14 Akt. ~ Blumenwalzer ~
It took Fakir a week to recover from his wounds, not only had his body suffered a great deal in the underground lake, but his right arm and leg hadn't had time to heal from the encounter he had with the crows before that. His rest was therefore essential and for the first time Mytho was the one who looked after him. Fakir stayed home that week, with Charon and Mytho came over whenever he could and asked him many times if he needed something. Fakir needed rest and Mytho couldn't help much, but Fakir thanked him every time for his kindness.
What Mytho didn't know was that the night before he would return to school, Fakir went back to the place where Miss Edel had brought him when she saved his life. He wanted to look for her remains, he knew that Charon had some skill with wood and maybe he could revive her. Fakir felt that he had to try. If Charon built her, she would no longer belong to her first creator and therefore be free from her strings. She would be free and alive, that would also bring Duck happiness. It was clear now that she had always been alone and Miss Edel had been family to her. So Fakir cloaked himself in black again and sneaked through the night.
He searched, but he could only find a few pieces that didn't burn up. He knew now that Edel had gone forever, even so, he brought back whatever he found to Charon and asked him to use it to build a puppet. Fakir thought it hard to explain his reasons to his foster father, mostly it was just because of a feeling he had, but nevertheless Charon agreed to try. Maybe the new puppet would have some memories from her former life.
The next day Mytho came to Fakir's house to pick him up for school. When they arrived, they were a bit too early and so they lingered on for a bit when Mytho bumped into Duck. She was spacing out as usual while she walked backwards. Mytho just caught her by the shoulders and greeted her normally. Embarrassed, she turned around and returned his greeting and when she noticed Fakir, she let out a relieved sigh.
"Oh Fakir," she said. "is your wound healed yet?"
She asked it so sweetly and kind that Fakir gave her a sarcastic look. "It has been starting to improve, but seeing your face again has triggered fresh stabs of pain." He replied, just to tick her off and he succeeded. She made a growling sound and clawed with her hands at him.
"She was worried because you were absent from school for a week, Fakir." Mytho said, who took his friend's comment way too seriously. "It isn't kind of you to talk that way."
Duck was glad to get support and nodded ferociously, but still she looked very offended.
"Please don't mind him Duck," Mytho went on. "will you at least stay friendly with me? You're the only friend whom I can tell everything."
"Oh, sure." Duck said. Mytho still didn't know who Duck also was and his comment gave her the wrong idea and she began to look a bit sad.
"Are you alright?" Mytho asked her.
Fakir watched her friendly face become thoughtful and then guilty, he knew she was thinking stupid things again and he had to stop her before she did something she would regret.
"I-I, " she stuttered. "the truth is, the truth is.."
"Princess Tutu!" Fakir said loudly and just as he meant to, Duck startled and made a duck-like sound that turned her into a duck. Fakir casually went to stand in front of her as she turned into a speck of light, blocking her from Mytho's view. Mytho was completely clueless and Fakir turned his head towards the sky behind him. "I see her flying, " Fakir lied. "or hold on maybe it's a crocodile. What do you think?" as Mytho looked up, Fakir looked behind to see the little yellow duck, lying on the ground. Even though he did this for her, he couldn't resist insulting her at the same time.
"There's nothing there." Mytho said while Fakir drew Duck's attention and mimed to her that she should hide herself behind the fountain. She did and she took her clothes in a big bundle with her.
"Princess Tutu and a crocodile are totally different, eh Fakir?" Mytho said.
"You're so right, I probably just imagined it, though I could have sworn I saw a flying cow." Fakir said.
"A cow?" Mytho asked, completely lost.
"It's nothing, never mind." Fakir said and he went to sit down on the rim of the fountain.
"You're not making any sense." Mytho said and he looked around. "That's odd, where's Duck?"
"Who knows?" Fakir replied. "It's likely my comments put her off, so she went on ahead."
"Yeah." Mytho agreed and he sat down next to him. "You need to tread girls more nicely Fakir." He said.
