Log: Complete

[sword-and-quill.livejournal.com]

When: January 8th (back-dated), Early evening [ Note: This takes place before Cafe Juliet's makeover and the explosion. ]

Rating: PG (for cute blushy awkward fluff)

Characters: Starts with Ahiru ( duck_duck_girl ), Fakir ( sword_and_quill ), Rue ( princess_crow ), and Mytho ( fairyta1eprince ) - and quickly subtracts to just Fakir and Ahiru.

Summary: After being ditched on their arranged double-date by a conniving princess and her prince, Fakir and Ahiru are left to find a way to enjoy themselves without Mytho and Rue. Awkwardness ensues as Fakir attempts to use the various "dating" advices given to him by other city residents, forcing him to try and swallow his pride and supress his surly behavior for the sake of conveying to the naive Ahiru how he really feels about her.

Log:

Ahiru looked to Fakir as they fell into step after leaving the opera. She wanted to say something about his expression--he looked as though he had swallowed a lemon--but felt that it would spoil a good time out.

Ahead of her she could see Rue smiling with pure joy. Ahiru coulding help but smile wider herself. They all were together. Rue had her Prince and she.... Ahiru wasn't sure what to say she had. All she knew was that she was happy.

To say Fakir was nervous would be a huge understatement. He tried to keep all the advice he could in mind. Relax, he kept repeating in his head like a mantra. But his limbs felt too stiff and his throat was too dry to make any attempt at conversation. He glanced down at the girl walking beside him and felt a little color seep into his cheeks. She was finally smiling again. And he was glad to see it. He'd have to do whatever he could tonight to make up for being such a jerk the day before.

Rue perched on Mytho's arm, looking radiant. She was smiling brightly and her red eyes shone in pure bliss. Her Prince's presence brought her an indescribable comfort and peace.She walked surely of herself, much unlike the other "couple." There was no awkwardness for her and Mytho at this point of their relationship.

Her glance shifted briefly from Mytho to Ahiru and Fakir behind them. Her lips curved further up in an impish expression. The knight was impossibly nervous! Her suspicion was probably right. "Look at Fakir, my Prince," Rue whispered in Mytho's ear, keeping her gaze on the path ahead.

Mytho had at first been surprised to hear that Rue had invited Ahiru and Fakir along. Afterall, as selfish as it was, he'd been looking forward to spending some time alone with her specifically. He'd missed her more than he could even begin to tell her.

Startled out of his thoughts by Rue's words, he glanced down to her before obediently turning his gaze behind them to check on the pair trailing behind. And when he saw the odd, almost strained expression on Fakir's face, he raised an eyebrow. Was he...fidgeting with the edge of his coat? Fighting down a chuckle, he grinned back at his princess. It was sure to be an interesting night, indeed.

Ahiru noticed Rue looking back at her. Mytho did too? She turned and looked behind her. Nothing was there. With a shrug she turned to Fakir, tugging on his sleeve. "Fakir, are we going for ice cream like you had said? Or is that after whatever is planned? Hey! Where are we going anyways?" She still held his sleeve.

It had been taking nearly all the ex-knight's concentration just to keep walking straight. And so, when Ahiru had innocently tugged his sleeve, he startled instantly, nearly tripping in the process. "I-Ice cream?" he stammered, blinking back at her, before he recalled asking her about that before. "Oh, right. Ice cream." Turning his gaze ahead, he beckoned the two walking ahead of them. "Did you both have something planned?"

How stupid of him. He'd been fretting over the date so badly that he hadn't even bothered to ask Rue and Mytho if they'd planned anything ahead of time! The sudden drift in attention caused the ex-knight to nearly lose his footing a second time.

Rue turned her head to face Fakir, gracing him with a superior smile of hers. "Of course we do," she informed him slowly, noticing all the body language of the usually surly and stoic knight. "How else would be on a date if we don't?" she asked, fairly rolling her eyes as a princess shouldn't do. "First, we will go to Cafe Juliet," she remarked, returning her attention on front, resting her weight on Mytho."You can eat ice cream there." Wordlessly, she took the lead, escorting her Prince on the right direction. "This way."

The white-haired prince could tell that Rue was up to something. He didn't know what, but upon taking another quick glance over his shoulder, he could certainly guess. However, it was clear the other pair was completely oblivious.

