in that eye-catching way when he turned quickly enough, those inviting amber eyes, framed by those luscious lashes... And those delicate eyelids that slipped closed last year, never to open again. He had left, and there was no one who could ever replace him.

Rue had tried everywhere, from the beginners to the professionals, but none of them could even compare to his shadow. She had long since given up, and now attempted to make do with what she had. But it wasn't a lot to go on. Hikaru was described by his ballet school as their best and most dedicated dancer, but he had proved to be a disappointment.

She just wanted a dancer who could follow instructions, was easy to work with, and would look decently cute paired with her. Yes, that was definitely it; nothing too precious or fancy, just someone who could satisfy her needs.

She was brought back to reality by the door closing, signalling the absence of her partner.

When Rue entered the practice hall the next morning, there was a strange lack of Hikaru. The corner where he usually stood was vacant, with no trace of a bag on the bench. It was eerily silent, except from a small clicking sound, which echoed out from the corridor beyond.

So he had skipped to do something more interesting, was the thought that entered her mind. And so be it. She would practice by herself, and prove to him the next day that he was inferior to her by mastering it all. It couldn't be too hard to dance a pas de deux with only one person.

But, as the hours rolled by, she discovered just how wrong she had been. She now had a great number of bruises and sore spots, and had made little progress. The clicking had become noticeably louder.

Sighing, she picked herself up off of the floor where she had fallen, and went to grab her gear. It had been a long day, and it had been spent alone. Well, almost alone. The enthusiastic clapping revealed that there had been an audience of at least one.

"That was a great effort, Miss," said a girl's voice.

The owner of the voice appeared to be the same age as Rue, but her clothes indicated that she was the daughter of someone rich or important. Her head was adorned with a crown made of viscaria and antirrhinum. Her movements were somewhat stiff, and there was a click whenever a part of her body moved. Her feet displayed a fine pair of pink ballet slippers.

Rue had met a lot of people in her life, but this maiden was by far the most exquisite beauty she had ever laid eyes upon. She radiated a curious sense of dread, and the silence in the room was much heavier in her presence.

"I was wondering, Miss, if you would like to dance with me?"

Despite the obvious warning signals, Rue found herself nodding.

Dancing with Ahiru, as her name turned out to be, was an effortless task. She seemed content to follow Rue's lead, never blundering unless she faltered. It had been the most pleasant experience Rue had had since the death of Mytho.

After the girl had left, she had been unable to get her off her mind. Even Hikaru's constant failures were forgotten about. Each day the urge to leave and seek out the dreaded maiden became stronger, and it coursed through her body until her feet began to walk the barren path to Mytho's old house of their own accord.

She fought these feelings with much vigour, and succeeded in steering herself away every time. But, on the day of the Halloween festival, the feeling was just too demanding.

Rue nervously knocked on the large wooden door, the blood racing in her veins. She had been longing to do this for many weeks, but she couldn't help but worry. What would she do if Ahiru didn't remember her? What would she think of her visiting her out of the blue like this?

These thoughts had barely left her mind before the door was opened.

"Sorry to bother you, Mr Siegfried, but I was wondering if you knew of anyone named Ahiru?" she blurted.

The man fixed her a steely glare on her before shaking his head and closing the door in her face.

She had never felt so disappointed before. Every butterfly that had been fluttering around in her stomach seemed to drop down dead in an instant. Her last hope of being reunited with Ahiru had been crushed.

As she prepared to leave, however, the door was reopened, and he came out carrying a tall box.

"These were found in Mytho's arms when he died," he said, shoving the box into her arms. "Take them. I don't want anything more to do with witch!"

The Halloween festival was brightly lit that night, and many dancers spun and twirled in perfect synchronisation. Rue herself stood outside of the circle, admiring the fireworks shooting out of the large bonfire. It was everything she had ever dreamed of. Not one toe shoe was out of line, and no flicker of flame dared to move from its place on the wood. A flawless scene.

And, the most appealing thing in the whole festival, Ahiru danced on the inside of the circle, her every move speaking of unmatched grace. Her partner was oddly familiar, with the way his thick white hair blew in that eye-catching way when he turned quickly enough, but she was far too busy watching Ahiru to really care.

Without warning, the girl stopped dancing and left her partner, carefully making her way over to Rue.

There was something different about her, though, besides her outfit. The fear was much stronger, and her movements were much stiffer, bringing to mind the image of a doll. Decked up like a ballerina princess, she was harder to resist.

"I was wondering, Miss, if you'd like to dance with me?"

Hikaru slowly pushed the door open, wary of being caught. He knew that he was breaking the law, but he had to check. He was sure something was wrong. Rue had been so excited, after all, and there was no chance that she would willingly miss the Halloween festival.

He found her in her room, lying on her bed. She was cold and still, lacking any pulse or heartbeat. In her arms, the ones he had so often dreamed of being held in, were two puppets that looked a lot like Rue and a typical ballerina princess.

And, in the corner of the room, was a broken puppet prince with painted white hair and deadened amber eyes...