Chapter 2: A New Story, A New Life
Fakir then walked in and closed the door behind him.
"I found these in the school. Its a spare uniform I think." He tossed the bag at her and it fell at the floor. It looked like a girls uniform. "Its all I could find."
"...thanks." Ahiru nodded. She was surprised when it the clothes looked like hers...as they were wrapped in a bunch like they did when she changed into a duck in the past. "But what am I going to wear tonight."
"Uhm." Fakir never thought of the fact she wouldn't want to sleep in a school uniform. Plus she didn't even have any dance attire...let alone regular clothes. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out and oversized t-shirt and - and...
"I have to wear your clothes?!" Ahiru squealed.
"It's all I have..." Fakir said the shirt still in his hand. She looked embarrassed and confused.
She actually was wondering if she should ask him about the book. If he'd actually wrote that. If he'd begun to write a story about her.
"You can have the bed tonight. Tomorrow we'll get you some actual clothes and see if we can talk to the instructor about getting you into the school." Fakir sighed and left the shirt on the bed as he walked outside.
It wasn't that he didn't want Ahiru to be back...but it wasn't something he was prepared for. He questioned if he should write more down and see if it would come to life as well... but then again, he hesitated. If something was going on, his own interference might cause problems. He'd have to wait to see what part Ahiru had in this. Whatever this was.
"Ah so the little town is having some problems again. What a silly man he is to think that the prince and princess of another story are the key to his issues. His little creation's feathers, dancing about, looking for the one who he seeks for vengeance. And my Fakir stepped into the story at the perfect time, awakening Duck to a human again." Drosselmyer sat at his chair. "Did they really think I'd leave to let them rest, when so much was left in the air. When they know I love the art of ballet so much...to homage such a performance as the graceful white bird, and the lake that sits in the middle of the story and the town. I had forgotten about my scrap notes, my written prologue seems to becoming alive, and i shall thread pieces to this story together now, as an epilogue of my last...now how could I leave such a story alone? My doll Ezura has let me write one more story, all because I told the doll it was for love...or how does she say it, "lovey dovey zura!" Haha! One more tragedy for the little duck, the little ugly duckling growing up...and yet can't turn back into a swan." The image on the cog, turned from Fakir outside to an image of Princess Tutu and back to the sleeping Ahiru in Fakir's shirt, in his bed.
Ahiru woke up and got into her uniform. She was put her hair back into its long braid, when she realized she had nothing to hold it back with. She never wore her hair down in public! Plus would anyone even remember her? She wondered where Fakir had slept...she needed her own room again. She saw Fakir on his chair asleep in a blanket. She wondered how much sleep he'd gotten like that. She tapped on his shoulder. He didn't wake up. She lightly tapped on it again. He stirred a little. She spun around on her heel to turn away, having gave up, and lost her balance and tripped forward, her leg kicking up behind her and hitting his chair knocking it over, waking him up suddenly. She jumped up and looked stunned at what she'd done.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry -" She said bowing in a row, at least ten times.
Fakir shook his head. It seemed as if Ahiru still hadn't grown out of her clumsiness. He looked up at her and was about to tell her to stop repeating herself, when he noticed that she was in her uniform. Her legs looked longer, as if she'd grown taller, and her hair was down in a orange spill of hair, her little stray piece still dancing on the top of her head. She looked...
"It's fine." Fakir said getting up a little gingerly. "I needed to get up anyway if we need to get you back into the school...and get you clothes. Why is your hair like that?"
"Like this?" Ahiru was surprised. "Well I didn't have anything to do it with...and well I didn't know what else to do so I-"
"Well you should keep it that way. You don't look so childish. Common lets go get you some clothes." Fakir said, putting his own uniform jacket on and walking out the door.
"Uhm...okay." She followed. Did Fakir just compliment her? He'd helped her out a lot at the end of the last story...but he liked her hair down? She caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror on the way out. She saw herself blush. She didn't look childish? Did she?
"So where are we going?"
"We'll just go in a few stores. I have some money saved up."
"I don't want Fakir to use his money on me!" She said.
"Don't worry about it. I have nothing I need it for anyway." He said as they walked into the town square.
"Hey Fakir, who's that?"
They turned around to see Pique and Lilie. Pique looked angry and Lilie looked like her deviously cheerful self.
"Oh does Fakir-kun have a girlfriend?!" Lilie said happily looking at Ahiru. Pique looked rather peeved.
"No, this is Ahiru. Fakir stepped back from the two girls. Ahiru shifted her eyes. Pique and Lilie didn't remember her? Fakir realized this too. "She's new here, she's going to join the school."
