I thank Unnoticeable_Demon for helping.

Once upon a time, there was a man who died. The prince and the raven from the man's story escaped from the pages and did battle. It ended with the prince taking out his own heart and sealing the raven away by using a forbidden power. In a certain town, the prince who had lost his heart met a duck. Because of her love for the prince, the duck turned into a princess and gathered together the lost shards of his heart. The prince gradually regained his feelings, and at long last, he was able to regain even the feeling of love. And they lived happily ever after. Or did they? After all, the princess is fated to turn into a speck of light and vanish the moment she tells the prince of her love for him.

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"AAAAAAAHHH!" With a yell, Duck fell out of her top bunk and landed on top of her still sleeping roommate.

"Ow! Seriously, Duck? Again?" Tiger grunted when the air that had been knocked out of her lungs had come back to her. She shot up and roughly shoved Duck off her, massaging her ribcage.

Duck who had turned into a duck from the shock, lay dazed on the floor and only lifted her head slightly when she heard her birds at the window.

"Morning already." Tiger said, still feeling groggy. She stood up and got herself dressed. Then she took out her sketchbook while Duck fed her needy birds. She began to sketch. Her dream had been about the story of the Prince and the Raven, the story of this town. It had been about Mytho and why Princess Tutu came to be. The image she had seen was of her pendant, glowing brilliantly red. It had not been the necklace princess Tutu wore, but the shape it had whenever Duck was just herself. The pendant had shone light on a pair of ballet shoes, a crown and a sword. All the main characters of the story, represented.

'Can't believe it's been a week since then. Fakir's wounds have to be healed by now.' Tiger thought, distracted.

"Duck, Tiger are you awake?" Piqué suddenly called from outside their door.

"Hurry, panic, run really fast!" The rest of Lillie's words were drowned by Duck panicking.

"No way, no way! It's that late already?!" She yelled and blindly looked left and right, before she spun round to stand up too fast and tripped over the water she had used to change back into a girl earlier.

Smiling to herself in amusement, Tiger skidded around her and out into the hallway. "She'll be out in a bit." She told Piqué and Lillie as she closed the door behind her.

"Anyway, we're going on ahead!" Piqué called out to the door so Duck might hear her.

"Ok!" Came Duck's call back and the three girls left for school.

As they exited the building and walked along its side, Tiger looked up to see Rue's window. She couldn't help but wonder if Rue would return to school as well or if she would be Kraehe from now on. Once arriving on the school grounds, Piqué and Lillie wandered off, talking loudly about nothing and already forgetting about Tiger. This suited Tiger just fine. She was friendly with them when she needed to be, but they were not her friends. She actually never understood how Duck could stand their silliness. Duck had a silly crush, but she had much more sense when it came down to it.

"Hello, sister." An unfamiliar voice suddenly said behind her.

Tiger turned around and vaguely recognized the boy as the same boy who had helped her in the past. The boy who had given her the sketchbook and healed Fakir. The boy that had opened the door to her home in a strange world. The boy called Lion, her brother, but he was even more grown now than that night. He was older, like her father had told her and the voice with which he spoke now was deep and mature. His face was thinner now and it made his high cheekbones more refined. His hair had still that creamy color, but it was a bit longer now. It fell gracefully alongside his face and into his eyes. In one ear gleamed an emerald green stone and his deep green eyes shone with a sort of cleverness that was a bit mischievous.

"Lion?" She asked him and he nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I spoke with our parents and they have given me permission to stay with you as long as this tale is not finished yet. I came here to be part of this world now. I have come to the ballet Academy to be a part of it." Lion smiled proudly.

"Study ballet?" Tiger repeated, dumbfounded. "In what class?"

"Yours, of course! Although, now that I can make up my own role in this tale, I couldn't resist giving myself a boost in skill. I am now exactly in your league."

"You're joking!" Tiger cried out, but she couldn't help grin back.

"No, I'm not." Lion laughed and when the bell rang to call all students inside for the first lessons he reached out a hand to her. "Shall we, sister?"

