Princess Tutu Fan Fiction ❯ Princess Tutu: the Diamond in the Rough ❯ Music: Khachaturian's Saber Dance ( Chapter 9 )

[ A - All Readers ]

Chapter IX
Music: Khachaturian's Saber Dance
The three remaining warlocks watched with horror. They were getting snatched up quickly, and they began to wonder just how powerful this Tutu was. Drosselmyer was worried for another reason. The tragedy that he was trying to weave was quickly falling apart, and the kids would spoil everything again. Felix then spoke up and said, “Fools, this is getting us nowhere. Can't you see what's happening? Look at that red haired girl! Drosselmyer, who is she?”
He did not dare say. He knew that she was originally the duck that destroyed everything. Through Fakir's power, she was able to project Tutu in an astral form without the pendant, and provide the prince the transport he needed to defeat the Raven and rescue Rue. Despite a broken wing and several broken ribs, she managed to survive, and thwart his plans. Now she was back, she had no weakness as changing into a duck at inconvenient times, and was more mature. His meddling had changed her forever. Worse, because the boy had sealed away the story, he could not write on it, nor manipulate his distant grandson into writing what he wanted. He wondered how a tragedy could be done when everyone was acting with their free will, and apparently, the villains he chose were incompetent. He then figured that this was how Adelheid had trapped them initially, and if it were not for his writing, she would have been free, and then would have had him go up the short ladder and then down the short rope! Drosselmyer then said, “She's…been a thorn in my flesh for some time. Yet, she is not all that powerful. Look there!”
He pointed to her at the door as she watched Lillie make her confession. They then saw the diamond shard in her hand, and Drosselmyer said, “That is the source of her power. If you can take that from her somehow, then there is no more Tutu. She would be powerless to stop you.”
Then Dolph said, “How are we going to get it? You know what happens when we touch it.”
“Simple,” said Rolf, “we get one of them to steal it, and then put it somewhere that she cannot ever find it again!”
They looked all around the school, but could find no one that had a heart to be a thief. They then began to look around the town for someone who could do the job.
Lillie began to see a counselor regularly after what she called her “sick time,” and she began to deal with some deep rooted things that had been haunting her for some time. She was surprised how it was that little things could cause one to do some odd things. In the meantime, the relationship between Fakir and Ahiru was beginning to blossom. It was Friday, and the group decided to go out for pizza that night. Even though it was a casual thing, it never failed when Siegfried came along. As soon as they sat down in the fresco dining area, the staff of the pizzeria began to go ape, and made sure everything was to be of the best quality possible. “Well, I tried to keep it low key,” said Siegfried, “It never fails!”
“Get used to it, Bubba,” said Fakir, “It comes with the territory.”
They all ordered, and the conversation was spirited. They knew they had a mission, but they did need a chance to have fun every once in a while. Joe heard some of the music playing, and he recognized the tarantella, so he started to sing it. Now everyone at the restaurant was having a good time. The chef came out with a can of anchovies for Joe, and said, “You're a good birdie, yes? Birdie wants a fishy?
“Nah,” said Joe, “Give me a short beer!”
That threw him back a bit. “And a smart mouth birdie, I see,” said the chef.
Joe said to him in Italian, “Smarter than you realize pizan!”
He patted Joe on the head, and then figured that he should be minding his own business. Everyone, including Uzzura, sat silent as they watched him go back in, and then they all busted a gut! Freya opened the can and began feeding the fish to Joe as they continued to eat. However, Rue began to notice just how affectionate that Fakir and Duck were getting, and nudged the prince, saying, “Uh, baby, do you see something not so good here?”
“I can't see what you think is…” and then he stopped, seeing what was happening, and then said, “Oh, I see what you mean.”
“Don't you think that's a problem?” asked Rue.
Siegfried thought about it, and understood where Rue was going with it. At about this time, a karaoke machine was brought out, and Joe just had to be the first one up. They were quite surprised to see a bird come up and give it a try, but Freya assured them that it would be alright. He then asked for “She's Always a Woman to Me,” and dedicated it to the beautiful blonde at table three. However, Fakir and Ahiru began to do a passionate pas de deux to the music. Uzzura then piped up and said, “Oh, they found their lovey-dovey-zura!”
“That's going to be a big problem,” said Siegfried.
Uzzura did not understand, and said, “Lovey-dovey is bad-zura?”
“What is she,” pointing to Ahiru.
“She's a ducky-zura!” answered Uzzura.
“Does she look like one now?” he asked.