Mytho shrugged inwardly. He felt that he could certainly play along with that. Allowing Rue to take charge (as usual), he followed after her, an amused smile creeping over his lips.

As Fakir desprately tried to maintain steady footing, Ahiru looped her arms around his waist. "Fakir! Don't fall! You are already all bruised!"

The ex-knight felt the heat rise to his face at an alarming rate, all too aware that Ahiru's slim arms had wrapped around him in some steadying-form of a hug. "I-I'm fine! I'm not falling!" he protested in near panic, flailing his arms in a desperate attempt to keep himself from teetering any further. Just barely avoiding what could have been a very awkward fall, he nearly sighed in relief when his footing was stable again. "T-Thanks," he mumbled, trying to fight down the flush from his cheeks induced by the warmth of her arms around him.

She grinned and laughed. "No one would ever think you were a dancer if you keep doing that!" Ahiru carefully pulled her arms from him. "Now don't fall!"

As Ahiru flattened a few wrinkles in her skirt she looked up at her knight companion. "Fakir, a-are you blushing?"

For a brief moment after she'd let go, he found he missed the feeling of her arms around him. However, her words quickly brought him back to reality and he looked back at her, eyes wide. She...She noticed? The flush upon his cheeks intensified and his eyebrows drew together automatically. "O-Of course I'm not blushing, you moron!" he denied immediately, even though his face was quite obviously as red as a tomato. "It's just...the winter air!"

Mentally, Fakir smacked a hand to his head. The date hadn't even started and he'd already managed to screw up. Raised his voice and called her moron at the same time. Swift.

"I...didn't mean to yell," he spoke as he glanced down at her in a way he hoped appeared apologetic. "I was just a little startled. Sorry."

Had she been a duck at this moment, her feathers would have puffed. Why was he so jumpy? "It is chilly." Maybe if she ignored his outburst then things would be okay. Ahiru put on a smile. "But it's never too cold for ice cream, I think!" Already they were almost to the cafe.

The ex-knight could tell he'd upset her and felt a stab of guilt when she smiled back at him. She always tried to hide behind a smile no matter how she felt. But he had no right to call her on that, so he half-smiled back at the redhead. "Fond of ice-cream, aren't you," he remarked.

"How come you've been training so much, Fakir?" Ahiru had wondered why her friend had been slipping off to fight often. With him being so distant and quick to anger she never felt confidant enough to ask.

Her question took him a little offguard, and he blinked. "Ah, well... This place is pretty dangerous, so I want to be prepared in case we get attacked or something." He bit his lip. He couldn't tell her yet. If things went wrong now, he'd never forgive himself.

It was at that moment Fakir noticed something odd, and stopped in his tracks. The two figures that had been walking in front of them were missing. He whirled around, wondering if Mytho and Rue had stopped to look at something. But no matter which way he turned, there was no sign of the white-haired prince and raven-haired princess. "I...think we lost Rue and Mytho."

Fakir could almost hear a shrill titter resound in his head and he glared at nothing in particular. He was certain this was Rue's doing. She'd set them up.

Ahiru nearly jumped her own height up into the air. "WHAT!?" She bounced from one place to another shielding her eyes, scouting. "Rue-chan! Mytho! Where could they have gone?" She sighed heavily. "What do we do now?"

Her shoulders sagged. This was suppose to be a fun time out for all of them. Now it was just her and Fakir.

But it wouldn't be too bad. It couldn't be too bad, she thought to herself. A light blush fell over her cheeks. If only he'd be nice...

He could tell Ahiru was disappointed by the turn of events and his heart sank dismally. "I don't know..." he trailed off, regretting having asked her in the first place when he should have kept in mind that Rue had a knack for decieving. "Well we can still go and get ice cream," he suggested, seeing Cafe Juliet's sign in the near distance. "Unless you just want to go back."

If she didn't want to be in his company, he wasn't going to force her. Afterall, he wasn't the most pleasant person to be stuck with.

She looked to the Cafe Juliet sign and then to Fakir. "Do-do you think Rue-chan would be angry? I do want to go." Was Fakir actually looking a bit crestfallen? "We may as well have fun while we are out. You said that we would go for ice cream. Let's!"

