((A/N:3 random plotty! XD lol, just remember! This is totally AU!! Alternate Universe:) anywho, I hope ya'll like it! I'll come out with the next chappy after I update my other fics… -.-' lol.))
--Disclaimer: Now… Iwould say that 'if I owned it, what would I be doing here?!'but… even assuming I had my own original published work that had a section on FF . net I would so be still be writing fandom for it… XD what can I say? I'm a fangirl at heart. But no… I do not own Princess Tutu, if I did, I would follow popular demand for a movie… T.T I wanna Princess Tutu movie!!))
Ahiru
-Found-
I feel as if I've been torn to pieces. Every bone in my body is aching and screaming in pain.
Where am I? Who am I?
Questions flood my mind with no apparent answers and eventually even the questions fade.
Why am I here…?
I wish I could move. The last time I tried so much as twitching a finger agonizing pain shot through my entire body.
…finger…?
My eyes refused to open to prove whether or not I was correct.
Did I have fingers…? But that was impossible! I shouldn't have fingers! I'm a—
"Oh! You're awake, sorry little one. I'll put you back to a painless sleep." The cackling voice… was it familiar?
A small prick on my aching arm and I lost consciousness, unable to even ponder whether I had an arm or not.
--
If there was a time Fakir was truly and honestly surprised it would be that exact second he walked into his room Thursday evening.
After a long day at school, one of those days that you're so tired you wish tocollapse, most high school students don't find an unfamiliar animal sleeping on the very bed they wished to collapse onto.
"A… duck?"
It wouldn't be the first time he'd seen a duck, but it was the first he'd actually seen a yellow duck. Most of the ducks he saw where he lived were generally darker colors, black or green or even a speck of blue. But yellow ducks were thoroughly uncommon for the area.
He approached the resting animal cautiously, unwilling to be pecked and bitten into submission(he'd learned from experience that ducks could in fact be quite fearsome). The duck showed no sign of waking even when he was but a foot away.
"Oi… duck…"
No reaction.
He felt as if the animal was simply waiting for him to lower his guard but changed his mind only a moment later when the animal inhaled suddenly and painfully, taking several shallow breaths afterward, there was a flush across its cheeks and it was sweating profusely.
It was sick.
He didn't even know ducks could sweat.
Shrugging off the random thought he carefully brought a hand to the top of its head. He nearly flinched back at the heat the duck was emitting.
He bit his bottom lip; he didn't know how to treat a duck with a fever. He hardly knew how to take care of a human with a fever.
What was it doing in his room? How'd it get in? Why did it choose his room of all places to fall into a fitful and sickly rest?
He sighed, still carefully watching the duck for movements; after all, he really didn't want a repeat of what happened last time he was faced with an unhappy duck.
"Q-qua…" he jumped at the sudden sound, was it awake?
Eyes still clenched shut the duck stirred and flinched, fear appearing in its body language.
'A nightmare?' ducks had nightmares as well? He was learning all sorts of things about the bird that he didn't care to know.
"Onegai! Help me!"
He jumped at the unfamiliar voice, searching his room for where it might have come from. 'Did I image it…?' he looked back towards the duck.
Apparently ducks could cry as well.
His eyes softened and he leaned down towards the duck, still brainstorming possibilities of taking care of it, "It's okay, chibi ahiru… I'll make it okay."
So he had a soft spot for ducks, they were sort of cute after all.
He didn't know whether to be grateful or resentful that Charon wasn't home. On one hand, Charon might know what to do with the duck. On the other, he would be faced with Charon finding out about his soft spot for ducks.
'What do I do when I'm sick…?' he looked up thoughtfully, 'Rest, put a cold towel on my forehead, eat soup, take a bath…'
He looked down at the duck, it obviously wasn't resting well… putting a cold towel on its head could just worsen its condition… he didn't know what ducks ate other than bread crumbs… perhaps a bath would work?
Scooping up the shivering bird, he pet it lightly while he walked. "You'll be okay chibi ahiru…"
He walked slowly to the bathroom, not wanting to wake the sleeping bird. Offhandedly he wondered about the ducks gender but he didn't know how to tell birds genders apart and in the end, it was just an animal. It didn't matter.
The duck stirred and blinked open clear blue eyes. Another trait that he didn't often find in the ducks he'd seen. Panic started to set into the small animal's eyes as she looked about, her face still looking feverish. Slowly it began to squawk, panic almost controlling it.
"Shh… don't worry chibi ahiru, I wont hurt you…" he smiled softly at it.
The duck seemed to relax a little but still appeared weary.
He chuckled and pet it again, finally reaching the bathroom he slid open the door.
This is when the duck panicked.
Squawking and flailing the animal pecked and clawed at the restraints of his arms.
This was the sort of reaction he might have expected from a dog or perhaps a cat, but ducks generally live on the water… other than it being unfamiliar, why would the bird panic so much?
"Ow! Cut it out!" he shut the door behind him, shutting off its escape route. It seemed to panic further at that. "Calm down chibi ahiru! I need to give you a bath to help your cold!"
"Quack!!"
He sighed and pinched its beak shut, "Gomen chibi ahiru, but I'd rather avoid the risk of you biting off a chunk of my skin."
It looked mildly offended but finally seemed to have finally accepted its fate.
Right up until he put her in the empty tub and began to remove his shirt.
She flew at the door at full speed, of course bumping into the hard wood and sliding to the floor.
Fakir's eye twitched, yes, he liked ducks, but jumping at a closed door?
"What are you, a moron?"
The duck snapped out of its dizzy state and sent him a hard glare only to fall into another dizzy flush after seeing Fakir's shirtless form.
He blinked and cocked to his head to the side before shaking his head and chuckling, was the duck embarrassed?
"Don't worry chibi ahiru, I just don't want you to get my shirt wet." He walked to the flustered duck and paced it back under the shower head and instructing it to sit still.
The duck seemed relieved but still fairly panicked. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to give it a bath? It was exerting itself more than it should.
Sighing, he turned on the water and watched the duck go from panicked to relieved when the water hit its feathers.
…maybe it liked baths after all?
Fakir was puzzled but made no comment as he came upon the new problem he was presented with.
Should he use soap or not? It's fine when washing a dog or something but would it be good for a feathered creature like this duck…?
Sighing he decided not to risk it, better safe than sorry. Glancing at the duck he couldn't resist the smile that edged onto his lips, it seemed to be feeling better already.
'Maybe it wasn't sick… just away from water for too long?' he himself found the question confusing but he didn't bother to think on it too long, he had more important things to think about… like the duck starting to sink in the water!
He shot his hands out and grabbed the now unconscious duck; perhaps he was wrong about it feeling better?
He sighed and began back to the room, making sure to wrap a towel around it snuggly.
When he reached his room again he put it down and fooled himself into thinking it-she- he decided it was probably a she, was feeling at least a little better.
She blurrily opened her eyes and quacked weakly. He smiled softly, "It'll be okay…" he sighed and picked her up placing her in his lap while he sat on the bed, "Ne… what should I call you? Just ahiru?"
The duck looked at him questioningly before quacking semi-happily.
"Ahiru it is then."
Satisfied with the bland and less then creative name, the duck cuddled closer to him and attempted to sleep. She didn't think she'd have nightmares this time.
((Ending Notes: Confusing? Good. There are Japanese words in it, I apologize if I've confused anyone but I'm far too attached to using Japanese words at my own discretion.
Constructive crit is always welcome; I enjoy learning how to improve my writing. Though, I must say I haven't put much effort into this fic… it really was written on a whim.
-Muse-chan leaving to get a bagal.))