Fakir gave him a surprised look. He was truly surprised to hear Mytho say something like that to him. In the past Mytho had always been nice to girls and his lack of emotion had made him oblivious to Fakir's rudeness. Fakir had always ignored Mytho's example and had thought it was a weakness that only existed in him, but now that Mytho said something like this to him, it made Fakir realize that he was in fact trying to be nice to Duck.
"Say Mytho, what do you think of Princess Tutu?" Fakir asked, to get back to the point of his act.
"That's rather sudden." Mytho said surprised.
"She always disappears after she returns a piece of your heart, don't you want to know who she is?"
"Sure I do," Mytho replied and Fakir was certain that Duck was listening. "but maybe right now, it's better for me not to know. Because I'm certain there will come a day when she will be ready to tell me. Right now I'm thinking more about how I have to get all of my feelings back as soon as I can, with help from Princess Tutu. You help me too, won't you Fakir?"
"Well, I am supposed to be a knight." Fakir said, it was not a straight answer, but Mytho knew what he meant.
"I knew I could count on you to help me, Fakir." He said and he stood up, his look determined. "And when that's finished, I'll go back into the story."
"Is that truly what you want, Mytho?" Fakir asked.
"As the story's prince, I belong there." Mytho said and Fakir had to agree that it made sense.
"I see." He said and he thought of Duck, she might be hurt by this. To know that Mytho would leave this world. He stood up. "Shall we go? Mr. Cat will be angry with us if we're late." He said, but before he went, he looked behind to Duck. He wanted to take her mind off the information she had just received and so he did, in his own way.
"You give me a lot of trouble." He said to her and as expected she quacked loudly at him as he walked away. 'Who know teasing her, would be so much fun?' he thought.
Fakir didn't see Duck enter the class room, he and Mytho immediately started with their morning routine of basic training and Fakir needed to do extra hard work for he had become rusty after a week of rest. He only heard Mr. Cat yell at someone who he figured had to be her. He didn't even hear her use his made-up story about the flying cow and the crocodile, which of course, Mr. Cat didn't swallow.
Later that day, when he called the members of the beginners 'class and advanced class to gather together, Mr. Cat told them a story about the importance of practice. To emphasize his statement, he told them about a conversation he once had about this with the famous ballet dancer Mr. Meowsinsky. Also a cat who was famous for his choreography. Mr. Cat told them about the time he and his fellow ballet students were helping out with the preparations for one of Mr. Meowsinsky's performances. Mr. Cat happened to see the famous ballet dancer practice, which was nothing more than slowly practicing the basics over and over again. He told them how surprised he was to see that, that someone who was so advanced, still practiced the basics. The famous ballet dancer told him in person that someone who did not master the basics could not achieve a skill with a good and noble spirit. Mr. Cat then showed them a pair of old ballet shoes, which were given to him by Mr. Meowsinsky. They were dirty and off colour and out of shape, but Mr. Cat looked at them with an adoring smile.
"These shoes have suffered a lot of wear and tear, but to me they are the most beautiful shoes in the world." He said.
Fakir was paying attention to what Mr. Cat was saying and so he didn't see what Duck saw. She saw Mytho clutching his chest and struggling for air and when he looked up, a red light shined in his eyes. He disappeared from class after that and Fakir couldn't find him anymore. He searched for him and at last he returned to the boy's dormitory.
"Mytho!" he called into the room as he opened the door, he wasn't expecting to find Mytho here, but for once, he did. Mytho lay in his bed and responded to his call.
"Mytho, you came back here?" Fakir said surprised and he walked into the room. He walked up to his friend's bed and sat down. "You just disappeared from class all of a sudden, where did you go? I couldn't find you." He said.
"I wonder what happened." Mytho whispered. "I started to feel sick and after that…"
"Your desire for immediate restoration won't hasten things, don't try too hard." Fakir said to him, a bit firmly.
A sneer curled Mytho lips, but Fakir didn't look at him and so he didn't see it, just when he spoke, Fakir heard that something was wrong. "So I can become like you, Fakir?" Mytho said.