"No, I don't think Rue would mind in the slightest," Fakir informed her, smiling wryly. Afterall, Rue had probably planned it from the very beginning. Women, other than the extremely naive type (like Ahiru), could be quite conniving when they wanted to be.

Mimicing Rue the last way that they saw her, Ahiru looped arms with Fakir and begain walking toward the charming little cafe.

Surprised at Ahiru's change in demeanor, as well as the arm wrapped through his, Fakir felt a small surge of hope. Maybe he could still go through with this afterall. He couldn't run away from it forever, anyway. A real smile spread loosely across his lips as they came to the door of the cafe. Okay, do something nice, he informed himself inwardly.

Untangling his arm from hers, Fakir stepped over to the entrance of the cafe and pulled the door open, positioning himself behind it as he gestured for her to enter. Briefly, he realized he'd never held a door open for anyone in his life. And in Ahiru's case, he'd slammed a door in her face more than once. This felt kind of odd. Odd, but not bad. "After you."

It was good to see Fakir in better spirits. Ahiru gladly stepped through the door and waited for him to join her. "I've never been in here, have you?" She looked over the pastel colored walls. "It's so cute."

He shook his head. "No, I've never been here before." Fakir couldn't quite agree with her comment about the interior, but the cafe did have a nice atmosphere. And in his opinion, not many places in the city did.

The two were lead to a booth. In the middle of the table was a pink carnation in a small vase. Ahiru lightly poked at the petals as they were left with two menus.

The ex-knight watched her as she played with the flower sitting on the table the were seated at and smiled very slightly. She looked kind of...cute doing that. "Do you like flowers?" he ventured, switching his gaze to the menu as he felt another blush threaten to creep onto his face. "And feel free to get whatever you want," he added, gesturing at her menu.

Ahiru nodded, "Flowers are pretty. And elegant too. Kind of like Rue-chan. If she could be something else she'd be a flower. I guess that's why I'm a duck." She laughed a little, and sighed. It was true. Rue was definately more of the flower sort. She shook away that thought, no need to be upset for things she couldn't change.

Taking up the menu, she flipped through it eager to find the desserts.

The smile on his face faded as he saw the expression on her features change. It was evident from the tone of her voice and her words that she felt a little envious of Rue. And the irony wasn't lost to him. He felt that same difference between himself and Mytho.

As she picked up the menu, he reached one hand across the table, tentitavely placing it on her forearm. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a duck. That doesn't make you inferior to Rue or anything like that." Flushing again when he realized his own action, he pulled his hand back and raised his own menu.

"Fakir," Ahiru had to smile. "Being a duck means I'm not a person though. I'm the luckiest duck ever to have such wonderful friends. If I stayed a duck I don't think I could ever have this opportunity." Yes, it's best just to appreciate things.

He set his gaze firmly upon hers. "It's not what you are that matters, Ahiru," he told her seriously. "But who you are. And that doesn't change no matter what form you're in." Fakir had to admit that it certainly was easier to talk and interact with her this way. Unbeknownst to her, back at home, he had thought of writing her back into a girl. More than once, even. Though he wasn't sure if that was what she wanted, so he'd always stopped himself before the story could be written to life. And once he came to the City in search of her, he'd found out Rue had sacrificed something to gain Ahiru human form again and the duck-girl was obviously delighted. Everyone seemed to know how to make her happier than he did. What a fool he was.

"You really can be very nice, Fakir. I'm glad that we get to do this. Even though Rue and Mytho can't be here." She moved her arm and wraped her fingers lightly around his.

Her comment about him being "nice" had set him a little offguard and he blinked. She didn't think he was a jerk for yelling at her on the way here? "I...I'm glad, too," he said, positioning his hand to boldly weave his fingers between hers. He was actually a little grateful to Rue, though he probably wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that. If things kept up this way...maybe he could even... "You know, there is something I wanted to tell you."

Just then, a waitress came up to the table and Fakir sighed. This wasn't a good time for that, anyway. It could wait. "Are you ready to order?"

It was nice to hold hands. Ahiru didn't say this outloud but it was something that she enjoyed. She gladly held Fakir's hand a bit tighter. He did consider her a close friend after all, didn't he?

The arrival of the waitress withdrew her curiousity of what Fakir was going to say for the moment. "Oh! Yes! I would like a banana split with strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice cream!"

