Once upon a time, two girls had always been friends...
"Thank you for helping me settle in, Autor." Ahiru says as she walks across her old dorm room and opens the windows to let some fresh air in.
"You're quite welcome. With your fumbling, you would've probably knocked your own door down just trying to sweep the floor." Autor remarks, pushing his glasses up, a glare hiding his eyes behind the lenses.
"I'm not that clumsy..." She puts on a pout as she grumbles a little.
It had been a little more than week now since that incident with the ravens, and school has started once again. Enrolled into the ballet class again, Ahiru moved back to the school dorms, and is now sporting the usual school uniform she had previously been accustomed to.
"Hm? Why aren't you wearing the school brooch?" Autor notices that the common yellow brooch seen pinned at the collars of all students' uniforms to be missing.
"Huh? Oh! Um... I guess I was too used to wearing my necklace back then that I hadn't realized it." Ahiru replies slightly embarrassed, moving to her trunk of clothes. She picks up the school brooch, and wears it properly.
"So, now that that is out of the way, where is the feather?" The bespectacled boy says bluntly.
"The feather?" She moves her hand to her pocket and pulls the soft yellow feather out. "What about it?"
"It's nothing really. Just make sure you don't ever lose it. You have to remember that that is the only thing keeping you human right now." And just as he finishes his sentence, the towns' clock bell rings. "Well, it's getting late, I should be on my way now. Good evening, Ahiru." And with a nod, Autor leaves the dorms.
With one last glance at the music student, Ahiru looks at the feather once more and clutches it gently in her hands.
"Ahh!" Ahiru woke up with a jolt as she heard the chime of the bells ring. "I'm late! And on the first day of school too!"
Tripping and falling all over the room she finally managed to dress herself in her uniform, and after opening the window to let the birds in, she runs out the door and into the hall. Stopping a bit in front of the doors of her friends, Pike and Lilie, she wonders if they still live in the same dorm rooms. She hasn't yet seen them since she became a human again, and couldn't help but wonder if they still knew her.
Remembering that she's going to be late, she runs downstairs and out the main door in a panic, rushing to her school.
"I'm here!" Ahiru practically bursts through the door with an immediate bow, now dressed and ready for ballet class.
"Ah, good morning. You must be the new student, Ahiru. I heard you used to study here before I became the new ballet instructor. Welcome back."
Looking up, Ahiru peers at the new teacher. It was a woman, but not quite. With ears and a tail, and soft white fur, their new teacher is unmistakably a cat.
"Since it's just the first day, I will excuse your tardiness, but only for today, alright?" The cat teacher beckons for Ahiru to sit with the rest, to which she of course complies.
"Now, once again, I bid you all good morning. For those who don't know me yet, I am the school's new ballet teacher, Ms. Cat." She addressees all her students. She was a white cat that stood on two legs. She wore normal white ballet shoes, some light pink tights and a black dress-like leotard. As a final touch to her get-up, she wore a bright pink ribbon around her neck that was tied in a bow behind her. "Some of you may also know this already, but I would let you know that I am one of the daughters of Mr. Cat, your previous instructor."
Ahiru gapes at this new teacher with fascination and can't help but smile at how Mr. Cat seems to have finally been able to settle down. Furthermore, this Ms. Cat is very pretty and seems very nice.
"Oh, and one last thing. Remember that if you don't do things right around here, I WILL punish you regardless of who you are." With a sudden change in demeanor, one could practically see the dark aura that surrounds Ms. Cat, successfully scaring every one of her students, most especially Ahiru who was not expecting that at all.
"Sigh. Luckily it was only the first day so we only did the basic routines. I'm too much out of practice really..." Ahiru walks out of the ballet classroom once again clad in her normal uniform. "Ah! By the way, I saw Pike and Lilie in class but haven't had the chance to speak with them. I wonder where they'd gone?" She ponders as she trots through the corridors.
Eventually, she found herself in the school courtyard where many students are having lunch or are just resting for their break before classes resume.
