Author's Note: I apologize for the long time to update. But my internet was down, and then I got it back, and then I was just being lazy because I hand wrote it first and then had to type it. Yeah. I hope the length makes up for the waiting. It is pretty long. I hope it doesn't suck to much. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own Todd and Lacey and anyone else who works or is a costumer at the Inn:D

Chapter Six: Identity Crisis

"He's been in there since he got back from his audience with The Observers. What happened?" Tutu asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. The last time he was like this was when…when he brought you here," Rue said.

"Should we go in?" Tutu asked.

"I'm not sure…yes let's go in," Rue said as she opened the door and saw Mytho looking at a map on his oak desk.

"Mytho, are you alright?" Rue asked.

Mytho looked up at the two women and let out a deep sigh, "War," he said.

"What did you say?!" Tutu and Rue asked in unison.

"He's back, and we go to war," Mytho said in his monotone voice.

"Who's back?" Rue asked.

"The Raven," he said.

Rue and Tutu's eyes enlarged and their mouths dropped open in shock.

"IMPOSSIBLE! Ahiru and I destroyed him years ago! He can not be back! You must be mistaken," Tutu said as she slammed her fist on Mytho's desk in anger.

"No, Ben told me so, he said that we are to fight, and there is nothing that we can possibly do to change it. He's bringing their General over so we can discuss strategy. They are planning on using our castle as head quarters, I'm not sure if you are being relocated, but all I know is that I'm being forced to fight…against my best friend," Mytho trailed off and continued staring at the map.

Rue stood up tall and marched over to Mytho and slapped him across the face. Mytho looked up at her, his gaze blank just as it was when they were back in school.

"Damn it Mytho what has gotten into you?!" Rue asked tears building.

"Fakir; Fakir is working for the Raven!" Mytho shouted back at her.

"Impossible, you said that The Observers granted him permission to head back to their house so he could find her!" Rue said regurgitating the information that he had given her months ago.

"No, I was wrong; I guess he just used that as an excuse so as to not let me know what he was really doing. If I were in his place, I would have used finding you as an excuse to leave this town," Mytho said, coming back to his senses slowly.

"That is just cruel. Mytho, you would honestly say that you were looking for me when you were actually going to join forces with our mortal enemy?!" Rue said placing her hands on her hips and glaring at Mytho.

"Erm…" he started.

"Mytho, Fakir loves Ahiru, I believe that maybe he was tricked into this situation," Tutu said breaking the silence that crept upon them while Mytho was searching for an answer.

"I agree with her," Rue said with a small smirk.

"Well it doesn't matter what your theory is, because believe it or not, Mytho is correct," a voice called out to them.

"Ben, welcome," Mytho said standing up and bowing his head at Ben.

"Please, you need not bow your head at me. Madam Rue, good day," Ben said as he inclined his head at her.

Tutu had hidden behind a bookshelf; she had spotted him before the other two did. There was something about him that seemed off. She didn't trust him.

"What brings you here?" Rue asked in a snotty tone of voice.

"The General has come to discuss battle strategy with Mytho. For as I presume you two know that The Raven is back and we are about to be at war," Ben said with a tone of annoyance.

Rue turned her head and nodded at Tutu who slipped out the hidden door.

"Wait, before the two of you leave, let me get the General," Ben said with a secret smile.

"Fine," Rue said, ignoring his comment about the numbers of who were leaving.

Ben walked out of the room and walked down the spiral staircase that leads to the main doors of the castle. As he walked down the stairs he thought of all the reactions that he would get. Not only was Ahiru the General, but she was Pique also. Reading the records of their school life it said that Ahiru and Pique were close, but close to the ending of their schooling Ahiru became closer to Mytho, Rue, and Fakir. But she did also stay close to Pique. It never said anything about the closeness between the Pique and the other three. He would soon find out if her appearance would shock them.

At the bottom of the stairs Pique stood starring at the doors. She looked pensive, but she had looked this way since she had agreed to The Observers plan. Pique's purple hair was hanging past the middle of her back in a loose braid; just as Ahiru's always did. They let this simple hair style pass, but her other personality traits had to be conditioned out of her. They couldn't chance them finding out who she actually was; at least, not yet.

Ahiru had once again been dormant; it was the fifteen years of darkness all over again as she lay in the corner of "Pique's" mind. She had wished now that she could have stayed in the darkness alone. That way she was sure of not being responsible for deaths that were unnecessary. She couldn't stand not knowing where her best friend was. For all she knew, she could be dead. This was something Ahiru could not think about.

"General Pique, it is time," Ben said outstretching his hand to her.

