Chapter 6: The Toymaker's Workshop
The long weeks began to take their toll on the toymaker as he sought an ever elusive safe haven for himself and his Nutcracker nephew. The kingdom he'd once lived in chased the two of them out almost immediately. Even if it was the once great Drosselmeyer and his apprentice, the king's orders were absolute and a human and a cursed toy had no welcome.
Next they tried to seek shelter amongst the dolls. That was before the mice came seeking them out. Some of the dolls would occasionally grant them shelter, but it was always brief. The ferocity of the revenge-seeking mice would eventually drive them away again.
How had it all gone so horribly wrong?
Every time he tried to correct his mistakes, he only compounded them. Every plan he forged led to unforeseen consequences. Even when his dear Sugar Plum tried to read the stars to divine the simplest solution to saving the princess, he hadn't thought to ensure the safety of the person delivering her a cure for her condition.
The faerie bore such a sorrowful face the last time he'd seen her. She promised to scour every single speck of light in the heavens to find a way to save the poor Nutcracker from his fate. And so he'd bid her goodbye, with the promise that she'd eventually return to him if she found a way to rescue him.
That was months ago.
One more person's pleasant life uprooted by his carelessness.
Only now was luck on his side, as he'd managed to make off with a pair of horses for the two of them to continue their escape. Before the Nutcracker and the toymaker rode into the grassy fields, he'd reminded the wooden soldier that should they ever become separated, their old workshop was their final destination.
And so the journey began in earnest, constantly interrupted by ambushes from their pursuers. The mice fought with no concern for safety, and his soldier's training did him well as he banished them again and again. The Nutcracker's short time served as a peace time soldier seemed to protect him, but still the toymaker would carefully inspect him after ever battle, trying to patch every crack and dent in the wood.
No matter how dangerous their pursuers, the Nutcracker's reaction to his fate seemed calm and resolute. He never complained. He never mourned. That's just the way he'd been, even as a human boy. Was he just always capable of being optimistic no matter what his circumstances?
Would that he shared the Nutcracker's endlessly cheerful spirit in such grim days. The ferocity of the battlefields of the Marzipan Kingdom trying to decimate the mice only made the journey more hazardous. The toymaker lamented his own part in this tragedy, yet he seethed with rage against the humans who threw doll after doll at the endless army of supernatural mice. To them, their lives meant nothing – even as hard as it was to kill a doll, running along fields strewn with broken doll parts still remained unsettling.
But with the familiar sight of his old home in reach, the toymaker tried to press forward. He had ways to protect it, to keep the both of them safe. "Uncle, we're finally home…" Hope echoed in the Nutcracker's voice as he clutched his long blue scarf close.
The toymaker pushed open the door to his old home. It hadn't been properly cared for in some time – many of his projects had been relocated to his new home in the Marzipan Castle. But many of his older blueprints still remained. He took a few careful steps inside, approaching one of his wind up soldiers. "Hm… the stardust nodes need repairing… but I should be able to get them up and running again soon enough-"
"UNCLE!"
The warning came too late – he felt the sensation of cold steel piercing his chest. Pain shot through his limbs, radiating from the deep wound.
"NO!"
The creature couldn't pull its sword out fast enough before the Nutcracker impaled it, the wretched black cloud filling the room. The toymaker placed his hand over his injury, blood staining his white gloves – perhaps the warning wasn't too late after all. In the process of turning to react his nephew's panicked voice, the blade had pierced his shoulder, missing his vitals.
More mice jumped down from the upper level. "Ugly Nutcracker can't stop us! As long as you roam free, we'll chase you and destroy anyone that comes between the Mouse Royals' revenge!"
The Nutcracker tried to block access to his uncle as the toymaker fumbled for his own weapon. He drew a sword with a multi-colored blade, standing at his full height and trying to shrug off the pain as his foes skittering forward to engage…
The Nutcracker became a whirl of sword play – his fury stunned the toymaker as he watched the "boy" fight like a seasoned warrior. The mice seemed to concentrate only on fighting him. In mere moments, before the toymaker could properly enter the melee, it was already over, the mice nothing more than the fading clouds of smoke surrounding the one who slew them.
The Nutcracker remained silent as the combat came to a close. He finally turned to his uncle and his previously cheerful demeanor appeared completely shattered. "Uncle… please don't die…" he pleaded.
'I need to stay brave for him…' the toymaker thought. "It's not a serious wound. My sword arm won't be good for a few days, but… I'll get some gauze and sleep on it. Everything will be fine. Please… don't worry."