“Oh no!” she said, “She looks like Duck-zura.”
“When this is over, what shall she be?” asked the prince.
“A ducky-zura,” she answered, and then the lights went on. “Ducky and boy can't be all lovey-dovey-zura.”
“Yes,” said Rue, “and we have to do something about it.”
Rue then turned to Siegfried, and said, “You pull aside Fakir, and I'll talk to Duck. Maybe we can talk some reason into them.”
As they danced, there were three boys nearby who had a bad reputation in the neighborhood. They were known for petty theft and vandalism, and they saw the crowd now forming around the fresco dining area of the pizzeria, dancing and singing. Normally this was their chance to do a little work, but something interesting happened to one of them. Rolf entered the picture, and entered the heart of the boy named Irving. Irving then said to his friends, “Say, I think I saw something neat in the jacket of that red haired girl dancing.”
“You did,” said Edward, “What was it?”
“It looked like a diamond!” said Irving.
“Are you sure?” said Julius.
“It looked large and smooth like an egg,” said Irving, “Ed, go get it.”
Not thinking twice, he slipped into the crowd, reached into the pocket of the jacket hung round the chair, and snatched the diamond shard before anyone could see what was happening. He then went back and said, “Wow! Look at how big it is?”
“That will get us some money,” said Julius.
“No said Irving,” we have to get rid of it.
“What do you mean, `get rid of it?' Are you crazy?” said Edward.
Rolf was stuck. He told them to get it, and now he wants them to throw it away. He thought fast, and then said, “I didn't realize how big it was,” he said through Irving, “That would be missed. They would look for us right away, don't you think?”
“Hey, no one saw me,” said Edward, “They can't pin it on us.”
“You know they'll blame us,” said Irving, “Just get rid of it.”
Julius thought for a moment, and then said, “Yeah, just give it to me, and I'll take care of it.”
“Cool,” said Irving, just don't be foolish.
However, Julius had no intention of getting rid of it. He was going to conceal it for a time, and then wait for the right time to hawk it. Meanwhile, Rolf remained inside Irving, because he knew that there could be quite a bit of chaos that he could now cause. He would have him escalate in his crimes, and then would seek to put him in a situation where his life would be at risk.
On the way back to the dorms, they were able to pull the other two aside and talk to them. Rue talked to Ahiru, and said, “Um…Duck…” not knowing how to start, and then said, “So, how's it been going for you as a girl?”
“That's a silly question,” said Ahiru, “It's been going a lot better than the last time. I mean, there are no questions, no hang ups. You just know what needs to be done, and then you get it done. I could get used to this!”
“Ah…That's what I wanted to talk to you about,” said Rue, “I mean, you do know what is going to happen when this is all over, right?”
“What do you mean?” asked Ahiru.
“Well,” said Rue, “Look at Freya and Joe: remember how they were?”
“Oh, of course,” said Ahiru, “Who couldn't see that?”
“Well, I mean,” said Rue, “Look at Joe: do you think that's good?”
“Of course not,” said Ahiru, “He wants to be himself again, I mean, who wouldn't want to be?”
“That's right,” said Rue, “Who wouldn't want to be?”
Ahiru locked up, and then realized what Rue was saying, “Oh yeah, that's right. I'm only a girl because of what happened to Joe.”
“Look,” said Rue, “Its not that I don't like to see you like this, because it is a lot easier to talk to you. Yet, I mean, whether you are like this, or a duck, you are you, right?”
“Well, yes,” said Ahiru, now not liking where this was going.
“And even if you have to speak in a sign language again, we can still talk, right?”
“I guess so,” said Ahiru, her voice now lowering.
“I want you to understand something very important,” said Rue, trying to act like an older sister if she could, “It doesn't matter to me what this outside shell looks like. It's not what I see out here that makes me love you. I love what is up here,” and Rue put a finger on her forehead. She continued, “It's the person who lives in here that I like. No matter what you end up, you will always be the one I love, the one that helped save me, the one that gave me the greatest possible chance a girl could ever have. I've come to grips with that. A duck, as Duck, or as Tutu, all three are the same person—you! I will always love you. So, don't feel obligated to stay a girl, because I've seen you happy as all three, and the same personality is in all three. You can be a duck, and still be my friend.”
“Thank you,” said Ahiru, “I was feeling a little awkward there, because I didn't know what you were trying to say, but I guess it's okay.”
She thought for a moment and said, “So, you're saying that I should be careful and not get attached to this, right?”
