Here I am! -waves shyly- I'm so tired, where I am it's 1 in the morning, and I have to go back to boarding school tomorrow. D; I just wanted to make an update... I had a strange feeling that I needed to update this story for some reason... Anyways, hope you guys don't get confused after having not updated in such a long time... I promise to update again before Christmas(: So please review~ Thanks for everything; I love you guys who has stayed with me.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Fakir's POV

"Come now, Fakir, and hurry up! Don't you wanna know where Autor is heading…?" yelled the shrill Ahiru, who was donned in the most conspicuous of black clothing. I shook my head. We stood in front of the gates of the Academy; I had only left my last period class, which had obviously been writing, considering my bad temper at the moment.

"Why is it so important that you need to stalk him, Ahiru? Let's go home; I'm tired and I don't want to deal with your antics today." But her big eyes pleaded out to me and I retired my convincing her to go back home and shook my head in defeat. She smiled, and I dizzily blinked; her grin was more blinding than the sun. I wondered how easily this girl could affect me.

She skipped ahead, humming to herself, and I scowled. "Don't you think you're making yourself more obvious by doing that?" Her face twitched, but she didn't say anything and stopped humming and skipping. She looked up at me for approval.

I smiled.

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Autor entered a small coffee-shop in the midst of up-and-coming stores, so it was really rather out of sight and something to pass over. Ahiru's eyes widened and said excitedly, "Look! We should go in," and grabbed the hem of my shirt and tugged me toward the shop.

"I really doubt that we should meddle in Autor's business. After all, he's not an enemy as we considered before-" I broke off abruptly and Ahiru's thrilled eyes turned suddenly suspicious.

"Autor? An enemy? What are you talking about?"

Coughing, I took hold of her and pointed out, "Isn't that the little pink-haired girl?"

As suspected, her attention immediately went to the coffee-shop and the two schoolmates. "Hm? Are you talking about me?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, you idiot, I wouldn't be pointing out a pink-haired girl out if it were you." Shaking my head, I grabbed her chin and pointed it in the direction of the clear glass window through which you can see Pike and Autor guffawing. Seeing this for myself, I smiled, knowing that Autor truly wanted someone to love. Maybe this was the start of it.

Meanwhile, Ahiru was struggling under my hold. "Hey! Get off of me!" She conveniently landed in a puddle of mud left from previous night and she wailed. "These are my favorite pair of pants."

Monotonously, I reproached, "Stop whining. You're wearing all black. It won't stain, dummy."

She pursed her lips and said, "Oh right." After some time of watching some harmless flirting of Autor and Pike, Ahiru grumbled, "And I thought something was brewing. I just don't trust that Autor… I feel as if he's hiding something from me."

My eyes widened in shock. I grabbed hold of her shoulders and exclaimed, "What are you talking about? Autor has never spoken so much a word to you and if he has, he's always been kind to you. Is that why you dragged me all the way here when I clearly could have been sleeping? Don't ever speak of Autor like that again, and don't you ever think about meddling in his business again. Do you hear me?"

For quite some time, Ahiru stood in embarrassment, her face red, then purpling in anger. "Who are you to tell me what to do? I did not insult him nor threaten to hurt your friend. That statement was not even directed toward you! I was just voicing some of my passing thoughts, like I always do and you know, and knew for quite some time, that my thoughts are harmless. I just can't believe that-"

"What's going on here?" Autor and Pike stood, arm-in-arm, licking their ice cream cones. Autor inspected Ahiru's demeanor and garments and condescend stuck his nose in the air before turning his head away. I guess he was still angered with me for not revealing the truth of Ahiru's life before. Without word, Ahiru stood and walked away into the obscurity of the forest, leaving me with the upset Autor and flustered Pike.

I didn't even think of where Ahiru would head off to as I wearily trudged back home.

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Ahiru's POV

"He's so bipolar… I don't understand why I pine for that idiot who is constantly angry or irritated with something… I do deserve someone who would treat me right and would accept me…someone like Mytho," I giggled, concealing my thoughts only to myself and the life of the forest, knowing it would not deceive me nor reveal my secrets to another. I sobered and thought, "So saddening… he already has Rue; she's so lucky."

Noting some rustling about me, I became wary. I called out suspiciously, "Fakir? Is that you? Well, I don't care for your face or your pride, so if I hurt either, it's not my problem anymore. I refuse to go back with you." However, no one responded but the rustling continued. "Fakir?" I called, now scared. The light from the sun was dimming and I knew that the day was ending soon. "Are you there? Come out, you dummy!"

The face and lanky body I saw was not Fakir's, however, but Autor's. I stared, confused. "What are you doing here, Autor? Did Fakir send you? I can't believe that dummy; he's so stupid and confuses the-"

"Shush, Ahiru, I'm pretty sure no one appreciates your voice right now. I'm tired, you're tired. Fakir is in his own world right now; he has enough to worry about." With that he looked straight into my eyes. "Do you want to spend the night at my home?"

