[June 23] [Princess Tutu] A Happy Ending For...?
Title: A Happy Ending For…?
Day/Theme: June 23 - some girls were just meant to smile
Series: Princess Tutu
Character/Pairing: Duck and Fakir (Duck/Mytho, implied Fakir/Duck)
Rating: G
“I don’t understand how you can be so cheerful about this.”
Duck looked up from the book she was reading, her eyebrows going up a little in surprise. It was unusual for Fakir to break into the silence, of all people. “What do you mean?”
“You’re sitting there, trying to find something to help Mytho, reading an incredibly depressing story, but you’re smiling like a moron.” The dark-haired boy shook his head. “Not that you aren’t a moron.”
“Hey!” She furrowed her brow. “I’m not a moron! And I don’t think it’s depressing!”
“It’s The Little Mermaid. You know what happens in the end, don’t you?”
“Huh?” Duck paused for a moment, frowning and looking into the water of the lake. Yes, she knew what happened in the end. Most girls (and even ducks pretending to be girls) did. The Mermaid had been rejected for another, and the only way she could regain her fins and survive would be to kill her love…but she couldn’t do it. So she threw herself into the sea, but instead of dying as she should, the Spirits of the Air came and took her away, promising her a chance to get into Heaven…”Yeah. But I don’t think it’s depressing.”
“She dies in the end.”
“Not really, she just becomes something different.”
“Maybe, but she doesn’t get to be with the Prince she loves.”
Duck looked down to her feet as they dangled off the edge of the pier. “I know. But the Prince was happy with someone else, right?”
Fakir sighed, setting his book off to the side. “But he wasn’t with her.”
“If you love someone, then you just want them to be happy, right?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why not?”
“You also want to be with them.”
“Well…yeah…” She pointed her toes down and touched the surface of the water. That’s right…when she was Tutu, she danced on the water once, didn’t she? To tell Mytho how she felt. Princess Tutu… “But even if you don’t get to be with that person, you can still be happy for them, right? Even if you vanish…”
Fakir was silent for a moment, his lips pressed tightly together and his eyes narrowed in a glare off in the distance. “…You mustn’t vanish.”
“I don’t want to, but if that’s how the story ends…”
“Maybe the story doesn’t have to end that way! I didn’t die, not really, so you shouldn’t have to vanish!”
“But if it helps Mytho, if he’s happy-“
“Moron,” he interrupted, closing his eyes. “If Mytho is a Prince that loves everyone, do you really think he’d be happy if you vanished? I think that if he was in his right mind he’d want to find an ending where you both could smile.”
Duck stared at him for a moment. An ending that would make them both smile…? He was right, in a way, Mytho would want that, but was there really such a possible ending? She’d managed not to vanish before, but did she defeat her fate or only delay it?
But Fakir had done it…with him by her side, then maybe…
“And one where you could smile, too?”
He opened his eyes and considered her for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. “I guess.”
She smiled, leaning forward. “Okay, then! So we’ll find an ending where we can all be happy! Maybe even for Rue!”
“Now-hey!-life doesn’t always work that way, you’re starting to try to make too many people-“
“It’s not too many! It’s not enough! Pique and Lilie should be happy, too, and Uzura, and Professor Cat, and Charon, he’s been really worried too, and-“
“Just worry about you and Mytho right now!” Fakir said quickly, holding his hand over her mouth. “Then you can worry about the rest.”
She quickly pushed his hand away-more because he allowed her to than anything else-and pouted at him. “But I want to help everyone!”
“You’re impossible,” he grumbled, turning back to his book.
Everything went silent again, and Duck frowned out at the lake, hugging the book close to her. Grumpy, that’s what he was. He was grumpy and annoying and difficult to deal with, and he always tried to do everything himself.
…But he also wanted Mytho to be happy, and he’d already worked so hard to make that happen…
“Hey, Fakir?”
“What?” he said, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
“Can I at least try to make you happy, too?”
At first he didn’t bother to look up at her, turning the page to his book. “…Worry about your own ending, and I’ll worry about mine, alright?” He glanced up at her, and Duck thought she saw-maybe, just maybe-a hint of a smile.