"What did you say?" Fakir asked him, shocked to hear his friend talk to him this way and he looked at him. Mytho had a sort of calm satisfied look in his eyes.
"Say Fakir, I have something to tell you, will you listen?" he said. A red light shined in his eyes. Something happened to Mytho. Fakir didn't speak and Mytho took that as his permission to speak. He stood up from his bed and went to the windowsill and Fakir followed him with his eyes.
"Remember Mr. Cat's shoes?" Mytho asked him and he laughed nervously and insane.
"You didn't!" Fakir reacted, he stood up from Mytho's bed. Mytho didn't have to tell him anything, because he could guess now what had happened. He stood up as well and walked up to him.
"I sure did." Mytho chuckled. "I took those wretched shoes and torn them to pieces."
"What? Is that true?" Fakir asked and he watched Mytho's unfamiliar face with horror.
Mytho sat himself down upon the broad windowsill. "You think they've been found yet?" he sneered.
"Why do such a thing?"
Mytho laughed again. "The shoes felt with so many beautiful memories and dreams. Is it funny, it's funny isn't it?" he said. He then looked at Fakir with an evil smile. Then suddenly, his gaze went blanc and the red light in his eyes turned purple.
"Hey, Mytho!" Fakir said and he grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him a bit. "Look at me, is there something going on inside you now?" he asked.
"What if there is?" Mytho replied. "Will you again seek to pierce my heart, but isn't that sword gone now? Didn't you break it?"
Fakir felt a little twitch in his brow. It was true, he couldn't go back now, but that had been his choice. There was no way back and that path had never been the answer!
"Are you angry? Even though I got of a piece of my heart back and everything?" Mytho asked him smilingly.
"Your heart isn't whole yet!" Fakir tried to reason with him, but he knew it was no use, this was not the Mytho he knew.
"That's right, I have to hurry and get the whole thing back," Mytho said. "and then.. maybe I'll go give it to a crow."
"Who on earth are you?" Fakir whispered.
Now Mytho seemed to be at war with himself while he tried to answer that question. "I am.." he began first thoughtfully and the evil glow in his eyes had gone. "I am.." he said again and he looked scared and confused. He began to shiver and clutched his chest. "I am.."
"What's wrong, Mytho?" Fakir asked him gently, he knew that this was the real Mytho suffering right now.
"You have to help me Fakir." Mytho said. "My heart, it feels so… aaah!" he almost fell off the windowsill and he tried to hold on to Fakir whom he nearly dragged with him.
"Mytho!" Fakir tried and then Mytho began to scream of pain and his eyes filled with tears.
"Tutu." He whispered then he fell over and seemed to be unconscious. Fakir could just hold him up, before he would hit the floor. "Mytho!" he tried again. "Pull yourself together, Mytho!" For a moment it seemed that Mytho had truly fainted and Fakir wondered what he should do, but then Mytho laughed, softly and evilly. He threw Fakir away from him and held his arms high above his head and curled his hands like claws of a great bird.
"What was it you just called me?" he asked Fakir. "You want to know who I am, I'll show you, just you, right now." He said and he started to walk backwards towards the window. "Watch closely Fakir."
"You, Mytho!" Fakir yelled and he rushed forward and reached out a hand to stop Mytho from jumping out of the window, but he was too late. The window burst open and Mytho let himself fall down. "Mytho!" Fakir cried again, but Mytho just kept on smiling while he slowly fell towards the ground below. Frozen, Fakir stood half hanging out of the window, with his hand grabbing at nothing. The only one who could save Mytho now was Princess Tutu and she did.
Fakir heard her call Mytho's name as well and true enough, soon after that she appeared. She jumped high off the roof of the opposite building and grabbed Mytho's hand. Gracefully she turned him around and in mid-air they danced before she brought him to safety. The whole school was watching them from below and Fakir knew that this was far from over.
AN: The start of the second act! What do you think? Please review, ok?!