Aneko: I'm back again. So, I know you must be getting tired of hearing me rant, so I'm just going to shut up now…
Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu.
Chapter 9- To Protect
Ahiru ran and ran until she couldn't run any more. She fell to her knees, realizing with a horrible sick feeling: Kiru! I left him behind! But…
Ahiru turned to look at the alley stretching behind her.
But I can't go back there!
"Hime-sama!"
Ahiru squeaked, jumping about two feet in the air. Kiru was standing beside her.
"Kiru! You're okay!"
"Yep!" Kiru puffed out his chest proudly.
"B-But I thought…" Ahiru faltered, trailing off. She shook her head, asking instead, "Who were those men, anyways? Are they from Rivervale?"
"No," Kiru said gravely, "they come from the desert land in the Sand Basin. Slaves are common there, but King Oran detests slavery, so he has outlawed it here. Slavers come here attempting to find and capture children. King Oran has tried invading the country several times, but it never works."
"Let's go back to the castle…please…"
"Uh-huh," Kiru said, nodding. They travelled along, the air tenser than before.
Why is it so hard? Ahiru wondered painfully. I know it's to protect him, but…I feel like he's the one protecting me…
Fakir stared after Ahiru for a while before turning to the bird beside him.
"Kiru…" His voice was menacing and dark, "Tell me what's going on. Now."
"E-Eh? Knight-sama, what-"
Fakir's eyes blazed. "Don't play dumb with me. I know you know everything that's going on. Now."
"O-okay…"
A book appeared in Kiru's talons. Fakir faintly recalled that it was the same book which had brought him to this world.
"This book is called The Puppetmaster."
Of course, Fakir thought, Even if we are in this story, it makes sense that the book exists too. It was the same way with Kinkan Town and The Prince and the Raven.
Fakir took the book, and opened it to begin reading.
When Ahiru got back to the castle, she went up to her room and crawled in bed, though it was the middle of the day. Her mind was a turmoil of conflicted emotions. She just wanted to figure out all of it. She didn't know up from down any more.
Fakir sat in his room, reading by candlelight, which threw dancing shadows over the words.
"Taking an interest in the princess, the Puppetmaster decided to play with her. She kidnapped the girl and threatened to hurt the ones she cared for unless she cooperated. Still not knowing why this was happening, the Princess had no choice but to do what the Puppetmaster wanted. And so the Puppetmaster held the girl's will in her hand."
Fakir shut the book with a snap, holding it up in front of Kiru.
"Do you mean this-this Puppetmaster is controlling Ahiru?!" The fury in Fakir's voice was evident.
Kiru's head bowed, and that was all the response Fakir needed. He got up, beginning to pace restlessly in the small space.
"Something still doesn't make any sense, though…"
"What?"
"Why would she do this? Ahiru is not this Princess. I'm sure of it."
Fakir thought of Ahiru—clumsy, ditzy, persistent, stubborn Ahiru—and he just knew. Without asking her, he knew from her eyes (they always did give away her feelings) that there was something secret she was keeping from him as well as everyone else.
And knowing her personality, it was killing her inside.
Ahiru looked around. Was she in the Puppetmaster's domain again? No, it was darker. She couldn't see anything at all. There came a soft noise from somewhere nearby.
"Hello?" Ahiru said. Her voice was swallowed by the unrelenting dark.
The sound came again, nearer, and Ahiru could now distinguish it as a sob. A soft white light was beginning to glow off to her right. Ahiru turned that way, and she saw a figure dressed in white, getting slowly closer to her. Soon enough, Ahiru could see that it was a girl, with beautiful blonde hair which fell to her shoulders. She looked to be a little younger than Ahiru, and she was currently kneeling on the ground, tears falling, red agitation bothering her otherwise sweet face.
"Ano…" Ahiru said, but her voice was not heard.
"Why?" The girl asked weakly, "I don't understand. Why doesn't anyone hear me? I just wanted to be friends. Why can't I be friends with everyone?"
The girl wiped her eyes dry, and when her hand moved, her eyes had become steely—too much for a little girl like her.
"I don't care—who needs them?! I don't need them! Not when I have…" From behind her, she pulled out a marionette, already attached to her hand. She gave an expert jerk, and the little man gave her a grand bow.
"I don't need anyone else. My puppets will keep me company. They do what I want; they're my friends."
Moments later, Ahiru was falling into darkness, the support gone from beneath her.
There would probably be a hole in the carpet with the way Fakir continued to pace.
He felt helpless, and it made him angry.
"Kiru. What would the Puppetmaster do to me if I tried to save Ahiru—to take her home?"
"She'll kill you."
A shadow flickered across Fakir's face. The faint image of the knight's fate from The Prince and the Raven surfaced in his mind. Fakir forced it away quickly.
Fakir stopped [acing and went over to the window, resting his hands on the sill. In truth, he was still afraid of death; yet he would not—could not—abandon her. He knew it—how lonely she had been as a duck, as a girl. She couldn't face it again.