"Ahiru."
Almost bumping into the person, Ahiru quickly steps away in surprise as she is once again face to face with none other than the music student, "Autor!"
"You should watch where you're going or you may end up bringing down someone else with your clumsiness." He puts simply as he adjusts the books in his hands.
"S-sorry!" She grumbles. "I was just looking for someone."
"What's the matter with you!" A shout can be heard somewhere in the courtyard. And all students, couldn't help but look in the direction of two girls who appear to be having an argument.
"I know you've always been like this, but you've been acting even stranger lately!" A girl with short pink hair tied into a bun, exclaims.
"Strange? I don't know what you're talking about." The girl she was screaming at, one with blonde hair tied into pigtails with two pink ribbons, almost yawns as she replies to her friend boredly.
"Ah! Pike! Lilie!" Ahiru cries out as she runs towards the two girls, Autor following behind her with a normal walk.
"Lilie! What's wrong with you? We're friends aren't we? Why are you being like this!" Pike shouts once more.
"Would you please stop with your incessant shouting. You're embarrassing yourself, really. Ah, but that is what is good about you, isn't it? Acting the way you do, no wonder your love life is so hopeless! It really is so cute, you know." Lilie gives a soft smile as she puts one of her hands on her cheek while peering at Pike with half-lidded eyes.
Going beet red, not with embarrassment but with anger, Pike turns around and stalks off in the opposite direction, walking straight past Ahiru and Autor.
"Pike?" Ahiru looks between the two, thoroughly confused.
Lilie, shrugging, walks off on her own as well.
Choosing between the two, Ahiru runs after Pike.
"Pike! Pike! Wait, please!" She finally catches up to her in the hall as the said girl turns around to face her.
"Hm? What do you want? Who are-" Suddenly, something seems to have clicked in Pike's mind as she goes blank for a while, then wakes up with a jolt. "Ahiru! Where have you been!"
Ahiru, stopping in front of her friend, looks at her. "Oh! Umm... I, uh, had to go away for a while." She replied lamely. Autor appears behind her and she decides to change the subject. "Ah! Pike! What happened back there? Why were you and Lilie fighting?"
"Oh... that." Pike looks down. "Lilie hasn't been herself lately. I mean, I guess she's still herself... Enjoying others suffer, but... A lot more extremely now."
Ahiru stops and looks a little taken a back. "What do you mean?"
"Before, she just wishes people to fail or such... But now, its like she initiates the failure herself and verbally scorns them." She replies seriously and continues, "Recently, we had a new girl move into a dorm room near us. She was aspiring to be a ballerina too. She was a new student, but she did have talent. We took the ballet summer classes together... the three of us and some others. Lilie encouraged the girl in the way she used to do to you... But during the last few practices a week ago, for the end-of-summer performance, Lilie did something really terrible. The girl had been chosen to be the lead ballerina in the front of the stage during the intermission we were to perform at. She had worked hard and was so excited, but then Lilie started putting her down, telling her how she's going to screw up and fail her whole performance. She smiled and even said how wonderful that would be. The girl practiced even harder that night before the dance and by the time of the performance, she had worn herself out so much, she could barely move properly. She was sluggish and tired throughout the performance. She looked awful. And then, as if by some accident, Lilie bumps into her, and she quickly lost balance and fell off the stage, twisting her ankle." Pike looks up at them. "I really thought it was an accident, and told Lilie to apologize... But all she did was give me a blank stare and said 'She failed 'cause she wasn't strong enough.', and then with a smile on her face again, she went on saying how beautiful it was when the girl fell off the stage."
"But- She can't have really- Why would Lilie do that!" Ahiru says, her voice cracking as she spoke.
"I don't know! And I don't really care anymore! I tried to talk to her, but every time I do, all she'd do is point out my own failures and smile as if nothing were wrong! I'm tired of having to deal with her like this! I give up!" Pike closes her eyes as she feels the anger well up in her, and with that, she turns around and runs down the hall.
