Hesitating.

"We got to have a plan. If we don't do something quick, that worthless knight will take our goddess away from us." A young man sat down at a long table, with many marionettes around him. The marionettes were hanging quietly on their strings and only nodded.

"Yes, our puppet friends, we shall have a victory with our goddess. Just wait writer, we shall come with a great puppet army." The young man laughed long and evilly, filled with the pleasure of the thoughts of his great plan. He then stood up and walked to a puppet near him.

He stroked the puppet over its head. "Puppets."He spoke. "We got to have more puppets, puppets who can fight for us. Grab every puppet you can and bring them to us." With this comment, the puppets were rising up and walked away, with one accord out of the front door of the little house. And so, they left the laughing man behind.

A few months passed by, since Rue and Mytho came to Gold Crown Town, They were now settled in a house, right next to Duck, Fakir and Uzura's house. Every midday, when Rue and Duck did laundry, they could talk to each other over the hedge. Duck was extremely happy with this life. But Fakir, however, began to worry again, increasingly he saw de stranger around Duck and he had a baleful feeling. This feeling began to grow stronger when he read in the news paper about an abstraction of marionettes.

It was early in the evening and he was just back from a visit to his editor. The news paper report said that, after the disappearing of the puppets, only the strings were left behind. Fakir decided to speak with Mytho about this, as soon as possible. There was suddenly a sound of drums and Fakir went to the door to let Uzura in.

"I want to go to school too-zura!" She cried when Fakir closed the door behind her.

"What did you just say?" Fakir asked surprised.

"To go to school-zura." She repeated cheerfully.

Duck came into the room, she had cleaned up all the bedrooms and she had dirt all over her. "Why do you want that, Uzura?" She asked as much surprised as Fakir was.

Uzura began to play on her drums while she answered. "I met a boy who told me that he was going to school-zura. He said that it was a place where you can learn things and make fun with other children-zura! I want that too-zura!"

"That is not so easy Uzura, at first, we have to find a school and let you be registered there and don't forget we must pay for the school." Told Duck Uzura, who had quit her drumming.

"On top of that, Duck and I want to discuss the matter first, okay?" Fakir sat down on his knees and stroked the little puppet fatherly over her head. "Okay?" Asked Fakir again and Uzura nodded.

During doing the dishes that evening, the subject came up again between Duck and Fakir.

"What do you think Fakir, shall we do it for Uzura? After all, you're the one who owns the money in this household." Duck began.

Fakir was silent for a moment. "I do not mind the money." He replied thoughtfully. "It's much more the fact that she isn't really human that concerns me. Would she not be unhappy if she knows it the whole day?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Duck.

"Well, at school with children of humankind from a normal household and a normal live, she will know much better that she doesn't have a normal live." Replied Fakir softly. He remembered, the time when he read her a book a few times and that she, at the end of the story, fell asleep against his chest. As a real little daughter falling asleep against the chest of her real father. He didn't want to ruin that little happiness of hers. When the battle with the monster Raven was still there and Drosselmeyer had control over the town, she hadn't really time to feel at home somewhere.

Duck was silent too, it seemed she thought of the same thing. The sadness was all over her face. She had spent a great deal with Uzura and knew better than Fakir how much Uzura enjoyed the family live.

"I think, we should try it." Said Duck suddenly and Fakir startled a little, he gave her a surprised gaze. "I think Uzura can handle it." Duck went on. "If she grows up like a human and gets human friends, she will accept the fact that she isn't human, sooner or later."

Fakir nodded although he wasn't sure yet. "If you're sure about it." He said.

"Great!" Said Duck happily. "By the way, Fakir." She continued with a serious face. "Will you teach me how to cook?"

"Why?" He asked surprised.

"I want to be more like a real mother to Uzura." Said Duck and she looked Fakir straight into his eyes. Her eyes were shining with determination and Fakir began to feel uncomfortable again. "Pretty please?" She begged him. "You have work, read Uzura books and do all the cooking. I am only a big sister in her eyes, I want to be more to her than just that! On top of that, I think you don't have to cook after you 've worked so hard!"

Fakir was speechless, not only because Duck's speech was so housewife-like, but also because he didn't know he let her do so little.

"Alright, I'll teach you." He replied with a warm smile. Duck made a hop to express her joy and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Fakir was silent and went frantically on with drying the plates.

"You are really a great father for Uzura." Said Duck softly. "I know it, I see it every day, it's like I'm the babysitter, or something like that."

"Don't talk like that!" Cried Fakir, a bit harsher than he had meant to. He had had enough of the way Duck thought about herself. "In any case." He went on. "Uzura had never seen you as just a babysitter, maybe as a big sister at first! She saw me too as just a big brother and maybe still, because I act like I don't want to be her father-"

"Fakir-"

"No, let me finish. I see such things too, you know?" He went on highly irritated and he rubbed the plates really fast. "Uzura always wants to go shopping with you and during dinner and in the evening she always sits next to you. She adores you very much Duck, you belong here, this is also your home. Uzura sees you as her mother, but she never had a mother so it's difficult for her to show it to you."

"But.." Duck was still not sure. "But you always tell me that I have to get my own house."

Fakir was shocked by her sad face, he had forgotten he had said that a few times. "Idiot."He mumbled, but that was the wrong answer.

Duck's beautiful eyes filled themselves with big tears. She turned away from him and shouted with a trembling voice: "Fine then!"

Fakir didn't know what to do. He had said the wrong things again, he didn't want her to go away. Not now and not any other time! He quickly took her hand, so that she couldn't leave. " I'm sorry Ducj."He whispered. "I only did call you an idiot because after all these years, you still don't understand me."

Duck looked at him with a confused gaze. "I don't mean such things." He went on. He let go of her hand and looked at the floor. His head was burning and he didn't want Duck to see it. "I want to keep my promise, Duck."He said. "I want you to stay with me." He was silent, suddenly he looked in Ducks eyes again. This time they were warm and thankful. Duck had bowed to look in his eyes as he looked at the floor. Fakir knew now for sure his head was as red as a tomato and Duck could see that! He looked up quickly and turned around.

"What's wrong Fakir?" Duck asked, her voice sounded normal again, the tremble was gone.

"N-nothing, we should go to sleep." Replied Fakir and he passed her quickly and on his way out of the kitchen.

Duck was lying in her bed. She thought of what had happened this evening. 'I want you to stay with me', that was what Fakir had said. Duck giggled softly. 'Fakir is so sweet, I can't believe he wants to stay with me!' She thought again and again. 'He is also so handsome when he smiles at me like that.' She sighed deeply. 'Wait, does that mean he thinks of me in the same way I do about him?' Duck stared at the ceiling. 'In that case I have to let him know how I think of him. "Alright, I'll do my best!" She cried out in the darkness of her room. 'I'm going to let Fakir know how much I love him! But how do I do that?' She wondered. 'How do you do such things?' Duck decided to ask Rue about it and then she fell asleep.

AN: Oh, I love this chapter! I can't believe people read this with all the horrible grammar errors! I'm afraid there are still there, because I cannot always find them, but I'll do my best!

Please review!