Aneko: Well hello people! I am in a very good mood. Probably has something to do with it being the weekend and I am getting good food and watching Final Fantasy VII Advent Children tonight(best movie EVER!) Seriously, you should watch it(you might get confused though…really confused…unless you look up the plotline of FFVII…). Well, anyway, ON WITH THE SHOW!

Disclaimer: No, again, I don't own it…Princess Tutu or Fak-er-cough cough-um… whoops…?

Chapter 8

Ahiru was talking to Pique and Lilie when Fakir walked over. Pique and Lilie hid their shock well, Ahiru thought, but she knew she would get an earful once he walked away again.

"Ahiru, we should start practicing after school today."

"Okay." Ahiru said, nodding. She still couldn't believe he had chosen her.

"I talked to Geiju. He's got a painting he'll finish while we do."

Ahiru nodded again, and Fakir walked back to where he had been warming up. When Ahiru turned to Pique and Lilie, the looks on their faces were priceless.

They had been speculating on Fakir's supposed girlfriend, but Ahiru had not told them about Fakir choosing her for a partner. She didn't really know how.

"Ahiru-you-?!" Pique said, at a loss for words. Lilie finished for her.

"You are Fakir-sama's 'somebody'?!"

"What? No-I mean, I don't know!!" Ahiru waved her arms frantically. "All I know is we're trying out together!!"

"EH?!" Both girls said at once.

"How extraordinary!" Lilie said, clearly amazed.

I don't think I want to find out what she means by "extraordinary".

As Lilie and Pique continued gossiping about this news, Ahiru turned to look at Fakir. Her friends' voices faded as she looked at him.

Fakir…he's one of the nicest people I've ever met… People usually misunderstand him because he's kind of distant and cold…I used to think o too, but now I know better. I'm glad.

Ahiru and Fakir met Geiju after class. He was still in an art room, gathering the supplied he needed to use on the painting he was working on. He showed the picture to them, but it was only a few sketched out lines so far, and Ahiru could not tell what it was yet.

They chose one of the smaller rooms to practice in, and Geiju set up an easel near the door while Ahiru and Fakir went closer to the windows.

Ahiru gladly let Fakir direct her- he seemed to know what he was doing. Without him, she probably would have made a fool of herself. in front of everyone. It was different with Fakir though. He supported her in all the right places, turning her mistakes into what looked like deliberate, graceful positions.

At one point, as she tried executing a move where Fakir held one of her hands, and she leaned away from him on one leg, she leaned too far, and began to fall. She gave a little gasp as Fakir, seemingly without effort or hesitation, leaned forward and caught her, his hands supporting her back like he was laying her down, while Ahiru had one leg n the air and her arms reflexively around his neck. A moment later, Fakir took her by the waist, lifting her in the air so that she was in the air above him, her hands resting on his shoulders and her legs frozen in position as he slowly went in circles. From there, they shifted positions so that Ahiru was sitting on Fakir's shoulder, as he still moved. Gradually he came to a halt, lifting her down from his shoulder.

From his spot by the door, Geiju smiled behind his canvas, where the two could not see him. They made quite a pair, he thought.

"Sorry I slowed you down." Ahiru said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it." Fakir said. "It's only the first time we've done it."

Ahiru was silent awhile before she shivered. "Does anyone else think it's cold in here?"

"Ah, so you felt my presence this time, did you?" Everyone tensed as they heard the voice.

Ahiru and Fakir made surprised exclamations as out of nowhere, black chords bound their hands and feet, pinning them to the wall. Ahiru struggled for a moment before calling out. "Yamiko!"

"Ohh, you remembered my name. How flattering." Yamiko appeared, materializing out of nowhere. She stood on a floating cloud of some dark substance. She didn't look confident this time, only set. There was a stubborn look in her eyes, and Ahiru knew she wouldn't give until they were dead, or she was.

"Just you and me, Geiju," Yamiko said, pointing her black brush at him, "or they die."

To emphasize her point, the bonds grew tighter, and Ahiru and Fakir gritted their teeth against it.

Geiju got up, walking calmly forward, but his eyes were full of hate.

"Good." Yamiko said, letting a small smile escape her as she stood in a ready position. They stared at each other, until Yamiko made the first move, whipping the brush up to down diagonally. Geiju countered as the slash sped toward him, mirroring the movement, and the streaks met in an explosion of colored light.

As soon as Geiju had countered, Yamiko slashed again, this time sending two short shots, like out of a gun. They thinned and lengthened, turning into snakes, their mouths wide and fangs bared and glistening. They wrapped themselves around Geiju's body, squeezing him slowly. Just as he should have been killed from the pressure, his body changed into a bunch of rainbow hued bubbles and floated to the ceiling. Yamiko's snakes fell to the ground, fading away to nothing.

The real Geiju stepped from the air as the last bubbles disappeared. "My, you're in a rush to get rid of me," He said, glancing at the spot he had been in moments before, "how unusual."

