A/N: I just want to apologize now to the two people that have reviewed this story and told me that they cried. I'm truly sorry, except for Jexena only because she is my cousin because pfft, that is what you get for ignoring me and reading your other fanfics when I came over! Okay, totally kidding Jexena. I love you! But I just want to thank the people that reviewed for me because it makes me feel good that people appreciate my work. Anyways, I finished this chapter not even five minutes ago. The ending surprised me, and I just want to say 'WOW'. I hope you like it! Read and Review:D
Discalimer: I wished I owned Princess Tutu because then "Ahiru" would have been named "Esther":D
Chapter 3: To Return Home
Fakir woke up the next morning passed out on his bathroom floor. His left cheek was stuck to the tile; he placed both hands on each side of his face and pulled his face off of the warm floor. He slowly sat up against the wall and took in deep breaths. Last night was too much for him. Was this really her? Was she really coming here? These questions kept swimming through Fakir's head.
"I'm going back," he whispered to himself as he stood up and walked out of his bathroom. The Observers would get their story; he just needed a change of scenery. Of course being in this weird town he had to file for leave. Hopefully they wouldn't make him wait to long. Fakir changed from his pajamas and put on his best clothes. He needed to look presentable to go in front of The Observers. He was sure he wasn't going to get an audience today. But it was worth a shot. He grabbed his bag and walked out of his apartment, locking the door behind him.
The hallway in his apartment building smelled of fish, and onions. After passing eight apartment doors he finally made it out of the hallway and to the lobby. The concierge was standing behind the desk playing with his pencil. Fakir gave her a nod as he walked out the door.
"Good morning Fakir," she managed to say as he walked out of the door, he just waved at her without looking back.
Fakir paused as he stepped out of the apartment building. He looked around him and saw all of the lives he's written, it seemed like a lot when he was in his apartment, but it was more than he could have ever imagined.
Fakir let out a sigh and turned left and headed to the secret headquarters. The walk there was long, he noticed the people doing exactly as he had written for them. It was very abnormal. This was why he never left his apartment. He wished that he didn't have to leave, but he needed to get away and go back to his real home. He couldn't write her story cooped up in his apartment. If this was his Ahiru, then he needed to be around the things she was, the lake, and the town, everything that was her.
"Fakir, may I help you," a voice called, as Fakir was walking past him. Fakir stopped and looked up at the man.
"Ah, yes, I need your help. I need an audience with then as soon as possible please," Fakir said looking serious.
"I will see what I can do, please follow me," the man said as he walked into an alley way. Fakir followed the man as he was instructed too. Once they were in the alley the man looked at the opening in which they came to make sure no one was watching, and pushed on a center brick and a door opened, they both walked in.
"Ah, Michael, good to see you; oh Fakir, what a pleasant surprise, how have you been," the man behind the desk asked them upon their entrance.
"I'm fine; I'm here to request an audience with The Observers please. I need to request a leave for my new assignment. I want a change of scenery," Fakir said, trying to make this sound nonchalant.
"Well, the next opening they have is in a week," the man said.
"I can't wait that long. If they want me to finish this by the allotted time, then I need to speak with them by tomorrow at the latest," Fakir said pounding on his desk.
"Fakir, I'm sorry, but they are extremely busy," the man said.
"Busy? Doing what? No one knows about them? What could they be doing that only frees them up next week? Who the HELL do they talk too?" Fakir shouted at the man.
"Ben, I know there is an opening," Michael said to man behind the desk.
"I'm sorry, that is already taken," Ben said.
"Fine, give him my audience," a voice called from behind them.
Fakir's body stiffened, he recognized that voice, it was familiar, but he couldn't place where.
"Fakir," the voice called again, as a hand got placed on his back. Fakir slowly turned around and saw it was Mytho.
"Mytho," Fakir said not sure if he should bow to the ex-king.
"Fakir, it's been a while," he said to him extending his hand.
"Yes, yes it has," Fakir said a smile breaking across his face as he shook his hand.
