Hi everyone! The finale is right around the corner and I don't know whether to be happy or sad. Hm. (=~=); Well, in any case, here goes.
Special thanks to -Rhiannon-Onyx Moon, BlueForestAngelCat, Insomniatic95, Moon Shadow Magic, YuukixZero16-in-yellow and lloyd-forever for the comments and reviews!
Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu or any of its characters...hrm, except for Miss Lorna I suppose but...well, you'll see.
Also, NOTE: This chapter has a teenie time skip. Only about two days after the last chapter.
Oh, and after writing this chapter, I noticed that this story sort of goes with the song, Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens. Like, if you play it right when Rue finds the girl dead in the dorm room, it should fit with the rest of the story...unless that's just me. :P
"Aaaw, c'mon Fakir! Can I please go back to school?" Ahiru whined from across the table. "I'm already up and walking and my chest hardly hurts anymore!"
"No. It's only been three days. You shouldn't rush your health." Fakir said adamantly as he finished up the last of his breakfast.
"But Fakiiiiir!"
Charon chuckled. "Ahiru, Fakir's right. After an injury like that, you need to be patient and wait for it to heal completely; especially for you as a dancer. If it hasn't healed fully, it could hinder your movement or perhaps cause you harm."
Ahiru pouted. "Yeah...I guess." Charon chuckled again.
"Well, it sure seems like much of your energy has come back so I think one more day of rest should do it. What do you think Fakir?"
Fakir replied with a simple "Ah" and grabbed his book bag, heading towards the door. Ahiru brightened up slightly and as Fakir left, Ahiru yelled, "Have a good day Fakir!" Fakir blushed slightly before disappearing down the hall. Once Fakir left, Ahiru got up from her chair with a little wobble and smiled at Charon. "Well, I'm going to go up and rest a little now. Thank you for the breakfast Charon!"
"Ah, it's no problem Ahiru. But, if you don't mind, you'll be here by yourself for a little while. I have to go now and Raetsel said that she won't be over until noon. Is that okay with you?"
"Mhm! You don't have to worry about me Charon! I can take care of the house." Charon chuckled as he got up and prepared to head to his shop. Meanwhile, Ahiru went to her room and snuggled into her bedsheets.
"Good morning, my Prince." Mytho opened his eyes slowly and smiled up at Rue who sat near his head on the edge of the bed.
"Good morning, Rue." Rue smiled and leaned down to give Mytho a quick kiss.
"Come, Prince, you should get ready, class will start soon." Mytho nodded and got out of bed. He headed towards the dresser on the far side of the room where his uniform was neatly folded but paused to look out the window. He could see his room across the yard to the boys' dorm. For the past few nights, he'd been secretly sleeping in Rue's room. He was sure that people had already noticed, but since most people already knew that him and Rue were engaged, no one made a fuss.
It had been his idea. After what happened with Ahiru, Mytho no longer trusted himself alone. So, as a result, he had asked Rue to practically keep a twenty-four hour surveillance on him. As far as he knew, it was working. However, every day, he could feel the Raven pecking at his consciousness, fighting to control him.
"Aaaaaaaaahhh!!!!" Mytho snapped to the ear piercing scream right outside the door. Rue looked to him and almost immediately they were out the door and amongst the crowd of girls in the doorway to one of the rooms.
"Someone! Call a teacher! Call a doctor!"
Rue impatiently pushed through the crowd until she reached the front, only to see a brown haired girl in her pajamas holding another girl in her arms on the floor. There was deep red puddle of blood building around them. "Oh my gosh, Aeira! Please, someone help her!" The brown girl sobbed. Rue closed her eyes and looked away. She had caught a glimpse of the red, yet empty hole in the middle of the other girl's chest.
Rue pushed her way back out of the crowd and frowned. "Mytho?" She looked around. "Mytho!?" Rue panicked and hurried back to her room. Mytho was nowhere to be found. "No." Rue whirled around to go search for Mytho only to find that he was already leaning against the now closed door behind her.
"Mytho...did you do that?" Mytho stared carelessly in Rue's direction, his red eyes piercing right through her. However, Rue stood her ground. Seeing that Rue stood strong against his gaze, Mytho sighed and walked past Rue towards the window.
"Yes. One night when you weren't looking. I was quite surprised that someone had actually found the body. I thought I had taken out the hearts of most of the townspeople by now. I guess I was wrong."
Rue glared at him. "Why? I only began to notice it when Ahiru pointed it out, but out of the many people you simply left heartless, why are there some that wind up like...like that? There was the maid from the castle and now this!"
Suddenly, Mytho began laughing. "Foolish Kraehe. There were many more than that."
"What?"
"I simply couldn't resist myself. Their pure hearts were much too alluring. So, instead of waiting to gouge their hearts out with the Prince's sword, I simply ripped them out." As Mytho spoke, Rue felt herself becoming more and more horrified. "However, even their hearts aren't good enough for me. Perhaps to renew my true form, yes, but not quite enough to fulfill my hunger. It seems I still crave the purest of them all." Rue grew even more wide eyed as she realized what the Raven truly wanted.