"Pike!" Ahiru tries to give chase, but seeing Pike disappear around the corner, she decided to leave her alone for now... a sad expression etched on her face.
"I don't get it... Why are all these things happening? It's like it's just one thing after another. Fakir disappears, the ravens have come back, I'm back into being a girl again... And now Pike and Lilie are fighting... Not to mention of course that Lilie is acting very strange... Oh! What should I do!"
"What you should do is be quiet...!" Autor whispers to her with a hiss.
The two were in the library. Autor had been doing his usual librarian assistant job, and Ahiru had come and visited him here after her afternoon class.
Ahiru then takes hold of a chain around her neck, as she pulls out a necklace from beneath her blouse. At the end of the chain, made into a pendant, was the yellow feather. "I wonder if Fakir's okay... I'm sure he would've thought of what to do." Moving the feather slightly in her hand, she wonders, 'Where did you go,... Fakir?'
"Ugh. I can't believe I just did that." Pacing the streets slowly back towards the dorm, Pike murmurs to herself. " I haven't seen Ahiru in months, and then as soon as we see each other again, I run off! Sure, I'm still upset about Lilie, but that has nothing to do with Ahiru."
As she scolds herself, she suddenly brings her hand up to scratch her head. "This is all Lilie's fault! Why is she being like this lately! I'm sick of having to apologize for her or to constantly keep her in check! I am NOT her babysitter!" She speaks in frustration and kicks a piece of trash on the floor across the street.
All of a sudden, Pike doesn't realize just how dark it is already. It was sundown, but something wasn't right... Realizing, she turns around to see all the buildings' roofs covered in flocks of ravens.
"What the? Wh-what do you want! I am not in the mood!" She screams angrily at the birds.
The birds just stare at her with their crimson eyes, not making a single move and just sitting there looking down at her. Before she could say anything more, she suddenly hears a cold giggle echo through the street.
"That is a very powerful emotion you have there." The voice chuckled.
"Who was that!-" Pike whips around and was completely caught off guard as she is met with a strange girl standing before her.
She was beautiful really, with a pale complexion and dark green eyes. She had a very cold, cruel look, with black eye shadow beneath her eyes pointing outwards to emphasize each cool glare. With black lipstick, and a mass of curly blonde hair tied into a tight ponytail, the girl stood there. She was balanced on a perfect pointe wrapped in black ballet shoes. To match the shoes, she wore a jet black ballerina dress that was strapped only onto her left shoulder, and a set of yellow stockings.
She took a step towards Pike, extending a hand out to her.
"You're anger is quite powerful. It is making you suffer, isn't it? Let me help you."
Ahiru stares at the feather in her hand and continues to ponder on all the things that have happened thus far. Autor, who's supposed to be closing the library now, heads over to where she was sitting.
'There has to be a reason I've become a girl again... This must surely be because Princess Tutu is needed again.' Letting the feather dangle around her neck again, she finally decides. 'I'm going to go speak to Lilie! I'm sure I can help her!'
And just when Autor was about to tap her shoulder, without warning, Ahiru suddenly stands up quickly. She moved so fast that as soon as she stood up, hear head collided... BAM! ...with Autor's face.
"Owwie..." She mumbles rubbing her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Autor, glasses in one hand, and the other clutching his face. "Ah! Autor! I'm so sorry! I didn't hear you approach!"
"What on earth are you doing just standing up like that so quickly!" He says as he rubs his face and puts his glasses back on.
"I've finally decided. I'm going to go look for Lilie and find out what's really going on!" She says determinedly.
"You plan on looking for her now?"
"Eh?" She puts on a blank expression.
Sighing, Autor moves to the library doors and opens it and she follows him outside. "You spent the whole afternoon just to decide that. It's already night time."
Indeed, just as he said, Ahiru can't help but sweatdrop at her own neglect of the time. "Ehehehe..."
