Karasu

Summary: A forgotten story and the quest for the hidden pages on familiar grounds with familiar faces, his and her encounter in a different light and a missing Ahiru.

'thought'

"speech"

Chapter 1: The New Girl

It's almost been a week and Ahiru still hadn't shown up. Fakir was already agitated, which wasn't normally like him. Mytho and Rue had also been worried when Ahiru still wasn't there after their third visit .

'Damn it Ahiru, where did you go!?' Fakir cursed.

--

A girl with black hair walked along the street with only a blanket wrapped around her, she was looking around trying to find something to wear. And finally after turning into a corner she saw a simple white dress with few flowers imprinted hanged from a cloth line, she walked to it, whispered a silent apology and took it. She slipped behind the stacks of boxes on her right and began to change. After changing, she proceeded in trying to figure out what had happened these last few days.

It happened so quickly, first she was lounging on the grass waiting for Fakir and then the next thing she knew she's a human again. She hurriedly ran from the lake, roaming around trying to get the feel of her human body again. Now she's here out on the streets walking to no place in particular, "What happened to me?" she wondered out loud. She raised her hands up to see if this was really real then something grabbed her attention, a gold bracelet was sitting on her wrist. It was pretty with a small gem in the middle and an empty socket beside it, and it occurred to her that it wasn't hers so she tried taking it off, but it was stuck then she tried banging it on a nearby pole to try and loosen it but it was no use. Sighing, not knowing what else to do something else caught her attention. She stilled and stepped a few paces back and looked at the glass window she just passed by, the reflection of herself was different, she didn't look like herself. She had straight black shoulder length hair and her freckles gone, but the color of her eyes was still the ocean.

"Why are you in a panic little duck? Aren't you glad that you're a human again?" her reflection spoke. Ahiru was taken aback and for a few moments she didn't speak, she dropped her mouth open and closed them again.

"Who― who are you? Are you the one who turned me like this?"

"My name is Allana and yes. Isn't that wonderful!"

"But, why?"

"Because I want Fakir to write a story," then her reflection disappeared.

"Wait!!" Ahiru shouted, her face bumping into the window.

"I want Fakir to write an ending, I want him to write my ending." Allan's voice continued from behind.

Ahiru turned and saw her she was just a little girl, her long black hair flowed down her shoulder and her deep brown eyes looked at her with something she couldn't point out. She was as small as Uzura, and was wearing a gray dress with blue horizontal lines at the edge of the skirt. If it wasn't for their eyes they could be mistaken for sisters.

"You're Allana?"

"Of course."

"What do you mean your ending? Why did you have to turn me back, couldn't you just ask Fakir to do that."

"I want an ending to my story. Fakir wasn't the one who wrote my story."

"Drosselmeyer?"

"Not him either. It was the monster raven"

"But how...? I mean the monster raven doesn't have that kind of power."

"No, he doesn't. But he started it and Drosselmeyer continued it, so now I want someone to end it. I want you to collect the pages of my story."

"Why me, and why do I look like this?"

"Because you're one of Drosselmeyer's works. That bracelet is mine, that is why you look like me, but your hair is just shorter. You can turn back to the way when Drosselmeyer was still here when you find another gem that was in one of his ink jar."

"But if I refuse to help you?"

"The monster raven will come for me and his daughter."

"Rue!?" Ahiru gasped "But where do I find the pages?"

Allana was gone. She looked around and turned behind her, but she had disappeared. Ahiru didn't move for a long period of time, she was still taking in what Allana had told her joined by many other thoughts, it lingered in the direction whether she'd tell Fakir or not. She moved and wondered through the streets again pondering over her feelings, soon she found herself by the lake. She looked at the whole area and sat down leaning over the water. She looked at her reflection.

'I'm a human again, would Fakir recognize me?"

She leaned back her hands supporting her body, she stretched her legs forward and looked at the sky the same gesture she made before she got turned into a human, then footsteps came her way and she stood up, now she was face to face with, "Fakir!" she whispered.

