[Fic] Princess Tutu: Warming Up

[springgreen]

Spoilers: Through ep. 9
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: Rue dances.
Notes: Happy very late Hanukkah/day-of-fic-giving-a-la-Yuletide, thuviaptarth! Many thanks to etothey for the beta!

The studio is bathed in gold, the afternoon sunlight streaming through the top windows to illuminate the honey-pine floor. Rue's crow-black hair and blood-red leotard do not belong in the warm light, and in the mirror, she sees herself surrounded by the night sky, the cover of darkness more comforting than the sun's revealing rays.

She stretches, her leg extended over her head, and the pull of muscles in her back and legs and arms is familiar and welcome. As Kraehe, she can dance endlessly, hold perfect arabesques and whip off dizzying fouettés, all without harm nor pain nor effort. As Rue, she is grounded by gravity and by the limitations of her own body.

The door to the studio creaks open, and Rue freezes at the intrusion. But it's only Ahiru.

"U-um. Can I watch?" Ahiru says in that funny voice of hers. Rue shrugs as if she doesn't care either way, but a small part of her wants Ahiru to stay.

Ahiru wedges herself into a corner, and Rue moves a little so she can see the girl's reflection in the mirror. Ahiru's eyes are fixed on her; Ahiru's mouth forms a small "o" as Rue goes through her warm-up routine.

She soon forgets about Ahiru as she practices, forgets the sweat trickling down her back and between her breasts, forgets the burn in her thighs and the soreness in her calves, forgets the annoyance of her hair in her face as she spots during her pirouettes. She is aware only of the quick patter of sixteenth notes that signals the batterie, the leaps of the melody as she jetés across the floor, the way she can almost, almost feel herself floating through the air.

Too soon, the music halts and she stops, her world coming to a standstill as she maintains the final pose, her arms shaking oh-so-slightly from the exertion, her breathing rushed, her heart madly beating like a raven in her chest.

Ahiru's claps echo in the nearly empty room, and Rue whips her head around, startled back into the world of the studio.

"You dance so beautifully," Ahiru whispers. "I wish I could."

Almost against her will, Rue is touched. She slowly walks over and tilts Ahiru's baby-round face toward her own. The girl is clumsy and awkward in class, but her eyes shine with sincerity. For a second, Rue thinks that together they would make the perfect ballerina: her body and Ahiru's full, full heart.

"Don't dance like me," she says as she drops a cool kiss on Ahiru's forehead.

Comments

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

EEEEEEEEEEE! It is lovely! I will write coherent fb tomorrow!

[springgreen.livejournal.com]

Yaaay you like! I almost freaked out when I saw your present post b/c I had already written the fic, but then I saw Rue+Ahiru (or Rue/Ahiru, however anyone wants to interpret it) was still on there.

[umadoshi.livejournal.com]

And this one is wonderful too, esp. since I just finished rewatching Tutu yesterday. I do love Rue, poor thing.

[springgreen.livejournal.com]

Aww, thank you. I know, I love Rue so much as well. And I really like what the series does with her and Ahiru and Kraehe and Tutu.

[shati.livejournal.com]

I have been waiting for this EXACT FIC since that early scene with Ru and Ahiru dancing together in class! And it is even better than it was when I was waiting for it to magically appear. The end!

[springgreen.livejournal.com]

Oh, how awesome! Yay, thank you!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is just beautiful. I love the difference between Rue and Kraehe's dancing, and between Rue and Ahiru. And oh, the ending.

PS. Wow, you have been a busy little bee! Can I read your Xxxxholic fic? I'm up to volume 10, but I don't know what chapter that is.

[springgreen.livejournal.com]

OMG you have no idea how panicked I was the past two weeks when NOTHING would come together in my head! I think I have written more this month than I have in all the rest of the year (one full Yuletide story and two treats in addition to this).

Ummm. The xxxHolic fic is incredibly spoilery for the latest chapters, but it may be in a way that is completely not obvious until you've read the chapters. I suspect it just may be a lot of strange imagery and make no sense at all until you've read the latest.

Also, yay, I am glad you enjoyed this fic! I love Rue and Ahiru so much.

[gaudior.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool! Very true and cool.

[springgreen.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reading!

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Yay.

[springgreen.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[rilina.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous! I especially love the ending.

[springgreen.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It took a while to get the last line right.

[janni.livejournal.com]

Awwww. Sweet.

[springgreen.livejournal.com]

Thank you!