The smile never returned to the Nutcracker's face that day. His uncle's mind focused only one trying to fortify the building, turning the keys on the mechanical soldiers. He assured his nephew that the mice couldn't harm them here, not again.
The Nutcracker seemed to accept this, but he drew no great comfort from it. Eventually, though, the nephew convinced his uncle to rest for the night, so his arm might heal. As much as the toymaker wished to stay awake if only for his sake, the pain of the wound drew enough energy out of him to accept the wisdom in his words.
Had he understood what would happen before he awoke, he likely never would have slept.
For as the morning sun in his window danced in his eyes and he called out to his nephew, only silence greeted him. As panic set in, he frantically searched the workshop for any signs of intrusion… yet everything remained in place.
Finally he saw it. Nothing had been "taken", but something had been added.
A small toy Nutcracker lay atop his nephew's old bed, resting gently atop a pillow. Slowly he approached the bed and saw that familiar blue hair, those rosy cheeks, and the permanent smile.
He fell to his knees, cradling the Nutcracker in his hands… the sense of despair choked him, clutching at his insides as he wept bitterly. He felt the sensation of sorrow collapsing in on him, an otherworldly force wrenching at his heart. Yet he felt no will to fight against it and he allowed it to swallow him up…
"Snow falling, I warm it to make white chocolate out of it! On a sponge street, I waltz with you as we melt into the sweet clouds!"
Kaito's chipper singing voice was welcome after the harrowing experiences of the Crystalline Caverns. Technically Miku knew she should probably tell him to stop, given the chance of them being ambushed at any time. But listening to his lovely tones helped her to maintain her own sense of security.
"For you, I'll make it taste bitter. I put more meringue than usual, ah! There comes a kirsch-flavored strawberry carriage!"
Even Meiko had a calm smile on her face as she followed behind Kaito's footsteps in the fresh fallen snow. Miku still didn't entirely know how to broach the odd subject of the "princess" and her past with Kaito. The complicated history they shared, Kaito's seemingly easy forgiveness of her grievous slight against him… the idea that they were supposed to get married.
She looked out over the pink waters of the Rose Lake and tried to banish the sudden jealousy taking root in her heart. 'If Kaito and Meiko were together, it's not my business. We've only just met after all!'
Miku almost slapped her cheek to change her train of thought.
"Wearing the scent of vanilla, I take a ticket for Christmas. At a candy store on a chiffon cake street I buy your favorite tart. I walk delicately to your house so that I won't drop the cake!"
Kaito's rather attractive voice playing in her ears wasn't helping matters. Where had all these thoughts come from all of a sudden?!
"Miku, do you know this song?"
She gasped as she realized Kaito was talking to her. "I mean, my uncle taught it to me… and if he's really your godfather, then maybe you know it too?"
Meiko's royal airs seemed to return. "Indeed, it's a rather common seasonal melody back at the Marzipan Court!"
The errant princess began to sing a few lines for herself.
"My original decoration, the crescent moon and one kiwi, cocoa powder stardust, magic in the night sky!"
'Gah! Is she challenging me?'
Miku hummed a few bars in her head. She actually did remember hearing this song once before… she gave the lyrics her best shot.
"It won't take much time to your house. I wonder if my cake isn't crumpled? Hey, wait my reindeer! Going through clouds by red-nosed limited express, look!"
Kaito clapped his wooden hands together and to Miku it sounded like two wood blocks tapping against each other. "Ah, you have a pretty voice too! Is there anything you can't do Miku?!"
'Kaito, do you really have no idea what that sounds like?!'
Miku glanced to Meiko, but if the brunette was going to show any signs of jealousy, she seemed to be able to keep them turned inwardly. A seemingly great feat for Meiko to keep anything contained.
As the group continued to walk along through the light snow, they continued to sing their carol together, their voices slowly forming an even harmony.
"Where snow begins to fall is acrylic pink. Ah! As I touch it, my fingertips get colored light purple!"
"Hmmm… we probably won't make it across the lake shore before nightfall…" Kaito murmured.
He stared out ahead at the glowing sunset over the lake. The orange and red hues in the sky reflecting in the pink water set Miku's imagination ablaze. 'I wonder how come it hasn't frozen over…' she thought to herself.
"Are you suggesting we might need to stop out here?! In the cold?!"
Meiko's horrified expression certainly gave away her pampered origins. Not that Miku had any experience with sleeping outside either…
Everyone set down their packs and tried to take stock of what they still had after the crash. "Well, that's plenty of blankets for Meiko and I…" Miku said.
"And this looks like enough food for Miku and I to sustain ourselves…" Meiko added, going through Sweet Ann's elaborately packed treats.