Rue thought for a moment, and said, “I think you understand where I am coming from. When we leave the stage of a ballet, sometimes it's a little hard to drop character, isn't it.”
“Yes, that's true,” said Ahiru.
“That's because we get so into it, that we, for a short time, convince ourselves that this is who we are,” said Rue, “Yet, it is the best way do to it, because you become more believable. However, no matter how attached we get to a role, we must be able to not get so attached to it that it affects our lives. Think of this as a prolonged ballet. You are portraying a girl right now, but no matter how much you must throw yourself into this role to make it believable, you know that you are going to have to take off the costume at some point. I just want to be sure that you are ready for it.”
Ahiru stood silent, knowing what Rue was saying, and she knew that Rue was right; yet, she could not help but think that there was something else to what she was saying. She had to ask, “Is there something else with this that you want to say?”
Rue was busted, and now she had to be as delicate as possible. She then said, “Well, what I am also saying is this: we also have to be careful in how close we get to some people, because if we get too close, it may make us do something irrational, and we could never drop the charade.”
It did not take long for Ahiru to figure out what she was saying, and said, “You're talking about me and Fakir, aren't you?”
Rue hung her head, and said, “Honey, I'm sorry, but I fear you are going to hurt yourself. I mean, it's not like you to will be parted…”
“…but it would not be the same, would it?” said Ahiru, trying to finish Rue's statement.
“It only makes sense,” said Rue, “considering the nature of your wish. Yes, you never mentioned being a girl, but, it must have been on your heart. You feel that you can give him more like this, don't you.”
“Well…yes,” said Ahiru, with tears now beginning to well up in her eyes.
“But, hasn't he said that he would love you no matter what?” asked Rue.
“That's not the point,” protested Ahiru through the now growing tears, “I can't give him what he gives to me, and I so desperately want to.”
“I'm sure you can in your true self, right?” asked Rue, “Have you ever thought about it?”
Ahiru began to cry, now realizing that, no matter what happens, she really did not have a choice. It was a hard slap, but it was the tough love she needed to get her to remember that this was not who she was, and that this was not permanent. Rue held her close as they walked, saying, “Now, now, no tears: be the big, brave duck that I've always known!”
Yet, Rue knew that someone was going to get hurt, no matter how it came out, and she wondered if Drosselmyer would get his tragedy after all. “Curse you, Drosselmyer!” she said under her breath.
Meanwhile, Siegfried was trying to talk to Fakir. However, the prince figured that he could be more straightforward, and decided to be more direct. He said to Fakir, “Wow, it sure looks like you and Tutu are getting close.”
“I have not felt like this in a long time,” said Fakir, “She, even as a duck, has taught me how to love. I despised her at one time, but now, she softened my hard heart. I owe her so much.”
“That's good to hear, Fakir,” said Siegfried, “because it makes what I am going to say a bit easier.”
Fakir looked at him out of the corner of his eye, and said, “What do you mean?”
“I guess what I am saying…” he paused, and then said, “…is that you cannot get that close to her in the way I saw tonight. I mean, you two are already close, but this is going in a bad direction.”
Fakir got the gist of it, and he could not get too mad at Siegfried, because he knew he was right. “I know what you are saying,” he said, “because, when she goes back to her true self, it cannot be how it is right now.”
“That's right,” said Siegfried, “and I don't want to see you hurt.”
Fakir walked silent, realizing that he was right. He was lying to himself, thinking how he was lying to himself. Yet, he remembered what he vowed: he would keep her like that somehow. He just did not know how without writing a story and that was a line he was not willing to cross. You alter one person in real time like that, and it would be like a highly addictive drug. Once you start you cannot stop. He could not do that to her, or himself. Yet, there had to be some way. He then remembered something, “Yet, remember what your mother said?”
“What are you referring to?” asked the prince.
“She said that she was always the believer in the third option,” said Fakir, “Perhaps she may know a way.”
“I never considered that,” said Siegfried, “She is very wise.”
“Then we have to believe for the third option: there has to be a way,” said Fakir.
“It's good to have hope, my friend,” said Siegfried, “but we also have to remember to be ready to accept those things that we cannot change. If there is a way, then don't give up hope. Yet, if it cannot be, remember that this is also another option, and you have to be ready for that.”
“I'll face that when it comes,” said Fakir.
“Then, be careful how far you take this,” said Siegfried, “because there is more than just her at stake here. A good knight like you knows how to face the hard choices well, and knows when he has to stand down.”
He put his hand on Fakir's back, and said, “Be real, but never give up hope.”