"Alright," Pique said as she wrapped her arm around Ben's.

The two traveled up the stairs in silence. They had nothing to talk about; there was never anything to talk about.

"Now, Mytho, Rue, and Miss Who-ever, I present to you, General Pique," Ben said as Pique walked into the room.

Mytho Rue and Tutu both stared at her in shock. Standing right in front of them was one of Ahiru's best friends. Mytho cleared his throat as he stood up and bowed to her.

"Rue, if you and your lady could please leave while we discuss the plans for the war," Mytho said, chocking on the last few words.

"Yes darling," Rue said as she walked past Ben. Tutu followed close behind her.

Tutu stood in the doorway for a few seconds staring at the back of Pique; she felt something familiar about her, but couldn't place it. While Tutu was staring Ahiru slowly stirred inside of Pique. Ahiru had sensed a familiarity as well. She tried hard to break through the barriers that she had been forced into to see where she was. It was of no use; the only appearance that something was going on was when Pique shook her head as if she was daydreaming. There was nothing Ahiru could do; she let out a small whimper.

"Let's go," Rue said to Tutu as she pulled her arm and shut the door behind them; Tutu nodded and followed her.

Once they were back in the safety of Rue's room looked at Tutu with the most questioning look she could muster.

"I'm sorry, I…I just felt as if there was someone in there that I knew," Tutu said twiddling with her hands.

"Of course, Pique," Rue said.

"No, I recognized her, but I felt as if it were someone else," she said again.

Rue let out a sigh and moved towards the window. There was a question pressing against her mind, but was unsure of what would happen once she asked her.

"Tutu, I don't want to sound rude or anything, but do you know who you are?" Rue asked her.

"What? What are you talking about?" Tutu asked.

"Tutu, come here please," Rue said as she stood in front of her full length mirror that stood by the window.

Tutu looked into the mirror, she saw her two toned hair, it was to the back of her calves, and braided. Her eyes were the same; a deep blue.

"What should I be looking for?" she asked Rue.

"Tutu, I look at you, and I don't see you, I see…Ahiru," Rue said to her.

"Just because I grew out my hair, you say I'm Ahiru?' Tutu asked her voice squeaked.

"No, you are trying to be her? Why? Your air when you walk reminds me of her. You have become ditzy and clumsy. The Tutu I remember had more grace than I could ever hope for! I want to know why you're trying to be Ahiru," Rue asked placing her hand on her hips.

"I…I…I," Tutu sobbed, placing her face in her hands and slowly falling to the ground.

"Tutu, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, I just want to know why you're trying so hard to be someone that you aren't," Rue said.

"I'm sorry Ahiru, Fakir. I didn't mean for this to happen…" she said more to herself than to Rue.

"What?" Rue asked.

"I was still with Ahiru, I was always with her even after she changed back into a duck, and after Fakir had written her story again and made her a girl. I was there with them witnessing everything that they did while they were together.

"I tried to understand why I was still with her. I mean yes I was glad to still be in existence, after the final shard was given. But I did not like the way that I was still alive. Being trapped inside of someone is the hardest thing to go through. There is no way that you can not comprehend what it is like. I couldn't even try to describe it.

"All of those years I spent trapped inside of Ahiru were sheer torture. We couldn't communicate like we did before, though it was short but we still did," Tutu told Rue, now standing back up and shaking as all of this spilled out of her.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea," Rue said.

"No, I am the one who should be sorry; I have been trying to be the one who deserves to live. All of this; the hair the air, has been in hopes of becoming her and letting her be with whom she loves. I've stolen her from Fakir, from you and Mytho. I have stolen precious years in which they could have married; like I was," she trailed off.

"Tutu, you were married? Please tell me about your missing fifteen years," Rue said to her as she rubbed her back.

Tutu looked up at her and smiled slightly and sighed; more tears falling across her face.

Deep in the woods past Fakir's cabin I awoke. I wasn't sure where I was. It wasn't like the word I had created for myself inside of Ahiru. It was much more real. Everything had more detail. The world I had created had only color and shape.

"Ahiru, where are we?" I asked.

I got no answer; I mean it was not as if I was expecting to receive an answer. I never was able to communicate with her before. Our link ended when we destroyed The Raven.

I rose to my feet and started to walk out of the forest. I walked for the entire day and most of the night before I reached the edge of the forest. I realized when night fell that I was walking away from Fakir's cabin. I guess subconsciously I wanted nothing more than to be far away from him. I was leaving the town where I met everyone; I was leaving any chances of saving Ahiru, wherever she might be. But somehow it didn't bother me as much as it should have. I guess I was just trying to be me, whoever that is.

