A/N: So this was originally going to come up on Valentine's Day, but there were a few complications. But Princess Tutu is such a great anime that I really wanted to make a story on it. This is an idea that came to me, and it's pretty well mapped out. It isn't going to be long, but I'll try to make it worth you readers' time!
"Wonderful, wonderful!" Drosselmeyer laughed gleefully, engrossed in a new story he was writing, Uzura watching the giddy old man. "Oh, the tragedy! An unrequited love that kills the heart! Appropriate for Valentine's Day, don't you thing, Uzura-chan?"
Uzura stared blankly at the eccentric old man. "What's Valentine's Day-zura?"
"Ah, you wouldn't know, would you?" Drosselmeyer mused, stroking his beard. "How do I put it...Valentine's Day is a day when everyone is in a...love-love mood, I suppose."
"Love-love-zura? Ooh!!" Uzura chirped, merrily pounding her drum. She skipped off, singing, "Love-love-love-love..."
"Eh? Where are you going, Uzura-chan?" asked the writer. He stood from his work and began to follow her, not very surprised where Uzura stopped.
"That story has ended, Uzura!" Drosselmeyer reminded her with a sigh as he stood in front of the story of Princess Tutu. "Not enough tragedy, though..."
"Aww!" Uzura complained, upon hearing she couldn't go.
"You aren't able to return there if the gears of the story aren't turning," he said. But that gave him an idea. "Turning..." He suddenly laughed. "Oh, how cruel it will be! To turn the gears on this story again! Yes, and to turn Ahiru-chan into a human again, and for her to confess her love on Valentine's Day! Then, she'll disappear in a flash of light! Oh, the tragedy!!" Laughing maniacally, he whipped out a quill and began writing on parchment. "But first..." He finished a sentence on the paper, and, seemingly out of no where, handed Uzura a red pendant. "You, my little Uzura-chan, can go and give Ahiru-chan this."
"Really-zura?!" Uzura asked with glee.
"But," Drosselmeyer told her, "you must inform Ahiru that she must confess her love to the man she pines for, or she will disappear in a flash of light anyway!!" He laughed again, and Uzura set off, still singing "Love-love-love..." and not fully understanding the danger yet to come.
When it started, she would place it sometime between when she'd saw Fakir crying alone and tried to comfort him as a duck, or when they's danced pas de deux together in the lake of despair. Why it started, it was probably a mere coincedence; yet, looking back, it was the reason the story did not end in tragedy. How it started, that would be because of how he softened around her, how he opened up, how, even though they bumped heads, they always forgave each other. And she never would've thought the feelings she'd felt, be when he'd realized the duck he'd shown weakness to was her or the warmth of the embrace after he'd saved her from the loophole in time, would grow to this calibur. And she'd confronted them with confusion, and when they were all sorted out...
It was the first time she truly longed to be human again, and she didn't know whether to laugh from the irony or cry in frustration.
Sure, she had feelings for Mytho. That was why she wanted to help him so much. But, honestly, those were feelings of affection...for a friend. Infatuation...for an idea. And she wished Mytho and Rue all the happiness in the world. But, in the back of her mind, when she watched Rue and Mytho fly off in their carriage, all she thought was how warm it was to be held by Fakir and he's going to stay with me; I'm so happy! It was so blatantly obvious, she wanted to smack herself.
Her feelings for Mytho were true...when she was Tutu. What Rue had said while she was Kraehe as they fought over Mytho's heart piece of love had some bearing-- she was borrowing Tutu's power, yes. What Ahiru failed to realize was that she was also borrowing Tutu's feelings. It had fit so well-- Ahiru, the duck who longed to dance with the beautiful prince, would not realize it. She had thought that her feelings for Mytho increased while she was Tutu because Tutu was so wise, so brilliant. Princess Tutu would know her feelings perfectly; after all, she preached about being true to them. But when Ahiru began seeing the knight in a new light...
She blushed even thinking about it.
And when Fakir asked, "Ahiru? Are you all right?" at seeing the yellow duck suddenly redden, she blushed all the harder, quacking reassuringly.
Suddenly, said knight stood up from his comfortabe sitting position in front of the crystalline lake. "I have to be going to class," he told Ahiru. He rubbed her head like he often did, and Ahiru fought back yet another blush. "I'll be back soon. It's starting to get cold, so I left a window open at Charon's house, if you want to go in."
"Kwa!" Ahiru quacked, and anyone other than Fakir would not decipher it. Though, just as he could write and undersatnd her feelings, he could understand her words, a simple "Thank you!"
And he was gone, not before flashing her a rare smile reserved for her and her only. She sighed as best as a duck could. Ahiru began to swim around the lake when she felt a presence behind her. She turned quickly, but no one was there. Still a little shaken, she thought, Maybe I should head to Charon's... But before she could, the abrupt and loud bang of a drum made her cry, "QUAAAAH!!!"