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The morning started off tense. Mr Cat was greatly annoyed about something and kept hitting one note on the piano in a penetrating and accusatory way while his students tried to do their morning stretches in concentrated silence. Needless to say, everyone failed. Well, nearly everyone. Tiger watched Fakir do his routine stretches at the other side of the room while she tried her best to follow his example. It was obvious why Fakir needed to concentrate. He had been unable to practice for a whole week. In contrast to his friend's efforts, Mytho was just standing there with his eyes closed and hands over his incomplete heart as if he was meditating.

When Mr Cat had scolded Duck thoroughly and freaked out in his usual fashion, he took the time to introduce Lion to them. He sat them all down in front of him and called the boy to the front. "Everyone, I would like to introduce Lion to you. He is a new student here at the Academy and he will be joining this class."

"Nice to meet all of you." Lion told them all politely and some giggling and swooning followed his greeting. Apparently, the same girls who used to worship Mytho thought Lion just as intriguing. Tiger shook her head in expiration. Next, Mr Cat talked to the class about the importance of practice.

"Listen up, everyone." He said to them in a ringing voice. "In ballet, the most important thing is to practice, second most, practice, third, fourth and fifth most are also practice. Why exactly do we practice then? We do it to master the basics."

While he talked, Duck let her eyes drift to where Fakir and Mytho were sitting. Fakir was listening to the teacher, but Mytho was clutching the front of his shirt. Tiger, who was sitting next to Duck, followed her gaze and saw it as well. Mytho seemed to be in pain.

"Today, I share a story with you." Mr Cat continued and with a shock, Tiger realized he had come their way to see if they were paying attention to his words. Hastily, Tiger rearranged her face into a passive glance forward, but as vague as she could be sometimes, Duck remained staring at Mytho.

"Please listen carefully, without letting your eyes wonder!" Mr Cat called out to her in outrage.

Duck startled out of her thoughts and looked up into Mr Cat's enraged face.

"Yes! You've got it, sir!" She said bravely, pretending she was not the one he had called into discipline

"Yes, this was back when I was a young student attending ballet school. I happened to have the rare chance to observe Mr. Meowsinsky practicing."

There were gasps at the mention of the famous dancer's name. Even Tiger knew who he was, because she had educated herself in any way about ballet in the years leading up to her admission to the academy, but Duck had missed it. Tiger heard her whisper in puzzlement to Piqué and Lillie.

"We ballet school students were helping out with the backstage preparations for a performance of Mr. Meowsinsky. I was still only a year and three months old, a cheeky young boy. Yes, it was Mr. Meowsinsky himself, the man renowned as a genius for his novel choreography, and the gravity-defying jumps people call miraculous. But that day, all Mr. Meowsinsky was doing was just slowly, very slowly practicing the basics, over and over and over." Mr Cat continued.

"Before I knew it, I found myself asking him questions. "I thought a dancer as famous as you would have a more special practice routine," I said. This is how he answered me. "Someone who has not mastered basics cannot achieve advanced techniques or cultivate the noble spirit." Mr Cat then showed the class an old and beaten shoebox with a pair of very old ballet shoes inside.

"These shoes were given to me that day by Mr. Meowsinsky after our conversation."

The class erupted into excited conversation after that.

"And having received them, I swore upon these shoes to dedicate the rest of my life to ballet." Mr Cat finished over the babble with a satisfied smile on his face.

"In other words, he's just saying practice the basics diligently." Piqué said to Duck.

"But I think some people will never get good no matter how hard or often they practice the basics. So you can't let it get to you." Lillie sang on Duck's other side and gave her a few amused pats on the head.

"Lilie! That's a horrible thing to say to Duck! She'll get better, as soon as she overcomes her self esteem." Tiger said to the blonde girl sharply.

"I agree." Said Lion passionately, he had seen Duck dance as Princess Tutu after all and he couldn't believe she had to endure this talk in her everyday life.

