The Black Swan and the Duck (Princess Tutu FanFic)

Chapter 13: Missing Pieces coming Together

"He's learning is he?" Kuro stood stiffly at his balcony window. "Even if he does realize who the characters are, he can't learn what 'the Sorcerer' said to 'the knight' because we stole the pages." He turned to see the black bird sitting on the chair, her eyes watching his movement. She honked a small honk, clearly in an attempt to communicate to the silver haired man.

"Even so, you say he is beginning to become annoyed with the dark side of the little Duck then...then we are at least getting somewhere. By the time he does figure it out, I'll have all my power back, and you can give me the revenge I need to help complete my plan. Let her have these few nights...soon we'll both be satisfied my dear." He brushed the tips of his fingers down the neck of his Yin, his little black swan.

"Ahiru...did you see anything or anyone go in my room at all last night?" Fakir asked, clearly distracted.

Ahiru looked at him. Being a human was something she terribly missed on the daily. Dancing was something she missed daily. Fakir too.

"No, why Fakir?"

"Because something missing...look if I-" Fakir paused. "Wait...did you take something from my room last night?"

"What?" Ahiru looked wide eyed and confused. Why would he accuse her of stealing from him? Was that the impression her other self was making on him?

"Forget it. Look I found a notebook that might help me figure out what's going on with this swan thing but...its missing pages. On top of that, I found a black feather beside it." Fakir looked to her. "I need to find them. If you know or if you see anything..."

"I don't." Ahiru said sighing. "I'm sorry Fakir. I'm sorry I can't be anymore help." She felt her stomach waver. It killed that she couldn't show him her secret, but she couldn't do anything about it.

Fakir looked at her. How was this the same Ahiru that was boastful and confidently prancing around dance class? ...she was meek...and looked terribly sad for not being able to help him now..really that was the Ahiru he remembered.

"Ahiru...I found a prologue to the story. I think it was the prologue to the last story we were in. I have a hunch that originally Princess Tutu was a Princess of a Lake that was nearby Mytho's kingdom in the story. I don't know what that means exactly but I do know its linked to the swan and feather conundrum somehow. People keep saying they're seeing swan feathers landing around the town. Mytho sends letters saying even their kingdom has had an infestation of swans. Black swans." Fakir looked hard and thoughtful.

"Fakir..." Ahiru started. "I want to figure this out too. I...I want to help. I will find those note pages for you I promise. I'll make sure of it."

Fakir was taken by the fact that her confidence in finding them was strong, but also that she wanted to help so much. He'd really missed this about her. "Thank you."

She nodded and left to the other room.

But he also knew something was going on with Ahiru. Her blue eyes were troubled. Her actions varied day to day. But she was holding back. He was supposed to be the one she could trust...and yet now...he wasn't even sure he could trust her.

Ahiru was annoyed. She knew it was her black swan doppelgänger that stole the pages, but she also wasn't sure where they'd be hidden. Maybe if she looked tonight and found out where it came from before it met her on the lake she'd be able to look there tomorrow. She'd have to try.

She stayed awake. Before daybreak she left, like she'd planned. She made sure she didn't wake Fakir, and left for the forrest. If her black swan had to replace herself in her bed at Fakir's house, she must come from somewhere.

Ahiru sat in the shadows of the trees, the sun's farthest rays barely reaching over the horizon, when she saw a black bird fly off the balcony of a room at the academy. It flew closer to Fakir's house, and knew i was the Black Swan.

That was the room she'd investigate today.

If she was lucky...by tomorrow night...she could give Fakir the answers he needed.

Ahiru hated the fact that her arms were now wings. Sure they were bigger and yes she could fly more than her duck self ever could...but she really wanted to feel human permanently.

She looked into the window. Classes were going on. She scanned the room for Fakir when she saw him dancing with Pike. He didn't look happy about it either, or at least he seemed -

Ahiru gasped. Her twin self was dancing with Autor. Boastfully...proudly...not at all like how she'd danced in reality. But why? It was like her twin was trying to get Fakir to be annoyed with her...

She left quickly before she could give herself the chance to honk in anger again. That balcony was her only way to find out where her twin was coming from. It was about time she did something to fix her own problems. She swept upwards towards the higher rooms...did that mean that her doppelgänger was someone's pet if she saw it come from a room?

She looked around. There it was...the room. She landed on the balcony and she held her breath. Wasn't this the director's room?

Her eyes darted back and forward in the room. She looked at the balcony doors. Locked. But it was a latch.

She started to hit the doors with her beak, until she started to see the latch loosen.

"One more hit..." She hit it harder then she'd meant to and the latch unlocked and she flew into the room.

She looked around. It looked like the director's room! Did that mean he had something to do with it? Was she doing something to the director too?

Ahiru looked around to make sure the director wasn't there, even though she was confident he'd be teaching class.

Okay...so...note-pages. Fakir wanted ripped out notebook pages. Why did the black swan steal them...did she not want Fakir to know? Clearly the notebook was important. She couldn't let Fakir down!

She looked around before she saw the pages sitting on a desk, next to a book that made her question who the Director was...a copy of Swan Lake...but also a book that had strange illustrations and notes. Clearly this wasn't what Fakir wanted, but Ahiru felt a nervous inkling to hurry and leave, so she found what notes she could...rather scripted and a little water damaged, and left the room.

The Swan and the Director? What was she missing?

Fakir left class early. Maybe he was jealous. Maybe her mood changes and flipping personalities were getting to him. But dancing with Autor bugged him. Autor said he hadn't liked her new self and sucking up, but when she demonstrated with him instead of himself...Fakir knew that...or well he'd felt like it wasn't like Ahiru to pick another over him.

He didn't even care to ask her about if she'd heard anything about the notebook. Frankly he didn't want to be at the Library with Autor. He just wanted to clear his mind. He'd hoped Mytho didn't leave another letter either. He left and as he left, he spotted a white swan in the sky.

Damn. Swans.

He didn't wait around for Ahiru and went to his room. Sleep. Sleep is what he needed. He went to his room and stretched and opened the window. The weather had been clear and fresh. He needed air and sleep. He looked down onto the sill, and noticed pages...pages of the notebook?! But how- he looked around. Nobody was there. Ahiru hadn't returned yet had she? Had she beaten him here?

No. Nobody in the trees. Nothing either. He was about to close the window again, so he could sit and read the pages when he noticed the grass below the sill was holding strange evidence. Familiar evidence of who was there.

A white swan feather.

A black swan feather when the pages were stollen.

A white swan feather when they were found.

Something clearly was up.