Recovering slightly from the shock, Ahiru's frantic eyes turned to her right to rest on the form of the little animated doll that she had not seen since the story ended. "Uzura-chan!" she said, though it came out as a mere "Quack!"
"Ahiru-zura!" Uzura chirped. "You have your tail still-zura! Not now though-zura!"
Ahiru cocked her head to the side, and Uzura held out a glinting necklace that was strikingly similar to the one Ahiru had once had.
"Kwa..." Ahiru breathed in disbelief. Before Ahiru could make any sort of reaction, Uzura had hurriedly clasped the necklace around Ahiru's neck. And, just as she remembered, Ahiru's body was enveloped by a warm, yellow light. Just as quickly as it began, it ended, leaving the nude form of a thirteen year old girl with freckles and bright salmon hair shivering without her feathers in cold water.
"I'm...a human!" Ahiru gasped in elated shock. "How?! What?! I... Wow!!" she said. "This is unbelievable!"
"For love-love-zura!" Uzura said. Ahiru glanced at her in confusion.
"Uzura...where did you get this?" Ahiru asked, grimly realizing...if it had anything to do with the beginning of a story...
"Drosselmeyer told me to give it to you-zura!" Uzura chirped merrily.
"QUA--?!!" Ahiru yelled before clamping her mouth shut. She breathed heavily, trying to sort things out. "B-but...the writing mechanism...how could he--?"
"Odd, isn't it, Ahiru-chan?"
The rippling of the water, the slight breeze through the trees, the chatter of the birds all ceased as Drosselmeyer appeared in the shadows. Ahiru hugged her arms to her body fearfully as the tragedy obsessed writer laughed. "It's true. I can't write out the stories. But I could make that pendant. Ah hah hah! In honor of Valentine's Day, little Ahiru-chan, you're going to confess your love to the man of your dreams in human form!"
This wasn't right. Drosselmeyer-san loves nothing but tragedy, though! Ahiru thought. "Why are you doing this, Drosselmeyer-san? It seems...a bit out of character for you. But that's a good thing!" Ahiru added hurriedly, wondering if it was possible that the deceased writer had changed his ways. She immediately blushed as she realized what he was offering-- confession?! Embarrasing...
"Oh, but if you don't confess tomorrow on Valentine's Day, you'll turn into a speck of light! And if you confess to the man you love, you'll disappear anyway! Tragic!" Drosselmeyer chuckled once more, leaving the stunned girl.
The gears began again; the breeze picked up, the water splashed against her, the birds sang. And yet, her bliss changed to icy sadness as silent tears flowed down Ahiru's cheeks. As much as she'd once tried to fight it...she really was going to disappear.
"Ahiru-zura...?" Uzura asked, concern in the young doll's voice.
"Oh! I'm fine..." Ahiru nodded, hurriedly wiping the tears from her cheek. "Thank you so much, Uzura-chan...now I need to find some clothes..."
It seemed to him to be so empty at the school without the mising red-haired klutz that had somehow stolen his heart. And every time he thought that, he brutally beat himself up mentally, calling himself selfish, along with a few other choice words. She was a duck, and that was her true form, and, as far as he could tell, she was content. He wouldn't put her through another story for something only he wanted. That was selfish...and he cared too much for her to do something she didn't want.
Though in the last week, she had a faraway look in her eyes.
He couldn't bring himself to assume selfish things. Maybe it's her animal instinct, and she wants to head south, he'd thought, or maybe she misses Mytho...
And that second thought would always bring a pang to his heart, before brushing it off as a trifle.
When he tried to write her feelings down on paper, once so easy, the quill just would not budge, as if urging him to do the simple thing and just ask.
It's time to listen, he'd told himself. And so, his feelings were a mix of determination and fear. Determination to help the girl (or duck) of his affections, and the fear of possibly losing her in the process. But determination won, because he wished she could get the happy ending she deserved. Regardless, his walk to the lake was a slow one.
And when he got there, he regretted his sluggish pace.
Usually he would spot the golden avian immediately on the lake, but today it was completely empty. Though it was a cold day, sweat began to pour from his brow, completely forgetting in panic that she could be at Charon's house. Did something happen while I was gone?! "Ahiru!!" the knight called out, then again. When no reply came, he began to fear the worse...when a tug came on his forest green ponytail. He'd turned around angrily, but that was completely replaced with utter shock.
"I've always wanted to do that, Fakir!" came the giggle of Ahiru.
A/N: So! Did you like it? I tried, and that's what counts! All reviews welcome; constructive critism always accepted, flames will light my s'mores!