A day in their life

Fakir, Duck and Uzura still lived in the same street, in a small house with a proper size for one family. Life remained peaceful from now on. The difference between now and last time was the fact that the people did not forget what had happened, everyone in the town knew that the girl named Uzura had never been born as a human, but made as a doll. No one thought it strange however, it was as normal as the fact that she could walk and talk when she was a doll. It was a secret of the town that no one else needed to know.

Duck had been out bed as early as she always was. Awakened by her own habits, she prepared breakfast. After that, she went on her toes back to their bedroom to awaken a hour later together with Fakir. Since their marriage, this was the way Duck did things in the morning.

After breakfast, during the preparations for the rest of the day, Duck bypassed the calendar. She always did that in case she forgot something and she DID forget something today! Tonight, there was a evening for parents of the pupils from Uzura's school. With a start, she went to Fakir, who was sorting out the stories he had to bring today.

"Fakir". She cried in a panicked voice.

"Yeah?" He reacted, his eyes still reading a piece of paper.

"Did you know, we had to go to Uzura's school, this evening?" She asked, hoping he had.

"No." He turned his eyes from his paperwork and looked at her. "What is the reason?" It was silent for a moment while they thought about it.

"I think." Said Duck slowly. "That they want all the parents to meet the teacher for the next year, the school year is almost over."

"I think your right." Fakir turned his eyes again at the papers.

"Please tell me you got time for that!" The panic was clear in her voice. Fakir put the papers in his bag and looked at Duck again. "Are you still scared to go alone to a parents meeting?" He asked with a bit of a tease in his voice.

"Do you have time or not?" Asked Duck, avoiding the question with a loud voice.

"Yeah, I can go." He said and made for the door with his bag over his shoulder. When he stood beside Duck, he gave her a kiss and gave her a lovingly look.

"See you this evening, Duck." He opened the front door, said bye to Uzura and went out.

The day went by peacefully, when it was midday, Duck went on shopping, together with Rue and Myre. It was the usual shopping routine and at the end they separated ways. Duck wanted to meet up with Piqué before she went home.

Piqué waited for her at the bridge. Together they walked into the park, while they talked. Of course, their main subject was Lillie.

"So what is her plan exactly?" Asked Duck.

"Well, I don't know." Answered Piqué and shrugged. "I mean, what is she thinking? She didn't want to come with me, but I'm sure she wants a career in ballet."

"Does the traveling ballet-theater leave soon?"

"Oh yeah, I guess I was so excited I forgot to mention it to you, We leave tomorrow."

"Oh, you will write me, won't you Piqué?"

"Yeah, Of course I will, It will be fun!" Said Piqué beaming.

"So what is Lillie doing now, do you know?"

"The only thing she said was that she 'wanted to enjoy the ups and downs of this town more' so I guess she's going to search for a job here."

"Hm, don't you think I should get a job too?" Thought Duck out loud.

"Well, if you need it, but I think, having a child, you can better wait with that. Rue isn't working either, you know."

"Yeah, I know." Said Duck a bit down."

"You can always get a part-time job if you really want to."Said Piqué with a comforting smile, but Duck shook her head.

"No." She said with a smile to Piqué. "That won't be nice for Uzura. I'm not sure what I would do for a job anyway."

They walked to a bench in the centre of the park and sat down. It was silent for quite a long time, it was kind of awkward. Piqué used to talk on and on about anything, together with Lillie, but alone as well. Piqué stared at the lake and watched ducks swim by. Duck looked from Piqué to the lake and back. It was so weird to be here, looking quiet at a friend who is staring uneasy into your former home, without even knowing it.

"Piqué?" She began hesitatingly

"It's so weird to be leaving this town."Piqué said without letting her eyes from the lake. You know? I never left this place."

"You think you gonna miss it?"

"Only when I got time to think, maybe." She took a deep breath and stood up again."

"Are you leaving" Asked Duck, who had the strong feeling, she already knew the answer.

"Yes, I have to pack some things, that I just thought of. I'm sorry, I promise I'll write to you. Say good bye to Uzura for me, will you?"

"Of course, bye!"

"Bye, Until next time!"

Duck watched a bit helplessly Piqué go, then she set off herself, homewards.

She walked through the street without seeing anything, lost in her thoughts about Piqué's departure tomorrow. As long as Duck was human, Piqué had been her friend, right beside her. When she looked up, she realized she was walking on the square Fakir and she had danced at the fire festival, the evening they knew nothing of each other's feelings yet. That evening she reckoned as one of the happiest moments in her life, but it was also the evening where it all began with Markerhein. As she walked on and saw the stone statue, she thought of Femio, who had ever tried to convince people about her being a maid of the water or something. She grinned. 'And to think, that half of his story was actually true.'