During the night I came upon the town of Ledger. That town is where I spent my fifteen years. It's where I met Todd, and managed to find some sort of happiness. I continued to walk through Ledger and finally came upon an inn that needed help. They were completely desperate, because they hired me right away.

"What's your name?" the owner asked me.

"My name?" I asked trying to figure out a name.

I couldn't go as 'Princess, or Tutu, and there was no way that I could use Ahiru. I heard someone call out the name 'Emma' so I went with it.

"Yes, your name," he asked me again agitated.

"Emma," I said to him.

"Well, Emma, you'll take this section, and try to write legibly. Now being as it is your first day and you look a little disoriented, you'll only have two or three tables. Luckily it is slow so you should be fine. Here," he said as he handed me my notebook, apron, and pencil.

I stood in the middle of the restaurant unsure of what to do when I saw him. He sat down in my section and waited patiently. I slowly walked over to the table and stood there dumbfounded before I spoke.

"Hi, how may I help you?" I asked, my voice shaking.

He ordered his food and I left him there. I felt completely awkward and felt worse once I made it into the kitchen. I placed his order and waited for it to come up.

While I waited I started to think about Fakir and Ahiru. It was hard for me to think about what he was going through waking up and finding her gone.

"Girl, your food is done," a cook called out to me.

I looked up and grabbed it and walked it back out to Todd. I slowly walked his soup and sandwich back to his table where he waited scribbling down something on parchment. I couldn't help but be curious.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I placed the food down.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Here is your food," I said my face hot as I placed his food down on the table.

I handled my other two tables while he was eating his food. I couldn't help but stand in the corner and just stare at him. He was gorgeous; his black hair and sea green eyes. I was completely amazed that someone could be so gorgeous. I was almost sure that he must have a personality flaw. But I didn't care; he was pretty to look at. Once he was done with his food I brought over his check.

"You're a ballerina aren't you?" he asked me as I approached his table.

"Erm…well. Yes and no," I said to him.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked me.

"Well, I would rather not go into that, if you don't mind," I said as I handed him the bill and smiled.

"Alright, well thank you and I hope you have a good night," he said as he put his money on the table and left.

I watched as he walked out of the restaurant and onto his life. I waited for him like the love sick puppy I was turning into. I didn't know his name, or what he did. I barely knew him, but I didn't care. I just wanted to be with him all the time.

He showed up three months later, I wasn't paying attention being as it was so busy.

"Hi, how may I help you?" I said as I always did.

"This is for you," he said to me handing me a package.

"I'm sorry," I replied completely shocked.

"First tell me your name," he said.

"It's Emma," I told him. I said this so many times that it became automatic.

He pulled out the paper that was in the package and scribbled something on there.

"Emma, my name is Todd Cason. I'm not sure if you have heard of me or not, but I write music mainly for ballets. That night when I first saw you, I saw more beauty and grace in your movements than most of our ballerinas have. I was inspired. I have been working on this for you. It's been untitled for so long because I didn't know your name. Here, it is yours," he said as he handed it back to me.

I was awestruck. I didn't know what to do or say. This was the first gift that I have ever received. I slowly took it out of his hands and just held it in my hands.

"Thank you," I said to him.

"Well I know that you are busy, but would you be willing to go with me some where when you are done?" he asked me.

I slowly nodded my head yes and just stared at him. There was something about him that kept my interest. I wanted nothing more than to leave with him right then. But I had responsibilities and they need to be attended too. I served his table and finished two hours after he walked into the restaurant.

"Todd, I'm done," I said to him as I walked up to his table.

"Alright, let's go then," he said holding out his arm for me to rest mine on.

We walked out of the Inn and headed down to a part of the city that I didn't recognize. Not because I didn't go that way, but because I avoided it at all costs. It was the Arts district. It had everything I was trying to run away from. But with Todd at my side, it didn't feel like I was going back to a time and place that had haunted me.

We entered a building that had a beautiful oak door. It had carvings of music notes and a ballerina. It was amazing on the inside as well. We walked in and he brought me to where I would be dancing and he pointed me to where I should change.

"But I don't have anything to wear," I said to him.

"It's alright, there is a collection of tutus in there already for you," he said to me.

"So you already knew that I would come with you?" I asked.

"No, I just put it there incase you decide to come with me. Honestly, I was shocked that you would come here with a complete stranger," he said with a smile.

"I was a little surprised myself. But my life had been pretty unbalanced lately so this wasn't too spontaneous," I said as I walked into the changing room.