“…Okay, Fakir.”
Day/Theme: June 23 - some girls were just meant to smile
Series: Princess Tutu
Character/Pairing: Duck and Fakir (Duck/Mytho, implied Fakir/Duck)
Rating: G
“I don’t understand how you can be so cheerful about this.”
Duck looked up from the book she was reading, her eyebrows going up a little in surprise. It was unusual for Fakir to break into the silence, of all people. “What do you mean?”
“You’re sitting there, trying to find something to help Mytho, reading an incredibly depressing story, but you’re smiling like a moron.” The dark-haired boy shook his head. “Not that you aren’t a moron.”
“Hey!” She furrowed her brow. “I’m not a moron! And I don’t think it’s depressing!”
“It’s The Little Mermaid. You know what happens in the end, don’t you?”
“Huh?” Duck paused for a moment, frowning and looking into the water of the lake. Yes, she knew what happened in the end. Most girls (and even ducks pretending to be girls) did. The Mermaid had been rejected for another, and the only way she could regain her fins and survive would be to kill her love…but she couldn’t do it. So she threw herself into the sea, but instead of dying as she should, the Spirits of the Air came and took her away, promising her a chance to get into Heaven…”Yeah. But I don’t think it’s depressing.”
“She dies in the end.”
“Not really, she just becomes something different.”
“Maybe, but she doesn’t get to be with the Prince she loves.”
Duck looked down to her feet as they dangled off the edge of the pier. “I know. But the Prince was happy with someone else, right?”
Fakir sighed, setting his book off to the side. “But he wasn’t with her.”
“If you love someone, then you just want them to be happy, right?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why not?”
“You also want to be with them.”
“Well…yeah…” She pointed her toes down and touched the surface of the water. That’s right…when she was Tutu, she danced on the water once, didn’t she? To tell Mytho how she felt. Princess Tutu… “But even if you don’t get to be with that person, you can still be happy for them, right? Even if you vanish…”
Fakir was silent for a moment, his lips pressed tightly together and his eyes narrowed in a glare off in the distance. “…You mustn’t vanish.”
“I don’t want to, but if that’s how the story ends…”
“Maybe the story doesn’t have to end that way! I didn’t die, not really, so you shouldn’t have to vanish!”
“But if it helps Mytho, if he’s happy-“
“Moron,” he interrupted, closing his eyes. “If Mytho is a Prince that loves everyone, do you really think he’d be happy if you vanished? I think that if he was in his right mind he’d want to find an ending where you both could smile.”
Duck stared at him for a moment. An ending that would make them both smile…? He was right, in a way, Mytho would want that, but was there really such a possible ending? She’d managed not to vanish before, but did she defeat her fate or only delay it?
But Fakir had done it…with him by her side, then maybe…
“And one where you could smile, too?”
He opened his eyes and considered her for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. “I guess.”
She smiled, leaning forward. “Okay, then! So we’ll find an ending where we can all be happy! Maybe even for Rue!”
“Now-hey!-life doesn’t always work that way, you’re starting to try to make too many people-“
“It’s not too many! It’s not enough! Pique and Lilie should be happy, too, and Uzura, and Professor Cat, and Charon, he’s been really worried too, and-“
“Just worry about you and Mytho right now!” Fakir said quickly, holding his hand over her mouth. “Then you can worry about the rest.”
She quickly pushed his hand away-more because he allowed her to than anything else-and pouted at him. “But I want to help everyone!”
“You’re impossible,” he grumbled, turning back to his book.
Everything went silent again, and Duck frowned out at the lake, hugging the book close to her. Grumpy, that’s what he was. He was grumpy and annoying and difficult to deal with, and he always tried to do everything himself.
…But he also wanted Mytho to be happy, and he’d already worked so hard to make that happen…
“Hey, Fakir?”
“What?” he said, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
“Can I at least try to make you happy, too?”
At first he didn’t bother to look up at her, turning the page to his book. “…Worry about your own ending, and I’ll worry about mine, alright?” He glanced up at her, and Duck thought she saw-maybe, just maybe-a hint of a smile.
“…Okay, Fakir.”