Sometimes it happens in such moments, when you don't need it or expect it, that the person whom you think of, is walking right in front of you. This was one of such moments. Duck heard a bull and looked up. She hadn't even blinked before Femio already kneeled in front of her. She froze at once.

"My mademoiselle." He said to her on his usual theatric voice. "I know my words will sound cruel to you, but let me say this straight." He got back on his feet and he looked like he had a hard time. He took a deep breath, more dramatically than Piqué had done and shouted all over the square: "Yet another woman came to my side, I can't fulfill your wishes, please forgive this sin of mine!"

Duck wanted to express her reaction, but she couldn't find a way, she was stunned. "Uh." She began. "I'm already married, I betrayed you long ago with not answering anything." She tried, with her hands waving in the air.

"I said it was fated to be tragic." Said someone cheerful from behind the bull. Duck stared at the cow who appeared from behind the bull, with Lillie on her back. "Oooohh. Poor little Duck, you're spacing out again." Lillie cried out.

"What are you doing, Lillie?" Duck could finally ask. "Why are you on top of a cow?"

"Oh I heard Femio was going to break your heart, even though you already broke his, so I thought it would be fun." She smiled with beaming eyes.

Femio looked confused. "You know this outstanding lady, mademoiselle?" He asked shocked to Duck.

"Yes, we're friends for quite some time." Duck nearly said this, before Femio once again sank to the grown in shame.

"Oh how unfortunate I am." He trembled. "To think that it is a dear friend with whom I chose to betray you."

"Really, it's okay don't worry about it" Tried Duck.

"You're right." He said when he came to his feet again. "I must not bother you with my own emotions, I must leave you now, so that you can get over the sorrow you are in right now."

"Heh?"

"Forgive me, farewell." He said and turned away. He left her standing there, stunned, while she watched him leave, along with the bull, cow and Lillie, who was still waving at her. Duck walked on towards her home.

When she got there, she sat down on the couch, staring up at Fakir, who arrived home just before her.

"What's wrong, Duck?"Asked Fakir and sat down on the couch too.

"Huh, oh it's nothing." She gave a nervous laugh. "I just said goodbye to Piqué and talked with her about Lillie. Then I saw Lillie moments later on the way home. She sat on top of a cow."

"A cow?" Fakir blinked twice. "And then what?"

"She was together with Femio."

"That bull guy?'

"Yes, he used to chase me and give me a flower or something and say weird things, but today he dumped me, I guess."

"Well that's good, right?" Said Fakir with a confused face. He seemed not really sure of what he just had heard.

"Yeah, I guess so, ha ha. I just don't get what Lillie is up to. Femio praised her as his new love, or something."

"Well." Said Fakir and stood up again. "It doesn't really matter, right. Lillie is weird enough to get out of it if she wants too."

Fakir was right, it was not really a problem, it was just so unexpected.

The evening was closing in and after dinner, Fakir and Duck waited for the moment they had to leave. Uzura lay on the couch, writing some story. Since a few months she had written a lot. It were simple little stories about a mouse named Labi, that she read out loud to everyone who wanted to hear it. Duck and Fakir didn't know whether she had inherit her love for writing from Fakir or not, but it was fun to hear her stories and watch her write or make sketches of an idea.

Rue came and Duck and Fakir left. Silently they walked through the empty streets. The closer they got to the school, the more people they saw. They walked inside the school building and sat down at a large table in the central of the hall.

"I guess we're early." Said Fakir in Duck's ear and she startled a bit. "I'll get some coffee okay?"

Duck could only nod. This was the last thing she wanted. Sitting at a long table as if they were going to be tested or something. She knew they only came to greet the new teacher and hear what Hermia had to say about Uzura's behavior during this year, but she didn't like the atmosphere. No teacher job for her, she knew that for sure! Fakir came back, gave her the hot plastic cup coffee and sat down beside her.

"Do you feel ok?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She blew the steam off her coffee. "I just don't like this atmosphere." Duck looked around but couldn't see Rina's parents, or any other parents she got to know during Uzura's school year. They drunk their coffee and set off to Hermia's classroom, they hadn't seen anyone who might be the new teacher, so they decided to go to her first. Hermia stood in front of her classroom and greeted them.

"Good evening." She said smiling. "You sure are early."

"Sorry about that." Said Fakir perfectly calm and polite. "We live pretty nearby."

"Oh I see." Replied Hermia nicely. "You know, you two are quite known by many of the parents from my former class and a few of my colleagues." She added.