"I can not make a mistake this time." Yamiko said. Without another word she attacked again. This time, it was large chunks of flying rock, which Geiju deflected with a rainbow shield. As the rock struck the floor, it changed to vines, clawing unnaturally through the concrete floor, toward Geiju. Geiju responded by creating a cloud of his own, which he rose in the air upon, so that they were on equal levels.

The vines below, which tried vainly to climb themselves to reach him, crumbled to dust until it was swept into a wind. The wind carried in the air above Geiju's head, turning into a heavy black cloud. Hail began pouring out, but Geiju created what looked like a mini tornado, a whirlwind that floated below the cloud, sucking up the rock-hard ice.

That was when Ahiru saw it. It was the brief flash of sunlight on the steel as it rose slowly, that caught her eye. It rose, silent as a shadow, behind Geiju.

"Geiju, look out!" Ahiru called out desperately.

Geiju whipped around, sidestepping out of the way as the sword came down. It was close, but nor enough; the sword missed its original target, his heart, but stabbed his shoulder instead. Geiju grabbed his shoulder, falling to his knees.

He's injured, but he's not bleeding! Ahiru thought, with some disbelief. It was true- though Geiju looked to be in great pain, no blood, or signs of a wound could be seen.

Yamiko let another smile come up briefly. She could feel her victory close now. She attacked with renewed ferocity, relentlessly pushing Geiju back. Geiju had one eyes closed, and was half-kneeling on his cloud. The next moment, though, his eyes were transfixed at some point ahead of him, his head jerking back.

Ahiru gasped. Another sword, made of black metal to absorb the sunlight, had come from a downward angle where she could not see it. The sword had struck his heart.

The cloud beneath him faded away and dispersed, and Geiju fell, landed on the ground, and lay there motionless.

"Geiju!" Ahiru shouted tearfully. Her body began to glow, and the uniform changed.

Kang! Koeko-chan!! Geiju needs you!!! She called them without a thought, knowing they would come.

Yamiko, distracted by the glow, looked over at Ahiru with a contemptuous frown. "Cursed girl. Always popping up at the worst times. I'll do away with her now." Yamiko raised her paintbrush, pointing at Ahiru, who still could not escape her bonds. "This is the end." She stated, looking directly in Ahiru's eyes.

With his slowly blurring vision, Geiju raised a hand shakily in front of him. There was no brush in it now.

"With…my last strength…" He whispered. A solid wall of pure light erupted from his had, just as Kange and Koeko burst in.

All Yamiko had time for was to hold her hands up in front of her shocked face, as the bright light engulfed her. A shriek came from the light, but dwindled as the light dimmed, and died as the last sparkles from the light vanished. Yamiko was gone.

The bonds on Ahiru and Fakir broke, and they ran over to Geiju as Kange and Koeko did. Kange lifted the older boy's head on his lap and Koeko held his hand tightly.

"Geiju?"

Geiju opened his eyes to small slits, and a tired, sad smile touched his face. "Guess…you guys have….to finish this job…yourselves…" He said slowly.

"No!" Kange said firmly. "You can't say that!"

"Geiju, isn't there something we can do?" Ahiru asked, "Some way we can heal you?!"

Geiju looked at her. "No, Ahiru-san…we do not bleed…or die…like normal humans." As he spoke, his body seemed to be dissolving; sparks of light floated up in the air, and his figure got dimmer.

"Geiju…!" Ahiru gasped, "You're fading away!"

"Yes, Ahiru-san…I am "dying"…the way we do." He looked at Kange. "Take care of Koeko." He looked at Fakir. "Take care of Ahiru-san."

With a sigh, Geiju closed his eyes.

"Geiju," Koeko cried, "Geiju! You can't leave us!" She held his hand until it too disappeared, then started crying hard, leaning against Kange, who put a hand on her head, angry, sad tears in his own eyes.

Fakir looked a little sad too, and Ahiru was crying like Koeko, but a little less.

Eventually, Kange helped Koeko up, and led her, still crying, out of the room.

Fakir and Ahiru also got to their feet and began to leave. Ahiru had gotten control of herself again, with a few sniffs here and there. As they walked past Geiju's easel, though, Ahiru stopped dead in her tracks, walking slowly back over to the painting and picking it up.

"Fakir…look…" She whispered.

Fakir looked over her shoulder as she began crying again, even heavier than before.

The last picture Geiju had drawn and painted, in beautiful watercolor, was of Fakir and Ahiru, clothed in magnificent, medieval looking costumes. Fakir was lifting Ahiru above his head, and they both had a content expression on their faces. On the bottom right corner, in a flowing script, was a note:

To Fakir and Ahiru,

Please keep this. I know you will take good care of it.

-Geiju

Ahiru held the picture tight to her as they left.

Aneko: Geiju died!:( It made me kinda sad to write this.

Okay, a few notes: It adds more effect if you listen to some songs at the end (or maybe I'm just obsessed…?) From the part where the light that swallowed Yamiko fades, I listened to Hokage's Funeral, and the music fades when Geiju disappears. From there to the end, try Sadness and Sorrow (Especially the piano solo at the end). Both are from Naruto

Disclaimer (part two): I don't own Naruto, the characters, OR the music either.