Kaito seemed to be looking the supplies over. Miku realized that everything Sweet Ann had sent along had been appropriate for humans. Kaito's wooden doll's body required no protection from cold nor sustenance for hunger after all. Even the blue scarf that hung from his neck all the time was merely ornamental.
"All we need is fire wood for you two!" he said happily, "Oh, she even provided some kindling for us! Ah, they were the nicest dolls I've ever met!"
Meiko rose to her feet. "Fine, it would be most appropriate for me to gather some twigs and branches for a fire!" she volunteered. "You and Kaito can prepare a place for us to sleep."
Though Miku was hoping to spend some time apart from Meiko, she wasn't sure it was safe to let her wander alone… and Miku had her own quandaries to resolve without Kaito in earshot.
"Ah, Meiko, it's probably best if I accompanied you," she said, "Of the three of us, Kaito is the most capable of protecting himself should the mice come after us."
Meiko grumbled to herself. "I suppose your advice is sound," she said, "We'll be sure to keep our search close to the campsite… just in case misfortune is following us."
Kaito cheerfully waved to his friends before he set to work setting up beds for the two of them. Miku tried to keep up with Meiko's quick footsteps, grabbing at branches along the way. Soon her bundle of sticks looked far more impressive than Meiko's. Finally the brunette stopped walking and whirled towards Miku's direction.
"You can stop pretending you're following me just to help. I know you saw everything."
Miku almost dropped the sticks at such a sudden confrontation – of course she wanted to confront Meiko, but she hadn't expected to get undercut right away. "Come now, out with it. Just because he already let me off doesn't mean you will. Kaito's the only person mad enough not to hold a grudge over so deep a wound."
The pigtailed girl pulled her bundle tighter. "Why did you do that to him? I saw his entire trial…"
Though as she recalled how her own trial turned out to be an illusion drawn from her thoughts, she added "I saw it how he remembered it anyway."
Meiko's harsh expression wavered. She began to stumble around, haphazardly grabbing at discarded sticks. "I see. Then you saw me at my worst."
"… Kaito almost died remembering it."
For just a moment, Miku wanted Meiko to know just how much Kaito wasn't saying. She wanted Meiko to understand just how much more weight her actions carried against him.
All of a sudden, Meiko looked up at Miku with such a curious glance that it was as though the princess had never met her before. "What of you? You told me back in Bonbon that you came from the World Beyond with him… so how did he get out there and why was he with you?"
In all the calamities of the past days, Miku hadn't spent much time pondering how strange the events surrounding her had started. "I… my godfather brought a toy nutcracker with him at Christmas and gave him to me. And in the evenings, as everyone fell asleep, he sprung to life and ran from the mice."
Meiko looked doubtful. "But you can clearly see Kaito is not some little toy, even if he has a doll's body!"
Miku tried to shift the sticks in her arms to keep from dropping them. 'How did he get like that?' she thought, 'That was when he said he was "asleep", right? But… he woke up when I spoke to him…'
How small those worries about finishing school seemed when she'd been murdering monstrous mice.
"So you're no better. Your reason for following him everywhere is try and save yourself, yes?" Meiko prodded.
Having her journey given such a sterile tone made Miku perk up with anger. "I promised my godfather I was going to protect him!" she said defensively, "And… and I have! I even attacked the Mouse King himself to stop him from hurting my Nutcracker! And no matter how frightening he is, I'd do it again! I'm not going to be happy until Kaito and I can be free together! And… and if you're going to stay with us, I need to trust that you're going to stick by him instead of saving your own skin if things get too hard!"
The brunette princess seemed stunned – had she really not been dressed down like this in her entire life?
"… there is nothing I can say to repair that wound. Nothing."
Meiko returned to gathering sticks, her small bundle finally growing. "Where I grew up, my parents kept me so sheltered. I barely understood how the world worked, and I did what they told me – it was just easier that way. I had plenty of servants, but none who would ever approach me as an equal."
'Is this supposed to make me feel sorry for her?' Miku thought. It seemed awfully self-centered…
She let out a long sigh. "Kaito isn't a person like that though… he just does what he wants. He wandered in on me in the garden and started talking to me like I was anyone else. I didn't realize how important that was until…"
Miku made a stab at trying to grab some more sticks. She thought she was beginning to understand what Meiko was actually doing. "He hasn't changed, not a bit! My parents wouldn't even look upon me when I was under that wretched curse! They didn't think anyone would even try to help me unless they thought they were getting something out of it! Just trading me away like that… promising my hand in marriage to any stranger that could end the curse…"
There was that word again. "Kaito wouldn't have been a stranger though…" Miku started to say, only to be interrupted as the princess let out another loud groan.