"Mytho, I'm sorry but your audience can't be rescheduled. You have to be seen today," Ben said tapping his pencil impatiently on his desk.
"Fine, then Fakir shall go with me," Mytho said.
"I'm sorry, that will not work either," Ben said continuing to tap his pencil on his desk.
"I do not care. He will see both of us now," Mytho said as he walked toward the hallway. Fakir followed him.
"Mytho, why do you have an audience?" Fakir asked as he stopped him in the hallway.
"I can't tell you, I'm sorry," Mytho said.
"It's alright, thank you for letting me come up here with you," Fakir said.
"May I ask why you need an audience," Mytho asked him.
"Okay, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I'm one of the writers that write out lives. I got an assignment last night, and the name is…it's…Ahiru," Fakir said, whispering her name.
"Oh, so are you asking them to change it?" Mytho asked.
"No, I need to ask them if I can change the scenery because I want to head back to…our cabin. I want to see if she's there. She is supposed to be coming to Piz at the beginning of next year," Fakir said.
"Fakir, this may not be her, why are you getting so upset?" Mytho asked him.
"Because I read the file, Ahiru would be 28 years old, and this Ahiru is also 28," Fakir said.
"Oh. Alright, well let's go. Hopefully they will grant you your leave. What if they don't? What will you do then?" Mytho asked him.
"I'm leaving either way," Fakir said.
"Okay, calm down take some deep breaths and lets go on inside," Mytho said as he straightened out his clothing. Fakir nodded and took a deep breath and also straightened out his clothes. Mytho opened the door and walked in, his white hair falling in front of his eyes. Fakir followed after him.
"Mytho, you have come," a man in the middle seat called out.
"Fakir, what are you doing here?" a woman to the center man's right asked.
"Please excuse me; I know that this is Mytho's personal audience. But I have an urgent request that cannot wait. I received my new assignment last night, and I need a change of scenery. Would you be kind enough to grant me a leave, I will return after I have this story written. I just need a change of scenery," Fakir asked, bowing and keeping his eyes on the floor.
"Why this assignment?" the woman asked him.
"Yes, why this one?" the man on the center's left asked.
"There is no particular reason. I just feel that a change of scenery may help me to write it better," Fakir said, never making eye contact.
"Why do you need this change of scenery? We don't want your artistic abilities; we just need your unique power to write the stories so they can be real. We ask you for nothing else," the center man said.
"I know that, but you don't understand," Fakir started.
"What don't we understand?" the woman asked.
"Never mind, thank you for your time," Fakir said as he turned to leave. He stopped by Fakir and gave him a hug.
"Be safe my friend," he said to Mytho. Mytho nodded as he watched his friend walk out of the room. Mytho looked up at The Observers, sighed and walked to the center of the room.
"Now, Mytho, we need to ask you a favor. We have had a girl captive for a few years; we need you to keep her safe at your castle. Can you do this for us?" the center man asked.
"What if I refuse?" Mytho asked, crossing his arms.
"Then we will kill you and Rue," the woman said. Mytho's eyes grew big in surprise of such a harsh threat. He didn't believe them but couldn't take any chances.
"Fine, where is this captive?" Mytho asked.
"Much better," the woman said. She got off of her throne and walked to a back door. She opened the door and two guards came in dragging a helpless girl blindfolded and gagged.
"Here she is," the woman said as she took the girls tiny arm and threw her at Mytho's feet. Mytho looked at the girl and saw who it was. He knelt down beside her and glared at The Observers.
"You monsters," Mytho said under his breath as he picked up the familiar girl and walked out of the room. The girl slowly stirred to consciousness in his arms.
"Mytho?" she whispered.
Fakir paced back and forth trying to figure out what he should do, how he should leave. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He let out a sigh and opened the door.
"Fakir, this is for you," the cloaked man said. Fakir looked at him and grabbed the envelope that was in his hands.