I looked around and I saw the collection that he was talking about. All of the tutus were exquisite. They ranged in colors from classic pink, to orange. I was amazed and couldn't decide. I ended up choosing a pastel purple tutu. I felt like a princess all over again, and quickly ran out to Todd before I started to cry.

"For some reason I knew that you would pick that one," Todd said with a smile.

"Really," I managed to get out.

"Now I'm going to play the song first so you can listen to it and get a feel for the music. Then if you'd be so kind you can dance," he said with a smile.

I nodded to him and sat down and stretched while I listened to the music. It was lovely, it didn't sound tragic, or lonely, how I felt. But then again it wasn't written for 'Tutu', it was written for 'Emma'. Knowing this it made me kind of sad. But I forgot about that and continued to stretch and listen to the music. I stood up and did some quick basics all the while still listening to the music.

"Alright," he said to me motioning to the stage.

I nodded and headed up there. I stood on center stage and nodded at him to begin. Once the music started, it flowed through my body; every part of my body moved, I felt all the emotions swim out of me. I felt the guilt and the blame and the sorrow leave me while I danced. I felt like I could fly and I was free from some unseen weight. This new found freedom didn't last long. Once the music stopped, I was once again swarmed by all those things I lost.

I stayed strong and held my pose and gasped for breath. It had been so long since I danced this hard and with this much feeling. Before I knew it, my legs buckled beneath me and I fell to the ground. Todd's piano bench screeched on the ground as he ran towards me. I let a small smile escape my lips and looked up at him.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"I'm fine, how did I look?" I asked.

"You looked lovely. But are you alright?" he asked me again. His face covered in concern.

"I'm fine, why?" I asked him catching my breath.

"You're crying," he said as he wiped a tear off of my face.

I reached up and felt my face, it was wet. I was crying.

"Thank you so much," I said to him with a smile.

"For what?" he asked looking confused.

"For the most recent part of my life, I've felt so much sadness, and I've been carrying a burden. But this song, this song that I danced to that you wrote for me, it felt as if all of that was never actually with me. I was dancing away the pain of everything. I wished that it never would have ended, but I don't think that I could have gone on any longer," I gasped as I stared at him.

"You are most welcome," he said to me with a smile.

I looked at his beautiful face and laid my head on his chest. "I'm so tired," I said as the exhaustion from my intense work out finally swept over me.

Our time together was long and then again, short and unfair. After the first night in the studio, Todd talked to the director and managed to get me in as a ballerina. Of course I started out with small parts. But six months in I landed a lead role in a production. After that I was given the leads in most of our productions.

Seven years into my wonderful career with wonderful people and my love Todd; he proposed to me. We were in our favorite little restaurant eating and talking about that night's performance.

"Emma, you were positively magnificent tonight," he said with a smile.

"Thank you darling. You played positively wonderful as always. Sometimes I wish I could just sit next to you during our productions and watch you play. It is so beautiful the way you play the music," I said to him as I reached across the table and held his hand.

"Emma, I love you so much and I have something for you," he said as he reached into his jacket pocket with his free hand.

I waited unsure of what he had for me. Then he pulled out this small purple box and placed it on the table.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Well, it's been seven years almost to the day since I first saw you. Do you remember when you first started working at the Inn? You were my waitress; I really wanted nothing more than to talk to you about yourself. I could tell that you were a dancer because of how you walked. But what I didn't understand was a feeling that I was getting. It was trying to tell me something. Luckily I came back. And the first night I saw you dance, I realized what the feeling was. Love, the purest kind and it's all for you. Emma I love you so much, and I want to love only you. Emma, my love, my life, will you marry me?" he asked me as he opened the box and showed me what was inside; it was a silver band and on the middle was a small ruby.

"Yes, I will marry you," I said to him with a huge smile on my face.

My face probably mirrored his face with all the happiness and joy. We were both crying for the rest of the night. We smiled throughout our meal. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I knew that he was mine forever but I still couldn't stop looking.

When the news of our wedding hit the company they were all ecstatic. They wanted to hold it at the theatre. Todd and I thought that it was a perfect idea being as that is where we really truly started out. The date was set for December 19th. We couldn't wait it was almost unbearable. Though we had planning to do and performances to rehearse we couldn't stop talking about it.

"Emma, I was wondering if I could make your dress," Lacey our costume designer asked me.

"Lacey, of course, I was actually going to ask you that. I know that I wouldn't be able to find anything in a store that would fit me. These past seven years all of your costumes have fit me perfectly and I love them," I said to her.

"Wonderful, thank you; do you have anything in particular in mind?" she asked me.