"But I still didn't want to just marry him! I didn't LOVE him!"
She finally seemed to have more sticks than she could carry. "Kaito… he came to find me when nobody even had the courage to look at me…"
Her voice wavered for a moment. "He wasn't afraid. Not one bit. When I told him about the marriage promise… he told me if he saved me, then I wouldn't have to marry ANYONE if I didn't want to! Just… completely oblivious to what any of it meant! All with that… that… stupid smile on his face!"
She clutched her branches closer to her body. "You know what? The worst part of that curse? I couldn't feel anything... I just wanted to cry my eyes out, but I couldn't… I guess... that's not a problem for Kaito. He's always trying to smile for everyone, so he never cried before… being a doll probably just makes it easier for him to just smile forever…"
Meiko coughed, her body stiffening as she brushed past Miku. "This should be enough, right? We'd better be the ones to light the fire… I don't want poor Kaito to turn into kindling."
As the princess marched out of the woods, Miku only somewhat seemed to understand the point of their conversation when the princess stopped her stride and turned back to face Miku. "I don't care whether you think much of me. My actions were… reprehensible. But I refuse to set foot in my old home or wear my crown again so long as Kaito remains under the thrall of the Mouse Twins."
Meiko turned away from her again. "I simply ask… that you prove to be a more loyal person than I."
If Miku had thought Meiko's honesty was going to make her easier to understand, now it seemed having her past laid out so plainly was only making her even more confusing. But… at least now she felt more comfortable having her around them again.
Kaito marched around the camp mindlessly. He'd offered to take on the watch for the first part of the night so Miku and Meiko could sleep first.
He still didn't quite understand how a doll's body needed sleep – it seemed to work differently than it had when he was human. For example, he didn't seem to dream when he slumbered. The times he slept he seemed to essentially cease to think or feel, only regaining those functions as his crude approximation of sleeping came to an end. He honestly preferred trying to stay awake given how unsettling the act felt to him now.
Still, he couldn't stay awake indefinitely… he had a vague recollection of his body simply giving out when he'd over exerted it. But that wasn't the time he'd "fallen asleep" and forgotten everything…
He found himself turning to his slumbering human companions. There was an advantage to no longer feeling the cold or needing shelter… but not feeling it any longer only seemed to further highlight the difference between his two existences.
'No, I can't be thinking like this… Miku and Meiko need me at my best… I have to smile for them, no matter what.'
He tried to bury the worries in his heart. Once he found his uncle again, maybe he'd have found a way to save him. But now when he tried to clearly recall the last time he'd seen his uncle, a sense of fear rose up in his heart. Was the toymaker really okay? He felt a great pain when he tried to think of it…
As Kaito's eyes fell towards Miku, he finally realized he should have been alert before – she was laying up, wide awake. "Miku?" Kaito whispered.
She looked over to Kaito with an embarrassed look on her face. "I… I can't sleep…"
"Oh, again? Are you just a really light sleeper?"
Miku tried to pull her blankets closer. "I… um… Kaito, ever since I came here, I haven't been able to sleep at all actually…"
"AH! Miku, you're not turning into a doll too are you?!" Kaito said with worry, "How do your limbs feel? Stiff?!"
The sharp "SHHHH!" she uttered reminded Kaito that Meiko was at least asleep. He tried to lower his voice. "I'm sorry… I just want to make sure you're okay."
Miku kept the blankets pulled tightly around her body as she crawled closer to Kaito. He sat down on the bare ground with her, trying to stay far back enough from the fire to keep himself safe while ensuring Miku would stay warm. "I'm sorry, Miku…" he started to say.
"Enough of that," she said, "You didn't make this happen to me. And frankly…"
She looked over to the sleeping princess. "Meiko didn't do this to you either."
Kaito rested his head on his knees. He tried to recall what Meiko was like before. "I know she can be very… difficult… but Princess Pirlipat, ah… Meiko. She's not a bad person."
Even as difficult as remembering the past with her could be… "She doesn't always know how to handle people, but she eventually learned how to handle me. I think… I think she wants to be better though."
He tried to safely recall the memories of their friendship. Snippets of her dashed through his head.
"Oh, she was a really big fan of the ballet! The prima ballerina in particular! Oh, she even had a pair of red slippers but she'd always stumble and fall when she tried to stand on her toes… we used to sing together too, it was something we actually had in common and…"
"Get that horrible, ugly Nutcracker away from me!"
As that sharp voice impinged on his thoughts, Kaito's excited tale ended abruptly.