"What do you say, Duck?" He said brightly, turning to Duck, who appeared a bit flustered by all this. "I will help you practice if you like. I'm around the same level as Tiger so I'm sure I can support you well."

Duck was still overwhelmed by his generosity and could only blink whilst bright pink blushes grew on her cheeks.

"Oh you can try if you like Lion, but Duck is a lost cause. Her adorable scatterbrain will forever be her downfall." Lillie said happily.

Lion scowled at her and even though his green eyes had a peaceful character, they caused Lillie to lose her smile and turn to Piqué in alarm. "Duck won't fail!" He growled at her.

"These shoes have suffered a lot of wear and tear, but to me they are the most beautiful shoes in the world." Mr Cat said after everyone had calmed down and had turned their heads to him once more. Mr Cat was smiling adoringly at the shoes and in the awed silence that followed Tiger picked up something soft, but nevertheless alarming. Mytho was groaning, almost inaudible and once again he was clutching at his chest. Tiger stared at him. There was something dark about him all of a sudden, even though he looked quite as he always had done, but then Mytho lifted his head. He opened his eyes and they glowed with a red gleam. But then Mytho blinked and Duck wondered if she had really seen something or imagined it. People around her were suddenly coming to their feet and Duck realized that Mr Cat had finished his lecture and they were now free to resume their own individual practices. Lion came over to her.

"Will you let me help you with your practice, Duck?" He asked her with a smile.

Duck blushed and did not know what to say. No one had ever offered to help her become better, not even Tiger or Piqué. The closest thing to help had been allowing them to dance with her so she could enjoy it more. Lion reached out a hand to help her up and Duck took it.

"Thanks, uh how could you help me?" She asked the boy timidly.

"Well, to begin let me see the steps you have learned." Lion said to her.

He said it gently, but still Duck trembled from head to foot as she clumsily repeated all she knew.

"No need to be that nervous, Duck." Tiger said to her kindly when she had spotted them and came over. "Lion is not judging you and he is not expecting anything either. There is nothing to fear. If it helps, you could close your eyes and pretend we are not here."

Duck nodded at her and closed her eyes. Tiger and Lion watched her get a hold on her breathing and slowly she became calm, her twitching eyelids relaxed and a peaceful expression came over her face. Breathing in deeply, Duck repeated what she knew. She moved from first position to third, then did a plié, an assemlé and an echappé. She was quite unbalanced and on landing her last step she lost her balance and fell into Lion, who caught her gently at the shoulders and put her back on her feet.

"That was better." Lion said and he smiled at Tiger for the suggestion to have Duck close her eyes. "It's a question of keeping balance, mostly. I can imagine you don't really have gravity around you when you are Princess Tutu, so it surprises you whenever you dance in this form." Lion concluded.

"I guess you are right." Duck said thoughtfully. "I am actually a Duck, so my human body is sometimes strange to me. Gravity seems to be stronger whenever I dance as a girl."

Lion laughed. "I'm pretty sure gravity stays the same for any living thing, but you have a point. Let's work on your balance first."

And so Lion became a sort of live dancing bar for Duck to keep a hold on as she practiced. Lion moved with her, keeping a firm grip on her hand and with his free arm he directed her arms and legs so they made the proper movements. Tiger stayed with them. She became Duck's instructor and showed her what the moves looked like and performed them slowly with her. It was a good group effort and they were having fun. Only twice did Tiger look around the room to find Fakir still practicing his own routine in concentration and solitude. She had not noticed that Mytho had not been with him nor that he had left the room entirely during their lesson.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After class, Mr Cat took Duck and her friends aside.

"I trust you firmly engraved Mr. Meowsinsky's words into your minds?" He asked them.

"Even if they diligently practice the basics, people who aren't going to get good will never get good. Wait, how did it go?" Duck recited with uncertainty.

"If you don't master the basics and keep them in your muscle memory, you won't have the stamina for more advanced moves." Tiger said promptly.

"Anyway, be on time for class tomorrow." Mr Cat said with an exasperated look at Duck.