Surprised, but pleasantly so, that she hadn't withdrawn her hand from his, Fakir allowed his fingers to stay intertwined with hers. It was a nice feeling. And if she didn't want to cut it short, he certainly wasn't going to complain.

The ex-knight nearly chuckled as she enthusiastically ordered her ice cream. It was still nothing short of amazing to him that a girl her size could eat that much. "Just a small sundae for me, thanks," Fakir informed the waitress after Ahiru had finished.

The waitress left them with a smile. Ahiru looked to Fakir with her bright blue eyes. "Were you going to say something?"

She really was getting to like this. They did have moments together but this was something special. Maybe being in the City was not such a horrible trouble after all.

"Ah, that can wait until later," he replied quickly. "We should have ice cream first. Don't worry, it's not pressing." Maybe she'd agree to a stroll through Xanadu later. She said she liked flowers, right? Perhaps by then he'd have enough courage to tell her.

The waitress returned almost as soon as she'd gone, setting their respective orders before them. Giving her fingers a light squeeze, Fakir disengaged his hand from hers and picked up his spoon. Sampling the sundae, which was good - he noted, he glanced at the redhead across from him. "How's your ice cream?"

Ahiru already was armed with her spoon attacking the ice cream. It made it happened to cling to the sides of her mouth as if attempting to escape it's fate. "It's delicious!" She would have to think of a way to get them both to come again. Maybe she could ask him next time. Maybe he would say yes.

She didn't mind not holding hands. But it did feel a bit sad to pull away. You can't eat and hold hands, she told herself. Besides, it would be pretty silly to do so. It's not like it'll never happen again. Her face rapidly reddened.

A chuckle passed through his lips at he watched Ahiru shovel down the ice cream at rapid speed. Did she have any idea how silly she looked? Silly, but cheerful and energetic. He could live with that.

Glancing down at his own dessert, he swirled the spoon around experimentally before scooping up a large portion of the sundae. Looking up at her, he was surprised to see her face had taken on reddish hue. Blinking, he wondered why. Did he have ice cream stuck on his face somewhere and she was too embarrassed to tell him? Ignoring that train of thought, he carefully lifted the spoon across the table, holding it before her. He tried to fight down the blush that was rising to his cheeks. Hadn't he thought this would be weird to do? ...The embarrassing things he was willing to do to get a reaction out of her was starting to unnerve him.

"...Want to try mine?"

Her face took on a darker shade of red at his laugh and even more so at his offer of his own icecream. "O-oh! Please." She leaned over the table, very careful not to put herself in her own sundae and carefully ate the cold treat from the spoon. "Mmmm."

"That was a very good choice, Fakir." She smiled at him as she reached to dab her mouth.

"It's just vanilla ice cream with chocolate and whipped cream," he stated casually, placing the spoon back into his sundae. "Nothing special." Lifting another portion of the frozen dessert to his own mouth, he had to fight down the heat that threatened to attack his face once again as his lips closed around the spoon to remove the ice cream. He wasn't going to follow that train of thought, either.

"When we're done here, do you want to...take a stroll through Xanadu?"

Now that he thought of it, he wasn't even sure if she'd been there. He had been there once. And... it would be a good place to tell her, maybe. But he'd worry about that when the time came.

"Xanadu? Oh the garden! I've heard such nice things about it. That's a good idea." Ahiru set her spoon down into the empty tray and patted her belly. "A walk would be good right now."

She stepped out of the booth and stretched. "Would it be okay to walk, I know that you are still banged up." Ahiru could see that he was looking a bit bruised in a few places and didn't want to wear her friend out.

Although touched that she was concerned for his well-being, he brushed it off with a shrug, rising from the table after depositing a tip. "It'll be fine. I wasn't hurt so badly that I can't walk," he assured her. "As a matter of fact, it would probably do me good since I was stuck in bed almost all day yesterday."

Fakir momentarily departed from her to quickly pay the bill, and proceeded to lead her out of the cafe when he returned, once again holding the door open for her to pass.

It was a little strange for him to be acting this way. But this was for Ahiru, especially after the complete ass he'd been to her the day before. He could swallow his pride and be a little courteous for her sake. Maybe he could get used it.

Ahiru took it upon herself to again loop arms with him. "I'm glad you aren't too hurt." She was glad for a lot of things now that she thought about it. More things to smile about.

