For the Love of a Duck

Chapter of Swan

Act 6- Beauty and the Beast

---------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a small shed, the worn floor warped with old age and just a few boxes sat to one corner. To some, it might seem to be a storage room that Charon just hadn't put to use yet. To others, perhaps it was cleared to make room for some rare and valuable antique that the shop owner hoped to take into his possession.

But, the real reason was quite simple. Though the lighting wasn't all that good, and the scuffed floor did have its flaws- this was where Fakir would dance when he wasn't at school.

Fakir never knew for certain why it was he felt so drawn to ballet. He was a knight, a writer, and the protector of a Prince without a heart. But, he also wanted to be a dancer- and so, Charon let him enroll and study at the local school.

Now, he wondered if that was all part of Drosselmeyer's twisted plan. Bringing the lives of the Prince, the Knight, the Raven-Princess and Princess Tutu all into one specific place. They were drawn to ballet just like their fates were intertwined. It was a part of each of them they couldn't deny.

And so, it was no surprise that once the story was over- Mytho and Rue went off into the world. Dancing as freely as their hearts loved each other.

Back at the school, Fakir still brought himself to go to the school day after day despite the lingering memories of his friends when they used to attend there. His dancing had only improved, but within it, was a hidden sadness. There was a longing for the happiness and loving partner that Mytho and Rue had found in each other.

After the encounter with Ahiru in the bathtub, he wanted no more than to dance until his mind was cleared of all its useless thoughts. It was evident to him there was indeed a partner who could give him happiness out there, but she was only a duck. And unless he completed the story properly, that's the way it would always be.

Securing the shoes on his feet, he moved to the center of the bare room and as if waiting for some imaginary cue, he paused. He closed his eyes, letting the music flow freely through his mind and slowly he let himself begin to dance.

"I'll have to write the ending soon…"

Turning sharply, he leaped to the unheard rise in the music.

"I can't keep stalling. It's driving me nuts…"

He struck a pose- one filled with confusion and anguish.

"But how am I supposed to tell her? Should I write a more secure foundation before writing the ending?"

Reaching his arm out to an invisible partner, he seemed to dance effortlessly with the air.

"That's right. I can't just rush into the ending. First I'll read over every little word there and make sure there are no flaws. I'm not going to write haphazardly like Drosselmeyer."

The small lamp seated on the floor illuminated Fakir, making it seem like he was dancing with the dark shadows of the room. The shadows of his heart.

"This story will have a happy ending. I will not let it end any other way."

His determined firmness was personified by his swift moves- his feet quickly moving across the floor as he continued his one-man dance.

"I need to stop be being afraid of the fate laid before me. I must take it head on- fight off any possibilities of tragedy before they can come to life."

The knight within his heart, despite his protests that he was nothing but a useless one, still lived on strongly with the urge to protect the Princess he had come to have in his care.

And little did he know that that very Princess was currently watching him from where she stood in the doorway.

"Fakir…your dancing is full of such confusion…determination, anguish, sorrow, hope…love…"

She paused as she read the emotions in his dance like a book, the last one catching her slightly off guard.

"Love?"

As she thought that over, his dark eyes opened and caught her deep blue gaze with his own.

"Ahiru…" He paused his dance, the inner music coming to a screeching halt.

"Quack! Quack quack quack! Quack quack quack quack quack quack! (Fakir! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you!)"

Flapping her wings in panic, she flailed about much like her prior human self had when she found herself in an awkward predicament.

Fakir just shook his head, "Idiot, what are you doing out here?"

He kept his voice modulated, carefully regulating it to hide the emotions the presence of Ahiru brought to his mind. The duck continued quacking out frantic apologizes, her small body seeming torn between groveling further and fleeing. And, as much expected, in doing such- she didn't notice the slight indention in the floor and tripped, falling forward onto her face.

He had to withhold a laugh, her actions just like the clumsy girl he remembered so clearly from her days at the academy. Glaring up in indignation at the stifled laugh, she held back her retort when she saw the bemused look on Fakir's face.

"He's not…mad?"

Walking over to her, he gathered her up into his arms.

"I asked what you are doing out here? It's snowing out, you'll get chilled again moron."

She smiled; glad to see his usual disposition was in place- even if it wasn't exactly the best of dispositions to begin with.

"Quack quack…quack quack quack quack quack… (I just…wanted to watch you dance)" She quietly admitted.

His gaze softened at that, wondering how many times she'd longed for the days she had two sturdy legs to dance upon, even if it was just those of the normal human girl and not the perfect and elegant ones of Princess Tutu.

"Will you…dance with me?" Fakir questioned, his voice hesitant and a light blush on his face.

"Fakir…"

Slowly he sat her down on the floor, then extended a hand to her.

"Please- dance with me," The movement said.

