The Black Swan and the Duck (Princess Tutu FanFic)

Chapter 20: A Selfish Emotion

Fakir saw the struggle in her eyes.

He didn't know how. He...he didn't feel like he could do anything for her. How could he? He was...

He shook his head. The damn missing heart shard of his was skewing his thoughts. He looked over at Ahiru; at Princess Tutu. She lifted her hand as if to dance for him.

Thats when he started to see it.

Princess Tutu. Like a wave flash-back of memories.

The lake, and the first time he saw her. He'd seen a rustle in the bushes. He'd been watching the Prince in his noon endeavors and lunch in the forrest that surrounded the castle.

He'd read the text, but this time he felt it. As if he was living that time. The feeling he'd had when he'd expected some wild animal or threat to be lurking in the forrest. He'd always been the Knight to the Prince. He'd never had a purpose except that. That was until he'd seen the forrest's enchanted Princess. She danced next to the river with the grace of a swan. Kindness in her eyes. But she had no flock. No followers.

A lone Princess that few had seen. He felt for her. But like a mirage he didn't want to disturb her, as if all too soon she'd disappear into mist.

It was a possessive feeling; he wanted nothing more than to let her see him so he may try to meet her.

And yet, his Prince called for his assistance, each time he'd watched her dance.

Many days later he'd seen her join a lost duckling to its mother. It was the first time he'd seen such meek kindness from the Princess. The illusion of kindness in her eyes, was nothing but truth.

He understood. She kept the forrest safe, just as he kept the Prince safe. He only had hoped until that point to find someone who understood him.

And He understood it now. Why he'd hated to see Ahiru torn by the Mytho's love, why he'd wanted her to be happy. Why he'd had so much faith in the little duckling and the Princess Tutu...

He'd fallen for Ahiru a long time ago...and that feeling hadn't gone away since.

His memory was jolted to reality when he saw Princess Tutu stop and clutch her chest in agony. The darkness was spreading, he couldn't see it, but her aura seemed like it was struggling. Princess Tutu's powers were weakened by the Sorcerer's cursed dagger.

They had become their old selves; Kuro became the Sorcerer, Ahiru became Princess Tutu. Strength or not, He would become the Knight she needed. Maybe she wasn't just dancing for him, maybe she was asking for his help.

"Ah, so you may have nearly turned your friends human, but should you spare yourself the pain! I will turn them again when I have your soul! You are but a doomed princess, cursed by the Knight who now cowers behind a tree!" Kuro laughed. His silver hair framing his face, tousled in the winds as he still remained above, floating in his wrath of darkness and power.

Ahiru felt it. She didn't know, even with Fakir's heart shard if she could keep this up. She was only Princess Tutu because of it, and now she was becoming too weak. Without her power, Fakir didn't even stand a chance with a regular sword...and-

She felt someone's arms guiding her, holding her up. She turned her head to the side to see Fakir.

"I don't have the strength I normally do, but I'd like to help you." Fakir said to her, his face next to hers, as he stood behind her supporting her in her dance.

"Then I have the strength for two, I will share what I can with you." Princess Tutu replied to him.

Fakir knew that didn't mean much when she was faltering under the pain of his failure to protect her...but he would try. Just as dancing with Princess Tutu often did, his heart shard reached out to him from her. Together they danced.

When the Princess stumbled, he aided her.

When his mind wondered and questioned how well he aided, if he really could be strong for her, her kind eyes brought him back.

And together they danced, until soon all of the black swans became human, and collapsed to the ground in faint. Their friends were normal. The people of the city were free.

And then she stopped.

Fakir looked to her. He noticed he too had become the Knight, somewhere along the lines of dancing. But his breath stopped when he saw the pain on her face.

"Pathetic little romantics! Dance your heart out, but your soul is still mine! Soon nothing will stop me and your struggles will be for nothing!" Kuro smiled. His grin twisting high into his cheeks, his eyes red with power and his arms outstretched in pride. Suddenly the sky grew dark, and the clouds covered the sun, and all at once it was as dark as night again.

"Then I'll return to you what is yours before I take it from you forever. You'll need it."

The Knight looked to Princess Tutu, as she returned his heart shard to him, before he could persist. All at the same time he felt his strength return.

He would have been afraid to open his eyes, should she have not have returned it to him, but instead he did.

Ahiru, all at once, in a white bodysuit and a sheer white skirt collapsed.

"Ahiru!"

Fakir caught her before she hurt herself falling, kneeling on the ground, supporting her in his arms.

"I'm sorry Fakir I couldn't do it." She whimpered out, looking as if she was about to cry.

"It's okay. Neither could I. I'm not sure if we really needed to trade something to gain power, but I couldn't re-write the story like last time if it meant you would die...like you almost did against the Raven. But this time...I guess I didn't save you either." He coughed the last part out, trying to hide his own emotions, his own tears.

"It's okay, you gave me your strength. At least the others can be free...at least for a little while."

"It's my fault. Drosselmeyer wrote me as a selfish Knight. I'd only wanted you for myself back then, I'd wanted Princess Tutu and because of my reckless behaviour I caused your curse. I wish I could have remembered sooner. You became a duck because of me. You had to watch Mytho fall in love with someone else. And now you have to suffer because I hurt someone I shouldn't have..."

"But you made yourself into an unselfish Knight! You helped me save Mytho and Rue, and you helped me escape my duck curse, and swan curse, and you gave your strength up for me so I could at least try to help again -" Ahiru clenched her eyes and her fist over her chest in pain. " - and I was selfish too when I didn't want to give up the heart shard for Prince Mytho!"

Fakir thought about it for a second. She was right. Was he really being selfish or...

"You know Ahiru, you're right. But I get it now."

"You get what?" She looked up at him with her blue eyes.

"I get it now. Rue did the same thing with Mytho. You did the same thing with Mytho's heart shard. I did the same thing to you."

"What?" Her eyes about the only shining thing in the darkness of the Sorcerer's wrath.

"Love. It's a selfish emotion isn't it?"