"Which way do we go?" She would never tell Fakir, but even though she has been living in the City, when she would go out alone she would get lost. Best he not know that to save them both grief.

He was surprised how easily and casually she'd twined arms with him again, but somehow it was easing his nerves. Little by little his confidance was coming back and being with her like this was becoming less awkward.

"This way," he stated simply, leading her out into the street while thinking clearly of their intended destination. Honestly, he could never get completely used to how it worked - it was bizarre - but regardless, it certainly was a handy way to get from place to place. Fakir wasn't going to tell her just how worked, though, since she didn't seem to know. That would only encourage her to leave on her own behind his back again, and he certainly didn't want that.

When the path to Xanadu was then clear, Fakir tugged lightly on their looped arms as he picked up pace. He glanced down at her as they walked, an almost teasing smile playing across his lips. "At least with you holding on like this I can be sure you're not going to suddenly disappear on me again, moron."

Somehow he knew he'd never be able to stop calling her that. That was something she would have to learn to grow used to, sooner or later.

"Moron? Awww. Fakir I thought you were being nice." Ahiru had to pout. It wound seem wrong not to. But even though she crossed her arms and turned her face away there was still a laugh in her tone and a smile on her lips.

She turned back to him not long after. "So this is the garden...." Her jaw dropped slightly as she took in the scenery.

"I am being nice," he corrected her, using his free hand to ruffle her hair. "You know you're a moron. I'm only stating the truth. Just accept it." He was glad to hear she hadn't really been upset by the name. She did know he didn't mean it in a hostile or condescending way, afterall. That was comforting.

"Pleasant, isn't it?" he smiled helplessly. He really should have brought her here sooner. If only he hadn't been too busy trying to deny wanting anything to do with her.

Ahiru gave him a little shove and attempted to fix her hair. When she was done fussing, she smiled. "It's so pretty and peaceful here. Almost is like home, huh?"

Home. At home they couldn't have had a moment like this. She would have been a duck. Ahiru reached out to hold his hand.

"Yeah...kind of like home," he agreed. But if it were home, they wouldn't have been able to do this - or be together like they were. And in a city like the one they were stuck in, that was also subject to change at any given point. Either one of them could accidently stumble out at any given instant. And that was all the more reason for him to stop dancing around the truth before it was too late.

Instead of placing the hand she reached out into one of his own, he turned to face her and took the single hand into both of his. "As much as I don't like this city or its stupid curses," he started, making sure he had her attention before he continued. "I'm glad I was able to come here. I missed you, Ahiru. I searched for you for months back in Kinkan. And..." Fakir let the sentence fade off. Now how was he going to actually word this in order to tell her? Was this even a good time to do so?

Her gaze dropped from his eyes to their hands. His words were just the ones she had thought idly that he would speak to her in a day dream. Blood slowly rushed to her face. Why was he saying these things? This was so...un-Fakir like.

"Fakir...I-I missed you too." She lifted her eyes to his face. "I'm so glad that we are all here. I never meant to worry you."

Fakir knew she must have thought him insane or not in the right mind and judging by her expression, she wasn't sure how to handle it. Afterall, why else would he be saying such things? Or holding doors open? Feeding her ice cream? But he had to show her that he cared, even if it meant swallowing a bit of his pride. He didn't feel ashamed - she'd seen him cry before, anyway, so what was there to worry about?

'You know what you have to worry about,' his mind answered for him. But he stubbornly ignored it. He wasn't a coward, even when it came to something as unfamiliar to him as this.

His eyes widened slightly when she mentioned having missed him, but he quickly dismissed the possibility of it meaning anything special. She'd have missed any of her friends. "I know you don't mean to," he held her hand more firmly between his two. "But I can't help but worry. If it's you..."

Why were words failing him now of all times?

Ahiru laughed a little. "You talk like I'm going to stumble into danger at every step." He was the protective sort. She has always known so. He watched over Mytho like a hawk when he was without his heart. "But I know that is because you care. I'm glad that you care, Fakir."

The look on his face was not something that Ahiru was used to seeing. There was strain but not in annoyance or confusion that usually was there when she spoke to him. "You really are a good knight. Knights watch over people and worry for their safety." She clasped tightly on his two hands.