He had wanted to relieve his friend of the weight of her burden back in the cavern, and how easy that had been to simply put the entire endeavor into his past and think only of how wonderful it was she was alive and safe. He recalled that he'd long ago learned to muddle through everything painful by simply smiling and letting go. He could vaguely recall all sorts of horrible names and insults slung his way in the aftermath of falling under his curse, but hers stung the worst. "I just want her to be free too," he said, trying to keep up his smile.
'Maybe the boy in the cavern was right… maybe I did this to myself somehow… forgetting my past, turning into a lifeless toy…'
Miku seemed to be searching his face. "Kaito, I really appreciate that you're always so optimistic," she said gently, "But it's okay if you feel sad about something too."
'Ah! Am I being too obvious!?'
He tried to smile even harder for her. "Please Miku, don't worry about me! Everything will be fine when we reach the workshop!"
That didn't seem to satisfy her. Kaito was certain if he still had a heart, it would be pounding by now. "Kaito, I saw you in the cavern… I saw all of it. You really scared me back there… I thought you were dead…"
Of course, she probably hadn't talked about his "trial" because Meiko was close by and no doubt she didn't want to upset her. Kaito looked out over the fire, casting orange light around the tiny campsite. "I can forget, okay? I just want to be strong for everyone else…"
'… that's what you need me to be, right?'
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Miku leaning closer to him. "… so you don't care about what makes you happy? I thought that's all you said matters?"
Kaito lowered his head further. "I… I just meant that… I mean, when other people are happy, so am I."
He wasn't lying…
"I'm not happy when I know you're hurt and you're lying about it, Kaito."
He tried to ignore her prodding. Why did any of it matter? He must not be good enough at smiling. 'But right now I don't feel like smiling…'
"… Miku, what do you want me to do?!" he said in frustration, clenching his hair with his wooden fingers. He still couldn't bring himself to look at her with his feelings in such chaos.
"I don't want you to hold back, that's all," Miku said, "You're a really strong person, you don't have to keep proving that to us. I want to be able to help my Nutcracker too."
My Nutcracker. Whenever anyone else called him a Nutcracker, it was with pity or an insult. Whenever Miku said it, it sounded so tender and kind. Kaito finally managed to look Miku in the eye again. "Miku, you did help me," he confessed, "When I was back there… I just wanted to leave everything behind. Forget what I'd become and why. Go back to being just a doll. And if I couldn't do that? I just wanted to be nothing at all."
He looked at his blocky wooden hands, trying to remember the cruel illusion of being human again right down to the sensation of feeling his uncle's hand gripping his shoulder. "When it all came back just like that, it felt like I had nothing to live for. But then you were just sitting over me, promising you'd never leave. It made me think that I did have at least one person to stay here for, even if it hurt to remember."
This time when he smiled, it felt real.
Miku twisted a strand of hair around one of her fingers. "Kaito… I've been thinking. If Gakupo's from my world, and he's your uncle, are you from that world too?"
He tried to recall fully, but his foggy mind still made it difficult to reach all the way back into his life. 'It must be a side effect of the curse,' he thought to himself. Even so, he had vague recollections of a kind woman with brown hair and a shabby but loving home. "I think I did," he said, "I don't remember a lot about it right now. It feels like the further I get from the memories I saw in the cavern, the trickier they are to remember right."
Kaito gave it his best shot, trying to remember more about that house. He felt a sharp pain as he remembered what happened to that kind woman, his mother. But that vanished almost at once when he recalled how quickly his uncle stepped in. "My… my uncle took me in after mother died… I became his apprentice right here in his toy shop. I wasn't very good at making toys, but he always kept encouraging me to try anyway."
Memories of the princess still felt much clearer. "Pirlipat… ah, Meiko… everyone always said she was self-centered and snobby, but I thought she seemed lonely. I was right, too. That's how we became friends! That's what made me decide to become a soldier… my uncle taught me so much about sword fighting too! If I couldn't be a good toymaker, maybe I could be a soldier like he used to be and then… and then…"
That sharp pain returned for just a moment. "Then… I wouldn't lose anyone anymore…"
'But I lost my uncle… and I still don't even know how!'
He finally turned his head and noticed Miku was sitting right next to him, leaning into his body. He hadn't even been able to feel it! For a moment he wished he could sense her warmth… he tried to place a blocky hand on her shoulder and she looked up and smiled kindly at him.
"Miku… I still remember everything you said in the garden. When I first woke up."
He saw her blush a little. "Oh… that was just me being… ummm…"
He hoped he hadn't embarrassed her but she was being so kind to listen to his problems…
"Miku, I know you're worried about what other people think you should do and what you need to do to make them all happy, but… I just want you to know that ever since I met you, you've always made me happy."