"Oh competition for Fakir's heart?!" Lilie whispered to Pique with a wide smile.
Pique rolled her eyes. "Nice to meet you Ahiru, we'll see you in class on Monday." Pique dragged Lilie the other way.
Fakir looked to Ahiru who looked shaken. It was as if Duck had always been a Duck for the past years, even when Mytho and Rue were around...like she never existed. "Give it a week or two Ahiru. They'll come around. Plus I'm sure they'll become friends with you again."
Ahiru nodded. She followed him into a store, and he gave her some money.
"Just tell me when your done. Then we'll go get you a leotard and tights." He walked out of the store. She looked at his money and sighed. Fakir had been strange since she'd become human again. She looked around and found some shirts, a few skirts and pairs of shorts...and quickly parted.
"Finished already?" Fakir said. Ahiru nodded. "After we'll have to convince the director that you should be able to join the school again." They walked into the shop, and a tubbier lady walked up to them, with rouge lips and an extreme amount of makeup on.
"Do you need a new leotard my darliiinng?" She said taking Ahiru to a change room.
"Yes but-"
"I have the purrrrfect one for you. You, boy, sit here and tell me if you think my judgement is not ideal for this beautiful fire-headed girl."
"I uhm was just going to-" Fakir was going to head out when she took him by the nape of his collar and sat him down. Did she say fire-headed girl? He questioned what he had gotten them into. She went to a rack and threw a few around, as Fakir dodged the falling body suits.
"AHA!" She yelled. "I found the one purrfect for this girl!"
"Are you like this to all your customers?" Fakir asked.
"I know! I am the best am I not?" She said and went into the change room and gave Ahiru the suit and tights. She left and smiled at the boy. "You're going to love this." She said as he raised his eyebrow at her.
"Love what?" He said. What could possibly be so great about a body suit and leotard that-
Ahiru walked out. She was wearing a pale blue spaghetti strapped bodysuit with a v-heart-shaped neckline that dipped low enough for a slight bit of her cleavage to show. The skirt was attached and flowed lightly out, delicate against the pale white-pink tights and pink ballet pointe-shoes.
"So what do you thinkkkk?" The woman smirked at Fakir who'd sat speechless. He snapped out of it.
"It's nice...ahem."
"You think so?" Ahiru said as she turned to the mirror. It did look nice, didn't it?
"Then you will get eet!" The larger lady sung. "Madame Budoe is always right!" She hushed her back into the change room where she returned to her school clothes. And then rung the it all up on the register. Fakir handed her the money. "What eh gentleman, buying the clothes for his lady."
"But I'm not-"
"Eh, eh, now go with the outfit before I find another ten for you to buy the beauty!" She shooed him out, as Ahiru followed obliviously.
"So how do we convince the director I can join?" Ahiru said.
Fakir sighed. "I'm not sure. We've had various directors since 's...well departure. None which have stuck. Until we get a permanent one it may be hard to persuade them...but I'm certain we can figure it out."
"I really want to join again. I missed dancing so much." Ahiru crossed her arms sadly.
"Then lets go now and find out." Fakir said as they walked to the academy and to the director's office. Fakir knocked on the door.
"Come in." Fakir didn't recognize the voice...a new director?
He opened the door to see a man in a white high collared button up shirt, open to his collar bone and black pants. His hair was silver-grey and dusted over his narrow face. He looked older, but not aged. He had two red earrings in his ears and pale grey eyes. "So I see a new student is in our midst?"
"Yes director-"
"Kuro Kugamaii. Director Kugamaii. And you are?"
"Fakir. This is Ahiru. She's danced before and hopes to join."
"Well then an audition would seem in place, then, do you not agree...Ahiru?"
"Yes." She nodded agreeing. She didn't want to screw this up.
"Good, then I'll see the two of you in the studio once you've changed."
"The two of us?" Fakir repeated.
"Yes, I think you'd like to help your friend in her audition? Plus the third year students all will be working on their pas-de-deux, with a male partner." He gave Fakir a challenging look. "Wouldn't you like to help her, or of course if you doesn't care if she auditions-"
"No, we'll be there." Fakir cut him off. Ahiru looked nervous in the presence of their challenging looks.
Fakir took Ahiru's shoulders and lead her out of the room.
"Thank you Director-sensei!" She nodded as she left the room.
Director Kugamaii looked out the window. He'd find the two...the two he was looking for eventually. He'd seen them dance before in the past...in a prologue a long time ago.