He swallowed, his throat feeling too dry to speak. Why was she so damn dense?

Fakir simply stared at her for a moment, hoping in some strange unexplicable way that she could just suddenly understand what he was trying to say. But he knew that was absolutely ridiculous. Not only because mind-reading was impossible for either of them, but also because she probably wouldn't realize the truth even if it danced wildly in front of her. What else could he possibly do...?

As if in desperation, the ex-knight dropped her hands and abruptly wrapped the small redhead into a fierce embrace, effectively hiding his expression from her view at the same time.  "You don't...understand, Ahiru. It's not...just that..."

...Why was it so hard for him to say? Was he really that afraid of how she'd react? ...Of course he was. Baring your feelings to another was no easy feat, especially for someone with as little experience in this area as himself.

The abrupt embrace had Ahiru pressed against his chest. Her arms for a moment hung out stiff on either side as though she were intending to fly away, even in her human form. Realization that he was holding her caused her stance to relax greatly. Her arms rested around him.

What was he...? Could he be trying to tell her...?

 "Y-Yes?"

Fakir had been ready to let go right then, certain she was scared. She'd gone completely stiff - but then he'd felt her small arms embrace him back and the tension slowly fade. And he wanted to be hopeful, he really did, but she must have thought she was being hugged by and hugging a friend. That was all.

Regardless...he'd already resolved to tell her today. Honesty was important and he'd already been trying to lie to himself, pushed her away for no reason at all. He couldn't run away at this point. Even if she turned and fled from him as a result. He owed her the truth, especially after the way he'd acted.

Fakir's arms tensed in their hold around her as he took a preperatory sharp breath and parted his lips. "...I...I love you," he said softly, the words falling from his lips before he could have second thoughts about saying them. Slowly pulling back from the embrace, he faced her, hoping the sincerity would show in his eyes. "I love you, Ahiru."

And then he waited - half hopeful and half doubtful - heart beating a mile-a-minute against his chest as he stared at her in anxious silence.

His words were soft and a near mumble. She leaned closer and nearly asked him again when he pulled back and repeated himself.

Love. He said love! Fakir said that he loved her! She held him tightly afraid that her knees giving out would trip them both. Ahiru opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She shook her head and held him tighter clearing her throat. "Fakir...I never thought you'd..."

She wasn't running away from him yet. That was a good sign, wasn't it...? But then she'd suddenly gone so weak in his arms.  And judging by the tone of her voice, she was very upset. His heart sunk.

Well, she had good reason to be upset. Who'd want to hear something like that from him, anyway? This was a bad idea. What had made him think it would be okay to tell her? Maybe he was the idiot, afterall.

"Sorry," he mumbled, pulling back slightly but still holding her steady with his arms so she didn't fall. "You can forget I said anything if it makes you feel better."

She clasped onto his arms. "Sorry? For what?" Why was he so fleeting?

"Fakir, I-I love you too!" The words came so freely from Ahiru's lips. She smiled as they formed. "I love you."

Ahiru's blue eyes glimmered as she tried to understand what was going through his head.

His green eyes broadened at her words. She loved him? Was that...even possible? What about Mytho? But she might have thought... He had to make sure.

Clasping both hands to her shoulders, he looked straight into her blue eyes. "Not...Not like friends, Ahiru," he clarified, still somehow certain that any other interpretation of her words was impossible. "Like...Like more than that."

Fakir was blushing, and he knew it. And for once, he didn't care.

She nodded, "More than friends." That was how she felt. She was certain of it. Rue was dear to her, but Fakir was someone that she could turn to no matter what. Holding Rue's hand was not at all making her skin warm, not like Fakir's touch. "Fakir I-I like you more than-than a friend."

Ahiru's knees felt as though they were knocking together trying to stand very still in a ballet position. Neko-sensei would be scolding her for her lack of composure. But her head was not focused on her feet or knees. All she could think of was that she and Fakir were standing together so close and talking so sweetly.

The ex-knight's mouth hung slightly open. He couldn't possibly be hearing her right, could he? She felt...the same as he did? That was...but she...everything was always "friends" with her. How---When did it change?

It didn't matter, he decided with finality. And with that thought he embraced her again, picking her right up off the ground and into a twirl before setting her down. His heart had never felt so light before. It was like the burdens of regret, guilt, and shame were all lifted from him at once. She loved him!

