Chapter 5: Tragic Lovestory

"Okay class, please get with your partners! I want to see the duet! Their love must feel tragic, desperate! These are love stories so there has to be chemistry." Setsuna clapped her hands before the music filled the room.

Fakir wondered how many of these love stories ended up tragedies like Romeo and Julliete. When Ahiru had …well when she almost had left him, he remembered that feeling bitterly. He could see Romeo's reason for a tragic move like that… He led Ahiru through the dance. If anything got in the way now…he just wouldn't let it.

Ahiru saw a concern behind his eyes, as they danced. Ever since Nesu had talked to her…or at least wanted to be her partner yesterday. Didn't he know, that if Nesu was interested in a partner she wouldn't just switch on him. Fakir was everything to her now. Was he still so hard headed that he couldn't see that?

"UMPH!" Ahiru felt someone's foot hit her leg and she fell out of Fakir's grasp.

"Gotcha!"

Ahiru looked up to see Nesu. His shaded eyes looking at her past his tousled hair. "Now that would have been a real tragedy."

"What happened?" Ahiru stood up.

"I'm sorry Ahiru! I got too close when we did the arabesque and I kind of spun out of it and hit you!" Pike looked shamefully.

"Not much of a graceful princess I'm afraid." Nesu raised a brow.

"You don't have to be so mean." Pike turned away.

"Is everything alright here now?" Setsuna walked over.

"Mhm." Ahiru nodded as she stood up and separated from Nesu. Fakir silently cursed himself for loosing grip on her. If he hadn't been thinking about his own problems he would have seen it coming.

"On the other hand, Fakir and Ahiru I must compliment you on your emotion. For every doting glance Ahiru gave, Fakir you looked just as concerned. Your embracing of the characters was well portrayed." Setsuna nodded in approval. "Okay well work on these again, but next class lets try one from Sleeping Beauty." The class left. Pike rushed out before anyone else. She looked distressed.

Fakir's jaw tightened. He looked to Ahiru. "I'm sorry I didn't catch you. I should have seen that coming."

"Oh Fakir, don't worry. I probably only would have klutzed out like before. I'm used to the bumps and bruises. Only since I ….well…you know…"

He did. Her curse of a duck made her 100% Tutu and Ahiru now, which gave her a 80% success rate for dancing. Wow, he'd really been hanging around Autor too much.

"I'm glad you landed safetly at the least." Fakir nodded.

"Well I couldn't let our best and prettiest dancer fall. There is nothing worse than an unfit partner." Nesu said, his eyes moving from Ahiru to Fakir.

"Are you calling me-" Fakir started.

"Actually that's not true. The last time Fakir and I danced Sleeping Beauty, I wasn't nearly as good as I am now. He really held it all together. I think it's how it was such a success…even then…I think its how well you work together, and believing in your partner. They may screw up, but it'll never work out until both people try and believe." Ahiru said.

Fakir's eyes widened, and then he smiled, although Ahiru couldn't see. Why did he ever question that?

Ahiru, standing in front of Fakir felt that with all her heart, Fakir would have caught her if he'd been able to. He was her Knight.

"Well said." Nesu nodded. "You'll never know until you try…"

"Maybe you should try to be a little fairer with Pike as your partner?" Ahiru suggested lightly.

"I have tried with her. She needs to practice herself. But with some people it is more innate than others; like the role of the Princess. Or the role of the character…who is flawed… however I would be interested in trying with another partner…as you put it so well, I can believe at least that attempt would hold some better faith." Nesu gave a slight grin to Ahiru. "I'm excited to see what you can do with Sleeping Beauty then, if you are better now, I wonder who will lead that duet?" He walked off.

Fakir was really sick of that guy's passive comments. Who will lead the duet? The character with the flaw? His words struck a bitter chord yet held in some truth. He could lead the duet, he was the male character in every duet. He may have be the Knight who failed, but he did and would never fail his Princess Tutu, Ahiru. The nerve he had to remain so smitten with becoming Ahiru's partner.

"Fakir, you know I'm your partner right? Plus I don't mean to out dance you…clearly I'm still a bit of a klutz…"

Fakir looked to Ahiru. She must have taken his silence as a sign that he was upset with her.

"Ahiru I know. You don't need to worry, if you out dance me well that's because one thing is right; Princess Tutu always was an amazing dancer. She's you. We know that now. Plus you stood up for me at the least." He smiled.

"You know, Nesu is a little rough. Maybe he's just not used to the way things are… he definitely has talent…but he treats Pike so rough."

"It's true."

"But you did treat me kind of meanly at the beginning you know… you can be blunt too."

Fakir sighed. There it was. His character flaw. "Well I've tried to grow out of that. If I ever act like that…stop me okay?"

"Mhm." Ahiru nodded. "I promise."

"So just to make sure you don't out dance me, want to practice tonight again?" Fakir walked ahead.

"Hey! Really?" Ahiru caught up and walked out.

They hadn't seen Nesu in the shadows of the second hallway. "In a few more days, I'll have better control." He looked at his his hands as they tightened. He walked out to the town's fountain. "They should never have underestimated that power." He walked even further out to the forest by the lake and looked in. "Even I have proved the smallest of things can hold great power." He said to his own reflection.

He looked out onto it. It was just like yesterday that he had seen the Princess dancing on water for the first time. The first time he'd been assigned to watching over the Knight to make sure he didn't get in the way. But every time the Knight left, he returned to his Prince too soon for anything to happen.

But who cared about a Prince whose best defense was suicide of his own heart? More so, this Knight… What can a Knight do that failed at every chance he had to protect those he cared for?

Now, there was this world. In between reality…and where they'd been then. A place where he'd been given a chance for a second chance.

" The early bird may have caught the worm…but the second mouse gets the cheese…there is simply not enough room for the two of us. And now that I have a chance to be rid of you like you be rid of me without a thought…because well…I think the mouse may just have outsmarted the cat…"