"I'm very popular around here these days, aren't I?" Reuben commented as Ahiru entered the library again.
"I'm sorry. Am I bothering you?"
"Not at all! I enjoy the company of a pretty young lady."
Ahiru blushed deep red.
"So, did you need anything? Or, is there something you want to talk about?"
This was why she felt so comfortable around Reuben, Ahiru realized, for some reason it felt like he had known her for years.
Ahiru fell into a chair, her eyes brimming with sadness.
"I feel so lost. I tried to push him away, and still he saved me. Still he's there. And it just makes it harder, because I want to protect him, but…but, I want to see him! To talk to him, like we used to!"
Becoming a girl again—she had wanted to for so long, not just for the ballet she loved. It was for Fakir, her constant companion, whose gentle heart she could not help but fall for, harder and faster than it had been with Mytho.
Fakir lacked all of Mytho's charm, grace, and kingly manner. He had neither eloquence nor elegance. Yet even without these things, he had something that Mytho didn't. Beneath a rough, glazed exterior, there was a warm heart with unswayable loyalty and feeling. Hidden behind that glare was a mix of anger, joy, sadness, and yes, fear. For he was not the prince charming, not the knight in shining armor. The armor was flawed and, in some places, dull and dented. He was no more perfect than anyone else. Yet this was what made him all the more easier to care for.
"What is your heart telling you?" Reuben asked quietly.
"I…I want to be with him," Ahiru gasped out, "It's so selfish, and he could get hurt, but I can't stand this. I have to see him!"
"Then what are you doing here?"
At Reuben's reprimanding tone, Ahiru looked up. He was looking at her expectantly.
"Go after him!"
Ahiru's eyes were still clouded with fear and indecision. "But—"
"Ahiru. have faith in the people you love. They won't disappoint you. Now, you have somewhere to be."
Ahiru nodded and got up from the chair, rushing out so quickly that she didn't notice Kiru's shadow standing in the doorway. She passed him in less than a second, and he didn't pay any attention to her. His eyes were trained entirely on Reuben. As soon as Ahiru was out of hearing, Reuben's eyes lost their warmth. He addressed Kiru without turning.
"I suggest you keep your nose out of this, pup." After a moment his tone turned almost pleading. "Just let them be."
As Ahiru donned the rough brown cloak and exited the castle, the dark sky rumbled angrily. It was going to rain again. Ahiru didn't know where to look for Fakir, but she began running.
"Sometimes—"
It felt like she couldn't run fast enough, and her dress swirled annoyingly around her legs. She pulled the hem up a little to keep it out of her way.
"—There are easy choices."
The market had been closed against the upcoming storm, and the hustle and bustle gave way to damp silence.
"And sometimes—"
Ahiru hovered around the exits to the alleys, half wanting to call his name.
"—No matter what you choose, there is a painful consequence."
A fat drop of water stained the ground, and was soon followed by others.
"But what you always have to remember—"
Ahiru covered her head, running for some sort of shelter, but still looking in vain for the knight.
"—Is that there will always be a choice that leads you in the right direction."
Ahiru gasped for breath as she slid to the floor of the gazebo. She was in the palace gardens. The rain was pouring down heavily, and Ahiru was already soaked and dripping.
I can't find him anywhere. Where could he be? Ahiru closed her eyes, resisting the urge to cry.
"You'll get sick if you run around in the rain like that." The voice was reprimanding but gentle, as something heavy and warm fell on her shoulders.
Ahiru's heart stopped and her breath caught. She opened her eyes and saw that Fakir had put his cloak over her. She couldn't look up at him yet, though, for some reason.
"Ahiru…I just want you to know, I know why you don't want me around."
This made Ahiru look up at him, wide-eyed, but he was turned away and did not see.
"And I also want you to know that I'm not going to leave you. I won't talk to you if that's what it takes. But I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm going to protect you."
He took a step to leave, and Ahiru's mind quickened. No! He's leaving me! He's—
Reaching out, she grasped the edge of his sleeve, and Fakir froze.
"Don't…don't go…" she choked out, tears falling, "Don't leave me!"
The rain drummed against the roof like her heart drummed in her chest. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, but was really only a moment, Fakir turned to her. That familiar gentle look was in his eyes.
"I won't leave you."
Something in Ahiru broke.
"Fakir…" she whispered, before throwing herself on him, wrapping her arms around him.
"Fakir!" His name was so familiar.
Fakir merely stood there in surprise for a moment, before he held her back, his taller frame engulfing her shorter one. He pulled her close to him, holding her so tightly, as though he was afraid she could slip through his fingers.
"Ahiru." His voice, though a bare murmur, was strained with many emotions.
Her face buried in his chest, Ahiru could feel tears of relief running down her cheeks. In his arms she felt so safe and protected. She never wanted him to let go, and she felt that they were strong enough to make it through anything. For all she knew right now, the world could be crashing down around them, but she wouldn't know, as long as she could just stay there.
Aneko: Chapter nine, finis.