"Come, it's late. I'll walk you back to the dorm." Autor says as he locks the library doors.
"Ah! You really don't have to. You should head straight home-"
"I don't always offer such courtesy, so I suggest you take it. Besides, your dorm is on the way to my home." He smirks as he states the latter matter-of-factly. He walks on ahead as Ahiru watches him.
'Hmph. Always so rude!' She pouts as she catches up to the indigo haired boy.
The two walked in silence as they headed towards the dorm. Feeling the unsettling silence, Ahiru decides to maybe try and strike up some sort of conversation...
"Um, so... Autor. What do you think is going on? Like, with Lilie, and Pike. You have any idea why Lilie is acting so strange?" She starts a little forcefully, not really thinking enough on how to start.
"How should I know. How am I even to know if she's acting strange. I don't know this Lilie friend of yours." Autor replies uninterested and doesn't even bother to even glance at Ahiru. "The most I know of the girl are the rumors I've heard from other students on how they suspect the girl to be a sadist."
"L-Lilie is not a sadist! She's-"
Before Ahiru could finish her remark, they turn a corner only to find a strange spectacle going on.
In front of them, a little down the street, were a flock of ravens dancing around Pike who was being held up by a spiked black pillar. With her, on a black crystal pedestal, stood a blonde girl in a black dress.
"Pike!" Ahiru exclaims as she and Autor run towards the scene.
Quickly turning into Princess Tutu out of instinct, she glides over the ravens and stands before the black pillar where Pike was.
"Pike! Please open your eyes!" She pleads as she dances around the pillar.
"A...hi... ru...?" And she slowly opens her eyes.
"Pike?"
"Well, if it isn't Princess Tutu. So nice of you to join to us." The blonde girl beckons her.
"What do you want with Pike! Who are you!" Tutu demands.
"Oh, how rude. I only wanted to see her suffer a little more. I was going to release her from her suffering soon enough." The girl mockingly pouts whilst taking on a new stance a kin to the raven stance Princess Kraehe used to do.
"Ahiru!" Pike sits up and looks around in a panic. Seeing Tutu, she exclaims, "Princess Tutu?" with eyes wide.
"Why would you want to see anyone suffer?" The girl clad in white pleads as she spins on one foot clad in pink ballet shoes.
"But it's just so wonderful to see them suffer!" The girl grins as she glides down from her pedestal. "Besides, I did say I was going to comfort her after wards!"
They continue their conversation as both dance around the pillar.
"But even if you were; To watch them suffer first-It isn't right!" She twirls and makes a sign of sadness.
"She's already suffering! A little more and I would've freed her from it!" A giggle. "Isn't that right, Pike?" She makes one last twirl and stops at one side of Pike, looking up at her.
"I-"
"Pike! All emotions are precious... Even when you have feelings that are hurting you, the only one who can free yourself from it is you." She too, stops at the other side of Pike.
"But-"
"Don't listen to her, if you come with me now, I can make it go away, I can make it all go away."
"-!"
"Pike!" Tutu.
"PIKE." The girl in black.
But the pink-haired girl has had enough.
"WOULD YOU ALL JUST STOP!-"
And as if by irony, Pike's world was the one that stopped.
As soon as she screamed, Pike's eyes went blank, and she collapsed as the black pillar disappeared back down into the ground.
"Pike!" Tutu catches Pike's limp body. "What's wrong! What happened!"
"She broke... How pitiful." The girl in black says with a playful grin.
Just then, Pike's chest shone a dim light and something flew out. With a quick prance forward and another one back, the girl in black takes the small red light and flies up with another prance.
"What are you doing! Give that back!" She then hands Pike's limp body to Autor, who has rushed over to them. She stands and tries to pursue the girl.
"Sorry. But maybe we can play together again some other time, Princess Tutu." And with a wink, the girl in black disappeared in a flurry of black feathers. And all Princess Tutu could do was watch.
"No...!"
Chapter 2 : Birds of a Feather