She seemed to be blushing even harder now. 'Ah, maybe I did say the wrong thing!' Kaito thought to himself.
"… Thank you, my Nutcracker."
Kaito finally sleep begin to tug at him for the first time since he'd sprung back to life in Miku's home. His wooden head drooped as he struggled to keep it up. "Kaito, if you're tired, I'll stay awake and keep an eye out for any ambushes. It's not like I can sleep anyway." Miku said, with a light laugh, "I'll be right here when you wake up."
That was one thing he knew he could trust. He began to close his eyes and drifted into dreamless slumber, content that Miku would still be waiting for him when he awoke again…
By the time the morning sun rose, the three fugitives were packed and on their way to the workshop once more. While they'd been relatively undisturbed, they all agreed they'd rather their next shelter have a roof over it. And a covered fire place – just in case.
"Mirror, Mirror, Mr. Mirror! Please stop saying that I'm the fairest of all! As the other's thorny stares are closing in on me!"
Miku finally felt cheerful enough to lead the morning's marching song herself. Fortunately, Kaito and Meiko seemed to be aware of the lyrics at least. Miku figured out quickly that many of the songs Gakupo would sing to her were songs he'd learned in the Land of Dolls and Sweets.
"Please, I wish you would wake me up with your kiss, and bring me out from this white coffin I'm sleeping in. Piercing hatred is such a drama-like thing, but no matter how much I pray, you my prince are still not here!"
Meiko in particular seemed to be enjoying this one.
All night, Miku had kept a careful eye on Kaito. Yet his way of sleeping seemed to involve no motion at all. Given that he was a doll, he couldn't snore or breathe of course. Instead she kept watching his face to make sure he appeared to be sleeping and not becoming a hollow empty doll again. His eyes had remained in thin lines, as if they were normal human eyes simply closed. That gave her some confidence – it wasn't the empty face of the caverns.
"Mirror, Mirror, oh Mr. Mirror! Since everything is left to the princess, the dog and snake bit at my neck!"
Today though he was even singing along with the silly song about the snow white princess. He'd seemed more genuinely happy – she hoped that meant he was finally starting to come to terms with everything that had happened to him.
Because right now, fussing over Kaito was letting her come to terms with what was happening to her. She didn't think she was about to transform into a doll, but the Mouse Queen had declared she intended to do exactly that. And now it worried her that she couldn't sleep…
"SHHH!"
Meiko's sharp admonishment stopped the singing at once. She pointed to tracks in the snow. "Mice…" she said in a low voice.
Miku put her hands on her sword. "Kaito, do you think they're waiting for us?"
Kaito had his weapon drawn and ready. "They know about it… they might have been expecting us."
His footsteps quickened in the snow, all cheer lost from his persona. "There is truly nothing they won't try to take from me," he muttered under his breath.
As they began to clear the woods, Miku caught sight of what she expected was the very workshop they needed to find, well at the bottom of the tall hill they stood upon. An old wooden building, at least two stories high, with unusual cogs and engines attached to the exterior. The coloring was faded, but the paint represented a wide pallet of pastels. Outside several life-size clockwork humanoids lay scattered and broken in the yard… as well armored mice marched back and forth.
"Is the King or Queen there?" Meiko asked quietly.
"I don't see them… they might still be searching for me elsewhere," Kaito responded, his painted eyes darting around the yard, "We need to try and get all of them if that's the case…"
Miku took several deep breaths. They needed to charge into the yard and kill the mice. She, a normal young woman, was going to run them all through. It didn't seem the most effective strategy though.
"Okay… when I give the signal, we'll just rush in there and kill them all!" Kaito said harshly.
Meiko's alarmed face could have mirrored Miku's. "Kaito, that's not safe! There's so many of them!"
"… then… um… you two can stay up here and I'll fight them," Kaito fumbled, "I don't get hurt so it won't matter!"
'Does he still think of himself as so expendable?!' Miku thought with worry. She couldn't let him try something so dangerous, not when they were so close to their destination! The young girl searched the fallen snow for something she could use besides just charging in blindly. 'All we have is snow and sticks and rocks… and… and… that's all we need!'
She clapped her hands together. "Kaito! We don't have to charge in like that! I have a great idea!"
She gestured to the snow around them. "If we roll up all this snow and push it downhill… we can make it into a giant boulder and take out all the mice in the yard!"