She nodded and moved forward as best as she could with her webbed feet. They stood before each other- and as if they could sense the same rhythm within, each began to dance in unison to the music within their hearts. It was a timeless melody, the echoes of it resounding throughout the ages. But they embraced it with a reckless abandon. Their hearts, their souls, and their entire self lost to the dance.

To some it might have seemed silly; a human dancing with a duck. But the two didn't seem to give a care at all. They were dancing together and to them- that was all that mattered.

The handsome form of a brave young knight and the feathered form of a princess who was nothing but a duck. It was an unlikely pair, that was certain, but their dance held within it the emotions that ran deep in each of their hearts. It was nothing short of beautiful.

And as the music ended and the two struck their final poses, it was as if an imaginary audience was applauding them- a standing ovation from the shadows who watched them.

Fakir looked down at the small duck, his mind telling him the same thing he already knew.

"I have to end this story. Soon before something bad happens."

"Ahiru, I'm going to go write- all right? Why don't you go inside and rest?"

She nodded cheerfully, and the two made their way back into the house.

---------------------------------------------

Once in the upper rooms of the building, Ahiru went on into the bedroom and curled up in the blankets she used as a nest. Fakir peeked in for a brief moment to make sure she was asleep before going over to his desk and pulling out the parchment that had the story written on it.

The room was lit dimly; just a small kerosene lamp atop his desk to light what he was writing. It left the room with an orange glow and he could almost feel the light wrapping around him in a supportive embrace.

Sometimes he wondered where Ahiru had gotten such a lamp, but she'd told him it was special and not something to be thrown away. He knew then that perhaps there was something about this lamp that had once tied into Drosselmeyer's story. And if that were the case, he planned to use it to help write stories with happy endings. It was the least he could do for yet another life that Drosselmeyer had toyed with.

Tapping his quill against the parchment, he found himself producing nothing but a splattering of ink splots and nothing more.

"How…how can I make sure this ending isn't tragic? What more can I do?"

He wracked his mind, picking up tidbits of information and turning them over and over before moving on to something else. There had to be something- anything- he might add to the current text before starting to write the ending.

Figuring that something was better than nothing, he began to write down the events after his talk with Edel.

He wrote of talking to Neko-sensei, and how the strange teacher had given him advice on the proper way to confess his feelings. He wrote of the afternoon he'd spent with Ahiru, their passing glances and the depth of the feelings they held.

He wrote of their embarrassing encounter, slowly recounting how flustered he'd become when the small duck found herself unceremoniously dropped into his bath.

And finally, he wrote of their dance together. The emotions he felt. The happiness he saw on her face. And the desire to give her the ending she rightfully deserved.

Fakir had written all he could, and his hand ached from the strain. But despite all the effort he'd put forth, he found himself still no closer to writing the ending than he was before. All he'd done was write an account of what had transpired between them.

A rather- romantic account of it, much to his dismay.

It was confusing to him, really. No matter how hard it seemed to even remotely admit aloud that he cared deeply for Ahiru, once he touched the quill to the paper- the emotions, the feelings, the love he felt for her- just flowed out. Simple and easy, eloquent and poignant.

But now- all that mattered was writing the ending. Somehow, he knew he had to bring himself to tell Ahiru, and hope with all his heart that she felt the same. It was a variable he couldn't completely rely on. His feelings, he was certain by now- especially in part to writing it all out- were clear. He loved Ahiru. It was as plain as that.

Ahiru and her feelings towards him, on the other hand, just made his mind flood with doubts. It was obvious in the past, she'd cared about Mytho. Fakir could remember with almost an envious aftertaste the times he'd seen her blushing or trying to talk to the Prince. But now- now that Mytho was gone and the story was over… what was it that Ahiru felt? Did she still hold some affection for the Prince? Never spoken of for fear that Drosselmeyer's prophecy would come back and truly make her disappear completely?

Or had she changed? Fakir thought so, or at least, hoped so. In retrospect, he found himself wishing that the emotions he felt between them were as strong as they seemed.

They needed to be strong to withstand this curse he'd written them into. And if they weren't…there was really no telling what course the tale could take.

"If I don't set it up just right, something might go wrong. I need to write out all the clarifications and make sure that once I tell her; as long as she feels the same- she can change back into a human. I don't want any mistakes. I don't want to write this without thought. That's what got Drosselmeyer into trouble, and I won't do that. But how- damnit- how do I write an ending to this?!"

His nerves were raw as he continued to abuse his overworked brain in search of an answer to his quest. All he needed was a way to write an ending- but all semblances of beginnings to that ending were not to be found.

So intent was he on writing that he didn't hear the door cracking open. Neither did he register the soft sound of webbed feet on the floor drawing closer.

"Quack? (Fakir?)" She questioned, seeing his perplexed face and the tense way he sat.