"You...evil Raven!!!" Rue grabbed Mytho by the shoulders and began shaking him. "Please! Stop this! I swear, I won't let you take the Prince's heart!"
Mytho roughly pushed Rue off of him and onto the floor. He snorted at her. "Foolish girl. You still think I'm after the Prince's heart. I do crave a heart like his, but I'm not so stupid as to take it while I inhabit it."
"Then..." Mytho glared at her once more before turning around to the window. Then, Mytho climbed onto the window seat and opened the window. Rue gasped.
"Mytho! Wait!" Just as Rue got up and ran towards the window, a crow warrior appeared before her, obstructing her path, and Mytho had already jumped out the window. Although the crow blocked her way, she managed to catch sight of Mytho as he disappeared in a burst of black feathers. Rue's gaze lingered in the sky where Mytho had disappeared until she noticed the tip of a sword being pointed at her chest.
"Tch." Rue turn around and headed for the door only to find that a crow stood there as well. Slowly, the two ravens on either side of her approached.
On his way to school, Fakir couldn't help but grimace at the silence that greeted him on his way. The longer it took to for them to figure out how to stop the Raven, the quieter the town became. He could see many people roaming the streets, passing him by, but they were all the same. They were merely empty shells.
"There's no way I'll let this story end this way."
Once the school building came into view, Fakir stopped. Perched on the roofs of the academy buildings were numerous crows and ravens, all cawing loudly, as if they were excited. "What the-?" Fakir shook away his surprise and ran towards the lesson room.
Rue jumped and ducked, dodging their blades as best she could. Rue probably could have handled one crow on her own, but two was just a bit too much. They were fast and were quickly backing her into a corner.
Her back hit the wall and the crows spared no time in closing in the distance. No...I have to find Mytho! I can't die here! If only...if only I could transform into Kraehe! Then maybe...but, I can't anymore...can I?
Fakir ran into the ballet building and headed towards the lesson room. Upon entering the hallway leading to the lesson room, Fakir spotted Mytho standing right outside its door. "Mytho!"
Mytho turned his head towards Fakir only to give him a mocking smirk before entering the room, closing the door behind him. "Hey, wait!" Fakir ran towards the door and turned the handle. Finding that it had been locked, Fakir banged angrily at the door. "Mytho!!"
Miss Lorna came down from pointe and turned to Mytho as he stepped forward. "Mytho? You're here rather early." At the sound of Fakir's loud banging on the door, Miss Lorna frowned and looked past Mytho. "Who is that banging on the door?" Miss Lorna quickly walked towards the door, only to be stopped by Mytho's suddenly changing appearance. "Mytho?"
Suddenly, Rue felt a change run through her. It was familiar and Rue was both happy and a little bit sad because of it. She was transforming into the black swan, Princess Kraehe, the persona that had driven her to throw the story into chaos. This time, however, it would save her life.
Rue quickly threw herself into a pirouette, producing a wall of black feathers that burst outwards, throwing the crows back. Taking their state of unbalance to her advantage, Rue launched a feather at each of them. Hitting her targets head on, the crows vanished.
Rue relaxed and looked out the window. "Mytho." Then, Rue jumped out and disappeared in a whirlwind of feathers.
Fakir continued pounding his fists against the door until he finally accepted the fact that it was useless. "Damn it!" Hurriedly, Fakir turned around and headed outside. Upon stepping out of the building, he was surprised to find 'Kraehe' appear in front of him. "Rue?"
"Fakir! Have you seen Mytho?"
"Yeah, he's in the lesson room. He's locked the door though."
"What!? Was there someone else in there with him?"
"I don't know. I didn't see. Just...come on." Fakir led Rue around the building to the windows of the lesson room where they were finally able to see inside. Miss Lorna stood in the middle of the room, her back to them. But suddenly, she fell limply to the ground, revealing Mytho standing over her, her heart in his hand. "Mytho! No!!" Fakir crashed through the window, Rue following right behind him.
"Don't you dare eat her heart!!" Fakir ran at Mytho as fast as he could, but before he could even reach him, Mytho quickly devoured the heart. Then, a shock wave radiated out from Mytho, sending Fakir flying back and bursting all the windows. Mytho fell on his knees and let out a painful cry as a black object began to make its way out of Mytho's chest. Then, the object finally released itself from Mytho's chest and flew out the window. It was a pitch black heart.
"Prince!" Rue ran towards Mytho and wrapped her arms around him.
"Rue..." He said weakly. "The Raven...he's..." As if to finish Mytho's sentence, a tremor shook the ground and the light that flooded in through the windows slowly vanished. Rue slung Mytho's arm over her shoulder and helped him up. The three of them exited the lesson room only to find that the entire town was shrouded in darkness. Above them, the giant Monster Raven loomed over them.
"The Monster Raven..." Rue whispered.