"Yes, sir." Duck cried out, but as the teacher was leaving she added: "But I doubt I can."

"Well, no need to let it get to you too much." Piqué told her bracingly.

"That's right, Duck. Being late is an essential part of your charm." Lillie added happily.

"That's not amusing, Lilie." Tiger said to her and threw her a warning look, but the impact of her scowl was lost due to a loud scream that at that moment rang along the corridor they were standing in.

"What was that scream?" Pique asked in a shocked voice and she looked at the end of the corridor with apprehension on her face.

"Mr Cat?" Duck breathed who had recognised a mewing sound in the scream.

"Could it be an incident?" Lillie asked, she was the only one who was not shocked at all and when Piqué suggested they would go and see, she even smiled. When they reached their classroom they all peered curiously inside. Then Lillie pushed Duck inside to take a closer look and the other girls heard her gasp and then whimper. Mr Cat lay on his back on the floor. His face was frozen in a traumatized scream.

"Mr Cat, what's wrong?" Tiger asked the teacher, but Mr Cat didn't seem to be aware that they were even there. Duck was still struggling with the scene she just witnessed and backed away, trying not to squawk.

"And where are you going, Duck?" Lillie asked her, pushing against her back to prevent her from leaving.

As Duck opened her mouth and her unspoken words became a scream, she pointed to the floor in front of her. The other girls cried out as well when they saw Mr Cat lying there.

"Mr Cat!" Pqué called in shock..

"Oh dear, dear, dear! It's Duck's fault. This is Duck's fault, isn't it?" Lillie said. Her lingering smile made Tiger so angry that she slapped her across the face without even thinking about it.

"Shut your mouth, and open your eyes!" She snapped at her, pointing at the thing next to the teacher. Mr Meowsinky's shoes were thrown out of their box and someone had cut them to shreds with a pair of scissors. Tiger then pointed to a little silvery thing not far away from the mangled shoes. There lay the pair of scissors, open af if recently tossed aside after being used.

The girls screamed once more in shock.

"They're Meowsinsky's shoes!" Duck whispered in disbelief.

"How awful!" Piqué breathed.

"Did Mr Cat do it himself?" Lillie wondered aloud. Tiger threw her a look.

"Something's very wrong here," She said, "How did Mr Cat get in this state if it was deliberate?"

Duck suddenly straightened up and looked ahead, as if she had just thought of something, then she turned around and ran off.

"Duck, where are you going?" Lillie called after all but Duck just walked speedily on, out of the school building and in the direction of the boys' dormitory.

Not trusting any of it, Tiger was about to follow Duck when she noticed a familiar silhouette in the shadow of the door that led outside. It was Rue, she had watched Duck run off.

"Rue? What's going on?" Tiger asked her as she came up to her and she crossed her arms defiantly.

Rue turned around and when she saw who had addressed her, smiled amused.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She said mockingly.

Tiger had no time for games. She scowled at her.

"We're not finished with this." She spat at her and ran off, after Duck, towards the boys' dorm.

When she arrived at the dorm she couldn't find Duck anywhere, which was strange, because Tiger was sure she had gone that way. But it didn't bother her. Now that she was there she wanted to know what was going on and so she went to see Fakir in his and Mytho's room.

"Fakir, what happened?" Tiger asked him urgently as he quickly closed the door behind him so that they could have a quiet conversation in the empty hallway.

Fakir sighed and let his shoulders sink. "Something happened to Mytho. He's not himself, not at all." Fakir paused, then said in a whisper. "He cut up Mr Meowsinsky's shoes." He paused again and seemed to steel himself before he could tell her the rest.

"And a moment ago he jumped out of the window. I tried to grab him, but he was too quick. Then Princess Tutu came, Duck, she just saved Mytho."

"He what?!" Tiger asked and she had to try hard not to yell out of alarm.

"If that's true, this is worse than I thought." A familiar voice suddenly said from Tiger's right. She turned and saw Lion walking towards them. His face was very grim.