"Ah-Ahiru?!" He stammered, "What are you doing in here?!"

The duck paused at the tone of his voice. He seemed- angry and her eyes wobbled a bit at thinking so.

"Qua…quack quack… (I…was just…)"

"Just leave me alone!" Fakir snapped, his tension from the situation finally hitting a breaking point, "Go away!"

"He sounds just like…like when he always yelled at me because I tried to help Mytho…" Ahiru thought to herself, her eyes welling with tears as she turned and quickly fled from the room.

"I'm…sorry…" Her mind echoed as she quickly headed for the nearest door or window.

"Ahiru…" He paused, his eyes boring the image of her crying as she fled into his mind. "Ahiru, wait!"

Running after her, he left the parchment unattended. Who was he to know that he himself might be the cause of the tragic ending?

----------------------------------------------

The lake was a frozen sheet of ice as Ahiru made her way back to her first home. It was the only place she could go now- not really in the mood to try and find a kind stranger to take her in for the night.

Her mind was a raging storm of emotions- anger, sadness, disappointment, rejection and loneliness all swirling about within her sporadic thoughts.

She thought he cared. She thought he enjoyed being with her. She thought that…that he loved her.

Never once did she think that he was just taking her in because perhaps he felt obligated to. An act of pity towards the one whose fate was sealed by how he wrote the story's end. But now she thought those things. Bitter thoughts weighing down on her heart as she absently looked around the lake to find a place to just curl up and cry herself to sleep.

Spotting a small hole near the base of a tree on the shore, Ahiru waddled towards it. Too blurred was her vision by her tears that she didn't see the set of red eyes glaring out towards her. She didn't see how those eyes looked upon her with a lustful…and hungry gaze.

Nearing the hole, she barely was able to fly up into the air as the fox darted out at her. Its sharp teeth grazing into her right wing and leaving a wound.

"I've got to get away…but my wing…it's…"

She could feel herself descending towards the ground; the pain throbbing through her veins was just too much for her wing to withstand.

"I can't fight it. I'm not Princess Tutu anymore…or even a girl. I'm just a duck. No one cares about a duck…"

"Ahiru!" The voice rang out across the landscape, as the blurry figure rushed down the slope towards where the fox and the duck battled.

His eyes were wide with panic, and for once in his life- he sorely wished for his sword so he could charge down the hill as a knight, not a writer.

Sliding down the snow covered slope, he stood between the fox and the fallen duck- daring the animal to dare cross his path and hurt Ahiru again.

The fox, seeing as it had met a formidable match, retreated into his den for the night.

Fakir turned hastily, kneeling besides the small duck and gathering her into his arms.

"Ahiru- Ahiru?!"

Weakly, she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Fakir…you came for me…"

"Don't worry, I'm taking you home right now," He rushed out, his voice heavy with panic.

"Qua…"

"Hush, it'll be all right," Reaching up, he yanked the ascot free from around his neck and wrapped it around her injury. Then gently, he cradled her against his chest, being careful to not irritate her wound further.

And holding her close, he began to walk back towards the village.

---------------------------------------------------------

The awkward silence was unsettling to him. He wasn't sure if that was because Ahiru was hurt or if it was because her injury was his fault for yelling at her. Either way, he needed to speak up.

"Ahiru. I didn't mean to yell at you, I was just…working on something important."

"Quack? Quack quack quack quack, Quack? (What? Can't you tell me, Fakir?)"

He frowned for a moment, before deciding it might be best to explain. His heart was already racing- first from seeing her leave, then due to seeing her in danger. Now, more than ever, he was determined to give this story a happy ending.

"Ahiru…the other night when I got up mysteriously, I was actually- well… sleep writing."

She blinked, worried yet intrigued by the thought.

"I was…writing out a dream I was having- or at least, that's what Aotoa figures it was. And I started to spin another story about you, Ahiru."

Blue eyes widened at that. She knew what a story about her meant- it meant that things written into that story would come true.

"I'd rather not go into all the details but…well; I have to find a way to end it where we're all safe. That's why I went into school early and came home late… I've been trying to write the proper ending."

The lights of the village were nearing, and the Antique store's sign waved back and forth in the slight breeze.

"Ahiru…once we get you warmed up and your wing fixed…I…I have something important I need to talk to you about."

He struggled over those words, knowing that if he didn't end the story soon- the chances of tragedy were just going to continue to increase. The incident at the lake was just one example of that, and Fakir didn't need to see anymore than that before vowing to end the story as soon as he could. He knew what it would take…now all he could do was hope that everything turned out for the best.

Ahiru, on the other hand, seemed perplexed by his words. "What could he have to talk to me about? What…what did he write about? Is…is something bad going to happen?"

Little did she know that what he had to say was quite the opposite.

------------------------------------------