"No, whatever you think is great will be wonderful," I told her as I gave her a hug and headed on home to meet with Todd.

Though we had six months before our wedding, the time flew on by. Before I knew it I was standing in the dressing room with my dress on waiting for the wedding to start.

"Lacey, this dress is wonderful!" I told her as I looked at myself once again in the mirror.

The dress she made was floor length and had a six foot train. It had purple and blue beads on the back. It had the most intricate detail on every part. The sleeves had little flowers on them that looked almost real.

"Thank you Emma, I'm just glad that you like it," she said as she hugged me.

The ceremony passed by in a blur; it was all so beautiful and didn't seem real. While I was changing for the reception I had to keep pinching myself to make sure that it actually happened and it wasn't a dream.

The reception was hilarious. They decided to put on a performance to show how Todd and I met. It was nothing like it actually happened. But that made it more perfect. They had my understudy as me and it showed us meeting on a regular day and having it as love at first sight. It was so wonderful.

"Mrs. Cason," Todd whispered in my ear.

"Yes," I grinned as I kissed his cheek.

"I love you," he said as he kissed me on the lips.

"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH," everyone in the studio shouted.

I laughed and smiled at them.

"Thank you all for coming to celebrate with us. I really appreciate everything that we've been through these past seven years. I want to thank Lacey once again for making my wedding dress. And I also want to thank everyone for everything. You guys have no idea how much you mean to me and what you've done for me," I said as I looked at the people who were my family. "I also want to make an extra special thanks to my husband Todd. Todd, you of everyone here has no idea what you mean to me. I don't think that I could ever express it in words. You saved me, not just from a horrible job, but from my past. A past I never want to go back too. I love you with all my heart, and I hope that you can put up with me for the rest of your life, because I'm not letting you go," I said as I kissed him again.

"I love you Emma," he said as he gave me a big hug.

Our honey moon was for one week in the city of Pyza. If I would have known then, what I know now, I wouldn't have gone there. This is where everything went downhill. On our first day there Todd and I were walking the streets going window shopping and enjoying people's company. We were walking down Main Street and I saw Fakir walking on the opposite street I had to stop myself from running to the other street and apologizing to him. I couldn't move when I saw him. It was much too painful for me and I started to cry. All of my unwanted memories came flooding back to me. I felt like I was going to explode form the sudden rush of emotional pain.

"Emma, are you okay?" Todd asked me; his face full of worry.

"No, can we go back to the room," I asked him.

"Yes," he said to me as we turned around and walked back.

The rest of our honey moon was wonderful, and our life together was better. We had both agreed to wait to have kids. We were both ready, but it just wouldn't work out being as I wanted to continue to dance. So we decided that when I was twenty-five, we would have kids.

But as you can see, they had other plans for us. Eight years later I came home one day from a rehearsal and I felt something was wrong as soon as I walked into the house. Something felt off and I was worried and felt like crying.

"Todd! Where are you?" I shouted as I ran through the house. I ran through the house and I finally found him. He was outside lying on the ground.

"No," I mouthed as I ran to him.

He was dead, someone had killed him. I couldn't believe what was happening. My life was flipped upside down way to quickly. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. But as I lay next to him I head him come.

"Princess Tutu," a voice called.

My head snapped up when the voice called me. I hadn't been called Princess Tutu in fifteen years. I didn't know if they were actually talking to me.

"Princess Tutu, I'm sorry I had to kill your husband, but I need you to come with me. You have no choice," he said to me.

I tried to refuse but before I could do anything, I woke up here.

Rue and Tutu sat in silence for a while. Rue had no idea what to say. Her story was so beautiful and so tragic. It was amazing that Tutu was still finding a way to live on. Rue knew that if she was in her place and someone had killed Mytho she would have killed herself. She loved him too much to live without him.

"Oh, I am so sorry," Rue said as she got up and hugged Tutu.

"I am too. Thinking back on it, I wish that we would have had children. Because then I would have a part of Todd with me. I would know that he did exist and that he isn't just part of my imagination. Rue, I miss him so much," Tutu sobbed.

Rue wanted to cry along with her, but she knew that she had to be strong because what she was going through was horrible. Rue felt her hatred for The Observers grow ten-fold. How they could have done this was unexplainable. It was beyond words.

"We'll get them," she whispered more to herself than to Tutu.

"It doesn't matter I know that if we defeat them, there will be no way I can be with Todd. I'm giving Ahiru back her body so Fakir and she can be together. Their love is more important," Tutu said.

"No, your love with Todd is important as well," Rue said.

"But it doesn't matter anymore. He's dead," Tutu said.