The silence that followed Miku's suggestion worried her a moment. "That's… quite a sound plan…" Meiko said, "Between the three of us, we could set quite a few off and follow them into battle with the stragglers…"
Kaito tapped his wooden face with his fingers, each one making a little clicking noise from the contact. "That would give us the advantage too…"
His smile returned at once. "Miku, you're so smart! What would we do without you?!"
He set to work at once, bending down and clumping the snow together. Miku joined him, grateful Sweet Ann had provided her with thick gloves as she set to her task.
"Hrmph… King Len said they'd be coming back… they always come back here! But the Nutcracker still hasn't shown his face!"
The lieutenant scowled at his minion. "Do you dare suggest King Len could make a mistake?!"
A low rumbling sounded out in the hills. The mice turned to attention. "The Marzipan King's army?!"
All of a sudden several massive snow balls the size of boulders rolled into view, moving towards the workshop at blinding speed. A massive wall of snow built up, flying towards them as their momentum only increased…
"A…Avalanche! Every mouse for himself!"
Miku slid down the hill, trying not to lose her momentum. She had thick branches under her shoes – not exactly a sled, but it would do in the circumstances. As the snow crashed into the yard, covering the mice, she saw several familiar black clouds puff out. "Great! We got a few of them right away!" she cheered.
As she reached the bottom of the hill, she kept her weapon ready in case more mice appeared. "Miku, watch out! The foul rodents are rising from the snow!"
Meiko leapt forward fearlessly, drawing her weapon and slicing through the air as she came to land atop the pile of snow. Her sword passed through a mouse that had survived the initial impact, a black cloud swishing around her. Miku turned toward the open door of the workshop as several more mice swarmed outside. "You awful humans, using tricks like this!"
"Get out of my uncle's workshop!" Kaito shouted as he charged at them recklessly.
As the mice spread out, Miku tried to steel her will enough to fight them. She eased in close to Kaito, trying to prevent herself from being overwhelmed. She felt her heart race as one of the mice dove at her.
POOF!
Her blade found its mark, the cloud washing over her. 'I… I can do this!'
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Meiko fighting with far more confidence than she'd shown earlier. "I won't let you creatures harm my comrades!"
The chaos of the fight began to ebb as the mice fell to the ferocity of their attackers. As the yard calmed, Kaito beckoned to his companions. "Stay close, we need to sweep the grounds and make sure we don't have any remaining! We have to get them all so they don't tell the Queen and King that we're here!"
The trio began to scatter, staying within each other's line of sight as they tried to spot any additional scouts fleeing. Miku tried to calm the adrenaline rushing through her system from what she'd just done – she'd actually fought in a real battle and gotten out alive.
Then she spotted it – climbing out of the snow and running at full speed. "KAITO! MEIKO! OVER HERE!"
The small mouse quickly shook the snow from its fur and ran along the ground on all fours. Miku tried to keep up the pace behind it, but it was just so much faster than her. She grasped at a rock in the snow and hurled it in desperation, but the mouse easily evaded her projectile.
"King Len! Queen Rin! Must tell King Len, Queen Rin!"
Before it got any further, Miku saw a brilliant flash of white light, nearly blinding her right there. She stumbled in the snow… as did the now distracted scout. A figure in purple clothing dove forward and Miku saw a flash of multi-colored steel...
The mouse found itself cut down before it could properly recover, the black cloud swirling around the figure who'd killed it. As the smoke cleared, Miku got a good look at the swordsman as the morning sun cast its light upon him.
Gakupo Kamui.
"Godfather…" she whispered in awe as he looked her way.
Gakupo slipped his sword back in its sheath at his side. "Thank the heavens you're safe, Miku," he said with a relieved smile, "I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner!"
Before any more happy words could pass between the reunited pair, a far louder voice broke out.
"UNCLE! Uncle, you're okay!"
Kaito almost stumbled in the uneven snow in the yard as he ran as fast as his lanky wooden legs could carry him. As he caught up to Gakupo, Miku watched her godfather's simple cheer vanish. Unlike the confident man she'd known all her life, he seemed to tremble as he witnessed the Nutcracker running towards him.
Kaito nearly crushed his uncle in a very un-doll-like embrace – clearly not being able to feel the hug wasn't nearly enough to shut off Kaito's very human impulse in light of such a joyous reunion. "Miku and I were trying to get here and find you, just like you told me to do… I was so scared maybe the mice had taken you or… or…"
As the two separated, Miku looked into her godfather's face and saw the hints of tears in his eyes in spite of his happy smile. "Kaito, I was so much more worried about you… it's been so long since you've been alive… there were days I worried I'd never hear your voice again…"
Miku approached the two carefully. Hearing the weight in Gakupo's voice almost made her feel guilty for trying to break things up. She loudly cleared her throat. "Godfather."