"Thank you," Fakir said shutting the door and returning to the living room. Once there he ripped open the letter:
Fakir,
Your request has been granted. Take the enclosed travel papers and you can exit the city. There is a carriage waiting for you at the edge of town it will take you to the nearest Inn and then you are on your own. You are to return by midnight of December 30.
Fakir took out the travel papers and stuffed them into his bag and began to pack his clothes. Fakir looked at the clock when he was finished packing.
Fakir went through his house to make sure that he had everything. While he was looking through his closet and he found the picture that he brought with him. He took the picture out of the picture frame and placed it into his pocket. He let out a sigh and turned off his light. He made sure all of the windows were locked, and made sure that he had Ahiru's file and left his apartment. He locked the door behind him and walked to the concierge's desk.
"Good evening Fakir," the lady said.
"Yes, I'm going to be gone until the end of the year. I want you to forward all of my mail to this address," Fakir said handing the concierge the scrap piece of paper with his address on it.
"Yes sir, I will do that. Travel safe," she said as Fakir walked out of the apartment.
Fakir stepped out of the apartment building and walked toward the edge of town, toward his carriage. He was trying not to think about what he was going to see at the house, and what he wasn't going to see. As he walked through the town he noticed that the scenery was changing. It was going from looking nice to shabby.
"This must be the slums where so many people start out at," Fakir said to himself. He looked around and saw that it was nothing like he had written. He knew that the slums were dirty, but he was obviously too generous when describing their lives. He let out a sigh and continued to walk through the town.
Fakir finally made it to the edge of town and saw Michael standing by the carriage.
"Are you taking me to the Inn?" Fakir asked.
"Yes, do you have your travel papers?" Michael asked him.
"Yes," Fakir sad grabbing them from his bag, and handing them to Michael. Michael looked them over and opened the carriage door and took Fakir's bag and placed it on the top. Fakir stepped into the carriage and sat near the window.
"Are you set?" Michael asked him holding on to the door
"Yes, I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Fakir said, taking one last look around Piz City, and stepped into the carriage. Michael shut the door behind him and walked to the front of the carriage and got on. He took the reins and snapped them once and the horses started trotting toward the outskirts of town.
"Fakir watched out the window as the forest flew by him, before he knew it; he was fast asleep and was dreaming of Ahiru again.
"Not again," he whispered to himself as he walked out of the dorm hallway to the fountain, where he saw Ahiru waiting for him. When she saw him walk out of the door she stood up and walked toward him.
"Fakir," she whispered as she ran to him.
"Ahiru," he said, despite his sour mood, she always made him feel better, in dreams, in memories; in any form he could get her.
"I'm sorry. Look, there is something I need to tell you. I love you, I always have. Even when I thought that I was in love with Mytho, I still loved you; though I had no idea that it was love I felt for you. I just wanted you to know that," she said to him, as she kissed him.
Fakir jumped again in shock and wrapped his arms around her. Taking in her touch and her feel; he snaked his tongue into her mouth to taste her once again. How he missed her more than he knew. His hands were caressing her back remembering every curve of her body. Her hands were doing the same as she took in his taste. Slowly and with tears falling down their faces Ahiru pulled away. She stared into his eyes and wiped away his tears.
"Fakir, I have to leave now, promise me that you'll write us together," she said as she slowly walked away from him, her back never turning towards him.
"Wait," he sobbed as he fell to his knees watching the love of his life walk away from him again. "I love you, too!" he shouted after her, he saw a faint smile spread across her face before she disappeared completely.
"Fakir," Michael called to him as he opened the door. Fakir jumped and felt the same tears coming down his face. He quickly wiped them off and looked at Michael.
"We're at the Inn?" Fakir asked turning and grabbing his bag and hopping out of the carriage.
"No, we're not," Michael said hitting on the head and knocking him out. Fakir fell to the ground with a thump, and another carriage pulled up to theirs.
"Here, take him to the palace," Michael said as he opened the door to the other carriage and threw him in.