Fakir's eyebrows were drawn together and a frown was on his face, just like always, "Who are you?" he asked with the same demanding voice.

Though she was just wondering about this a few moments ago it still surprised her a little, "Hey, didn't you hear me? Who are you?" Fakir asked again.

"I'm sorry, I heard you. I mean... that's right my name..." Ahiru stuttered "I'm Ahi..." she stopped, pondering for a moment if she told him her name would he believe her... she looked at him, swallowed, murmured something and said "I'm Karasu."

"Karasu?" Fakir cringed at the name, but quickly recovered, "What are you doing here?"

"I... nothing... I was just leaving." she stuttered quickly, and hurriedly left leaving Fakir.

--

The next morning a new student was introduced in Kinkan Academy. Ahiru dressed out of her ballet outfit to her normal clothes and walked out of the locker room. "Hey, Karasu," a purple-headed girl approached, followed by a blonde girl.

"Pique, Lillie!" Ahiru greeted. They stopped for a bit, looked at each other and continued walking, "You know us?" Pique asked.

"Huh? Oh, no we haven't met I just heard your names being called in class." Ahiru replied catching herself.

"Well, we were wondering since you're new here, want us to show you around the campus?" Lillie offered.

Ahiru forced a smile "Yeah, sure. Thank you"

The three of them walked around the school and Lillie began telling Ahiru about the different rooms and who some of the people they passed by were. They got to the balcony walkway where two buildings were linked. Ahiru stopped for a bit, looked out, sighed, and then continued walking. Lillie pulled Ahiru's sleeve motioning her to look forward, where Fakir, Mytho and Rue were talking.

"Those people are Fakir, Mytho, and Rue" Lillie said.

"Yeah, isn't Fakir handsome," Pique turned to Ahiru "Mytho's cute too but he's already taken by..."

"Rue." Ahiru whispered. She was looking at them, they seemed like they were talking about something serious. Then she heard her name and that's when it hit her that it's already been a week since she became like this and she haven't told Fakir that she was alright.

'He must have been so worried.'

Without a second thought she approached them, which surprised her two friends. She went up to Fakir and smiled, "Don't worry Ahiru's fine, nothing bad has happened to her."

The three of them looked at Ahiru. "Excuse me, but who are you!?" Rue asked.

"I'm Ahi... I mean I'm Karasu."

Mytho and Rue winced, but Fakir was the one who talked, "How do you know that, who are you exactly?"

"I'm Karasu." she said, bowed and went back to Lillie and Pique.

--

"Karasu...meaning raven" Rue said aloud.

"Do you think she's..." Mytho wondered.

"I don't know, but there's something strange about that girl." Fakir said.

Pique and Lillie continued touring Ahiru. She thanked them after they've walked around the campus, and after making an excuse she left. Ahiru wandered again without any particular direction and soon found herself at the boys dormitory where she first became Princess Tutu, as she was remembering about the past a piece of paper floated down landing on her head and woke her up from memory lane. She grabbed it from her hair and looked at it:

She went up to the clock tower,

and on the top window

she whispered her wish to the wind.

But nothing happened,

heartbroken, she decided to give up.

She went back home and cried

until she fell asleep.

"What's this?"

"You found one of the pages," the voice came from the ground.

Ahiru looked, but couldn't find it. Then she saw it in her shadow, "Allana?"

"Keep looking little duck" then the voice was gone.

"Hey!" a voice from behind spoke "What are you doing here?"

"Fakir!?" she turned "Nothing... I mean... quack..." she covered her mouth and ran, leaving the paper behind.

She stopped after making sure that she was a distance away. She clutched her chest and sighed, after their encounter in the lake she thought her heart was going to stop when she saw him alone again. Then she realized that the page wasn't in her hands, she berated herself for being an idiot as she quickly ran back, but hid behind a tree when she saw Fakir and the paper in his hand.

'Shoot! How do I get that back from him'

Note: This chapter is finished hope you all like it...

I made correction...