"Why's that?"Asked Duck.

"Well, most of them know how sweet Uzura is and are, therefore, amazed at your situation, I guess."

"Oh." Reacted Fakir and Duck in stereo. It made Hermia laugh. Duck made nervously a bow and said awkwardly: "We did just what we could, sure we are lacking something. We're taking full responsibility for Uzura's behavior."

"Don't be silly, Duck." Hermia said. "I have to agree completely with them, although the truth is known by only most of them, it doesn't change our thoughts about it. You two did an amazing job."

"Really?" Blurred Fakir out, it seemed that he had been bothered by it too.

"Yeah, I mean it. I wish Uzura very much joy in her next year and I will see you two another time, okay?"

"Thank you Hermia." Duck said.

"Yes, thank you." Agreed Fakir.

Hermia gave them the number of the class room of the new teacher and they set off.

The new teacher was a bit older than Hermia, she had blonde hair and a small appearance. "Good evening." She said smiling. "You must be Uzura's parents, am I correct?"

"Yes you are, nice to meet you." Answered Fakir. "My name is Fakir and this is my wife Duck."

Duck made a quick nod. "N-nice to meet you."

"My name is Marianne. I'm sorry, but I believe, we met once before at the school square, If I'm not mistaken, Mrs. Duck?"

"Oh yes, I remember." Said Duck obviously relieved. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you."

"That's okay, I heard much about you."

"Yes, we heard it from Mrs. Hermia." Replied Fakir and added: "She's an old friend of Duck's and recently she has become a trustful friend to mine as well."

"That's good to hear. I hope I am not saying anything strange, but the first thing, that came to me when I saw you two together, was what a handsome couple you are." When She saw the faces of the couple, she apologized quickly.

"You wouldn't think that if you knew me during my years at the ballet academy." Duck said suddenly. She said it more to herself, but Marianne and Fakir both heard it. Marianne and Fakir looked surprised at her. "I was small, clumsy and had no talent for ballet at all." She explained with a sorry smile. "I had a round face, filled with freckles and a stupid way of laughing when I was nervous. That's why."

"Don't be stupid." Said Fakir firmly and Duck looked at him with a start. "I know I was a jerk to you at first, but I really became to like that about you!" A deep red blush coloured his face when Duck and Marianne looked at him. He cleared his throat and tried to look normal.

Marianne didn't know what to say, not only had someone strange just revealed something personal, but he also said he had been a jerk! But when she looked at his wife Duck who turned even redder, she was moved.

"Thanks Fakir." Duck said. She looked shyly at the ground and soon Marianne saw the same laugh, Duck had just described as being stupid. she griped Fakirs arm and held it tightly.

"Well, where were we?" Began Marianne again.

"Right, sorry." Replied Fakir. "We hope Uzura will have a fun year in your care."

"I trust she'll get a fun year." Added Duck.

"Sure, of course. It was fun meeting you, have a save trip home." Marianne shook both Duck's and Fakir's hand.

"Thank you." They both said.

When they walked out of the building, Fakir saw that Duck was holding back tears and therefore he asked her quickly what was the matter.

"Well." She answered weak and they stood still. "It has nothing to do with you, honestly, but when you said you liked the plain me-"

"Don't call yourself that!" Interrupted Fakir her angrily.

"When you said that." She continued. "It made me so happy. It bothered me so much, back when I liked Mytho. He never saw me the way he saw Princess Tutu."

"Listen Duck, Mytho's shattered heart shards were longing for the hope in your pendant and your heart. He's devotion and love never saw Princess Tutu like they saw Rue. Remember that girl who could only draw Rue when she had the feeling of devosion in her heart?" Duck nodded. "Duck, look at me."
Duck looked at him with a face wet of tears. Fakir looked very serious and said: "Duck, if he ever had feelings for Princess Tutu, I would never forgive him."

Duck looked confused at first then she gave him a lovingly smile and he gave her one back.

No one was on the street when they performed a part de deux together. At the end of it, when their faces came together, they kissed.

End of the extra chapter.

AN: I hope you liked it as much as I liked to write it! My apologies for the grammatical errors and I want to ask you not to ask me whether I reread my stories and correct my errors or not, because I always do! I just have a problem because of my dyslexia that I cannot always see my errors. It is very frustrating for me, but I like to write and I'm trying my best to remember all the grammar rules I learned four years ago.

I appologize if you read Ahiru somewhere, sometimes I read Duck automatically and forget to change it.
My story 'I will protect..' is volume one, this one is volume two and I'm working on volume three: Drosselmeyer's Curse with Uzura as main Character!