Gakupo released his nephew as he turned to face her. "Miku, I can't imagine you're terribly happy with me right now for what I never told you…"
She crossed her arms together. "It's all right, I've heard a great deal of stories about 'Drosselmeyer the Toymaker.'"
He ran a hand over the back of his head and laughed. "Now do be honest with me Miku, if I had told you any of this before, would you have honestly believed me?"
At that, her godfather winked at her. "Or would you have let your mother talk you out of it?"
She winced – he was right.
"Um… that woman with you…"
Upon hearing Meiko speak, Miku finally realized that Gakupo wasn't the only new face. An ethereal woman wearing a long white coat and white boots, her sleek pink tresses flowing down her back, stepped out of the trees. Though she wore a smile, something about her seemed guarded – this was not a smile showing strong emotions, but like a smile meant to hide them.
Meiko let out an excited gasp as she seemed to finally recognize her. "Ah… AH! That's… That's Luka Megurine, the prima ballerina!"
The woman gave a dainty laugh. "Indeed, princess. I do recall seeing you at several of my shows," she said.
Meiko began to blush. "W…well… it is only normal for someone of such talent to draw my attention…" she said, trying to turn her head away but her face curling into a star-struck smile.
Miku watched Gakupo's face turn dark as he saw Meiko. "What are you doing here?" he said coolly.
The blush vanished and Meiko actually shrank back. "I'm… I'm here to help Kaito."
All the pomp from her voice had vanished under Gakupo's withering glare. "Uncle, Meiko has been a great help to us!" Kaito interrupted, "She helped fight the mice and she drove our sleigh out here and…"
"Meiko?"
Upon hearing the false name, Gakupo seemed startled. "… I don't deserve to be a princess anymore," Meiko said, looking down in the snow, "Not until I've set right the calamities I set into motion. So… Meiko is fine for now."
The toymaker studied the princess carefully before softening. "If Kaito has forgiven you, I've no further quarrels with you…" he murmured.
He looked to Miku once more and she saw that familiar inviting smile. She ran forward through the snow, not caring about anything but seeing someone who had encouraged her, protected her, and loved her all her life. She jumped into his arms and took comfort in his paternal embrace and the ever welcome tick-tock of that old pocket watch buried deep within his coat.
"Miku… I knew you'd be in danger the second you told me about the mice…" he whispered to her, "But seeing you safe… I've never been prouder of you."
Miku tried to control her emotions as she pulled closer to him. In all the madness of being caught in a foreign battle, of being far from her family, in all the uncertainty… just feeling her godfather holding her again assured her she was close to finding her way home.
Gakupo released Miku, motioning towards the massive workshop. "Come now, there's no reason for us to discuss serious matters in the cold! I'm certain there's still firewood in there, and I made sure to bring fresh food as well!"
A/N:
Of course I didn't forget about Gakupo and Luka! Now that we've filled in everything that's gone between them (well, almost everything!), they can join the cast proper instead of just inhabiting the flashbacks! Well okay, Luka didn't do much yet, but she will!
I have to say, this chapter was shaped by some feedback I got from Chapter 5. I was a lot more willing to allow Meiko to move forward, but several of the readers felt she got away too cleanly for how she treated Kaito in the past. I did in fact expect people to find Kaito's innocent forgiveness of her shocking, and not in a Mary Sue "too pure for this world" sense, but as the first hint that Kaito doesn't actually cope with misfortune in a healthy manner. But I did end up altering the scene with Miku and Meiko to try and address where she stands now and really, the more I thought on it, the more I realized that Miku isn't the type to just accept that because Kaito is fine with things, she has to be as well. It also let me get a stab at a meatier Meiko scene. So… thanks guys :) I really do read everything you say!
I swear finding songs that have been notably sung by Kaito, Miku, AND Meiko is impossible. I just gave up and went back to Miku songs that have notable covers by at least one of them. At least Meiko has significantly more duets with Kaito than Luka ever did.
Song Credits: The first song is "La Noël Sucrée". Finally, an actual Vocaloid Christmas song (of course now it's January…) There's a nice Kaito cover floating around and someone on Youtube did a KaiMiku mashup. Nobody has done a Meiko version. "The Snow White Princess Is…", on the other hand, a Miku song with a very popular Meiko cover and a more obscure "Another" version for a male singer that naturally does exist in a Kaito version. Actually, I really just wanted that song in this story no matter what because I love the Meiko cover so much. Miku and Meiko are singing lyrics from the original version, Kaito's lines are from the "Another" version (which actually turns super dark at the end O_O)