"You have no idea how happy that makes me," he told her, a real smile breaking over his normally-stone features.

Ahiru smiled brightly too. Her insides felt like a bottle of soda shaken and could burst at opening, bubbling over. Fakir was smiling, he so rarely did, and right at her.

"I want to see you happy more often." Who knew what small words could bring this much happiness and joy? Ahiru giggled.

There it was: Her brilliant smile. Would he get to see it whenever he smiled at her? That would almost be worth the awkward upturning of his lips more often.

Fakir let his smile fade back into a neutral expression. "That takes a lot of effort, you know," he told her mock-seriously in reply to her comment. "You can't expect me to smile all the time, moron. It's difficult." He couldn't help but tease her. He'd grown so accustomed to doing so that it was almost second nature to him by now.

Ahiru was a little disappointed by his sudden gain of composure.  But was more than pleased to see that it was all in good fun. She laughed and gave him a small shove. "Are we going to look at the flowers?"

"Sure, we can look at the flowers," he agreed, but didn't allow her to pull away from him just yet. "There's just...one more thing I have to do, first."

"One more thing?" Ahiru blinked curiously. "What needs to be done?" She looked around it didn't look like anyone was here or that there were any tasks to do. "Well?"

The ex-knight pulled her a little closer. He tried to tell himself inwardly that he was certainly rushing things, but Fakir couldn't help it. He'd always been the assertive type. And the clueless, almost confused look on her face was about all he could possibly take. Lining her face with both hands, he gazed into her blue eyes for just a moment before he leaned down and eliminated the distance between them, closing his eyes as his lips molded smoothly over hers.

Ahiru squeaked but the sound was muffled. A kiss. A real kiss. Her eyes fell slowly shut.

Fakir was glad she didn't pull away. It was obvious she hadn't expected it, but he'd always been impulsive like that anyway.  She must have known that by now.

Not that he'd ever kissed anyone before. Heck, he wasn't even sure he was doing it right. But what did that matter at this point?

He deepened the connection just slightly before pulling back, still resting one hand against the side of her face, thumb brushing over the skin. The heat rose to his face again almost immediately. He felt a little awkward for having done something like that so...spontaneously. "Er...I suppose I should have asked first," he mumbled, eyebrows drawing together as he averted his gaze.

She nearly thought that he would just walk away after they parted but he still stood still. Her face was so hot and red that Ahiru was sure it looked like she was laying out in the sun. No matter, Fakir's face was just as red.

"Ask? I-it's okay. I-I liked it. I never kissed anyone before. That-that was very nice, Fakir. Thank you."

"Y-Yeah, I've never done that, either," he admitted, embarrassment still clouding his voice and features. "And I...I liked it, too." He couldn't stop the half-smile from forming as her last few words reached his ears, and he turned his eyes back on her. "You don't thank someone for kissing you, moron," he nearly chuckled, raising one eyebrow. "You really are silly."

But that was one of the many things he loved about her. Fondly, he ruffled her hair before reaching down to take one hand back into his. "So, you want to see the flowers, right?"

She took his hand from her hair before he could fuss with it further. Instead she held it at her side. "Yes, I'd like that a lot. So long as I can do it with you."

"I'll try and remember not to thank you for anything too." Ahiru teased back. "For now, let's see the flowers."

Grinning in a most un-Fakir-like way, he led Ahiru further into Xanadu. And for once he could truly appreciate things like flowers and trees. She was with him, eyes bright, smiling...and her presence changed everything.

The ex-knight distantly thought he might be dreaming. Any moment now he'd wake up, fall out of bed and curse his subconcious into oblivion. How else could things actually go this right? Especially when he didn't deserve it. Or more importantly, deserve her.

Well, he would make himself worthy, he decided stubbornly. If she could find it in her heart to love him as he was now, she deserved that effort, at the very least.

...And no matter how much Fakir wanted to deny it, he really did owe Rue for setting this whole thing up.

Not that he'd tell her, or anyone, for that matter. Who needed to know? If anyone asked how the date went, well he'd shrug and say it was alright. Grinning to himself, he held Ahiru's hand firmly in his. He certainly wasn't going to show this face to anyone else.

This was for Ahiru, and her alone.