She scrunched up her nose in distaste. "I don't want to spend a night at your house."

He offered no argument. "Fine. But if you're looking for someone to talk you back home, then you're not looking at the right person." He walked before me, leaving me in the semi-darkness of the now deceiving-looking woods.

"Wait, hold on!"

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We entered into the comfort of Autor's house, leaving the coldness and scrutiny of the forest that seemed to close in on us. Author's house was huge, which probably explained why it was located in the middle of the forest and not in the midst of the bubbling society we called the town. I was amazed that a home fit for merely three existed.

"Don't you ever get lost in here?" I mused, but he just gave me a disdainful look.

"I'm going to prepare some food for us," he said, "you could stay in the common room."

My mouth widened. "There's such a thing as a common room?"

He gave me a look nostalgic to Fakir's. "Just…don't break anything, okay?" I nodded and he shooed me away.

In the room, it looked ancient and unused; perhaps none were really invited into the abode of Autor's. A fireplace was constructed in the far wall of the room and when I spoke, it seemed like my voice was echoing. Just how big was Autor's house? Some leaflets and magazines were left on the glass table which was erected in the middle of the room, complemented by a similar patterned loveseat and automan and a couch. I sat, twiddling my thumb since Autor told me not to touch anything and my hands couldn't help but to move. But my attention turned to the small nutcracker or doll staring at me and my hands automatically reached out to it. The nutcracker was slightly bigger than my hand but what was different about it, I couldn't tell. The nutcracker had light green hair and peculiar white clothing. I felt as if I saw this before, long before, but I couldn't place a finger on it. I found that the nutcracker could be opened and saw an even smaller version of the nutcracker inside. It was a more childish version, with the same soft green hair and weird white clothing, but this nutcracker held a drum…

Looking at the two nutcrackers was the only thing I could remember before I fainted for another time and hearing the shout of Autor and clang of the dishes on the floor, but for some reason it reminded me of the clang of a certain clock tower…

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'This lady isn't real… She's not even human! But for some reason, I'm calm and I don't fear her…' I thought as the woman faced me. She moved her mouth and didn't talk, but for some reason, I could hear her. She offered me advice on various occasions and helped me. She had no emotion; I guess that was something I helped her attain in the end.

Suddenly, I saw fire, consuming her wooden body as a young man's wounded body lay before her, warming him and giving him life again. I also saw the path out, to freedom, to safeness, because of the light she provided. But all I could think of was the humanity of the puppet that was being destroyed in the fire and would never be seen again.

I called out her name, but it could not come out. 'Edel! Edel!' I silently screamed as she turned into ashes.

The next thing I saw was a younger version of the woman who died; this child was the reincarnation of Edel. She was constantly in my own and another boy's business, creating awkward moments for the both of us. I guess she, like Edel, was searching for the meaning of human feelings, especially love. She was being taken away, by an old man, and I found myself in yet again the same situation from before. 'Uzura-chan! Uzura!' Defeated, I crumpled to the ground, accepting my fate…

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Autor's POV

I cursed at myself silently as I tucked Ahiru in, pushing one of the near the a-glowing fireplace. She was freezing, much different from the previous bouts of fevers she's broken out into before.

'Goodness, Fakir's going to kill me…' I thought, slapping myself on the head. 'Why did I let this to happen? Once Ahiru's fainted like this, it's always worse than the last. Hopefully I give her the right treatment.' However, it was quite the opposite. Once I had pushed her to the slightest bit of warmth, she has started thrashing and wailing incoherent words in her sleep.

As if on cue, Fakir had entered, out of breath and obviously angry. "This damn girl; I can't believe that she wouldn't come home. The last place I would ever think her to be at is here, and there she goes, coming here!" Seeing my sweating face and Ahiru's frustrated and pale one, he slowly fell to his knees. "How could you let this happen again, Autor… it hasn't even been a day yet and she already gained another Recollection?" His glassy eyes gave it away: he was vulnerable and desperate.

Standing up, I placed my hand on his shoulder, "Fakir, don't stand by and think that her fate isn't going to come and she isn't going to remember."

"I knew she was going to remember… I just didn't think it would come to happen so fast," he looked up at me with such raw emotion that I almost turned away, "Tell me, Autor, do you think what I'm doing is selfish? I keep telling myself that I just want to protect Ahiru…but that's the limitations of my protecting her. I can't do anything else but that." Suddenly, he stood, his gaze hard on her sleeping figure. "No. This is for her own good. Definitely." He said, almost like convincing himself.

I licked my lips and opened my mouth to speak, but I could find no words to provide him comfort. Fakir took the two wooden puppets of Edel and Uzura and clenched them in his hands. His dark, emerald eyes glaring red from the fire, he threw the two puppets into the blazing inferno. I opened my mouth in protest, but seeing his current demeanor, I quickly closed it.

Now both puppets of Edel and Uzura burned in the fire once again…