Circus for a Psycho 7/?
Title: Circus for a Psycho
Author:
joatex
Pairing: Akame
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Supernatural, Romance (maybe....?)
Warning: None...I think... (-_-U)
Disclaimer: No.... the boys aren't mine, sad.... but true (T^T)
Summary: The circus is supposed to be a place of fun and laughter, but not Circo Insanus. On the outside, it appears to be a new, modern-style circus, but on the inside, it harbors a dark, sinister secret, one that has remained hidden for years. But when KAT-TUN goes to take in a show, it ends up going from a night of fun, to a fight for survival.
A/N: Enjoy (n_n)
Previous Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06
Chapter 7: Behind the Mask
Each performance had been more spectacular than the last, which had caused many of the people in the audience to wonder how the show could get any better. Kame was among these people. He sat in his chair beside his friends, watching intensely at the current performance, which was a contortionist up on the high-wire.
Kame sat on the edge of his seat in anticipation to see what amazing positions the performer would bend into next. His attention towards the circus acts had spiked after the tiger show earlier for reasons he wasn't entirely sure about. He did know, however, that his mind had been occupied by something other than the circus.
What this was though, he couldn't remember. Normally something like that would bother him, but his mind was just so focused on the performer overhead. Kame had no desire to remember, though. In all honesty, he was perfectly content as he was.
But deep down within his subconscious, he knew that something wasn't right, that he shouldn't have been so attentive to a simple circus act. But no matter how loud this little voice seemed to shout this warning, it couldn't reach Kame and snap him from his trance. Up above, the contortionist twisted her body in a way that was humanly impossible, and proceeded to stand on one hand on the high-wire.
This earned her yet another round of applause from the crowd. The contortionist did a little curtsy on her hand and then untwisted her body. When she returned to her real shape, she bowed from up on the wire and scampered off, her performance now over. And just like the intermission between each act, the lights went out.
They then quickly clicked back on and pointed down to Mirage. The beautiful, exotic woman stood in the middle of the circular stage, the make-up around her bright green eyes shimmering like water. She smiled, flashing her perfectly white teeth as she did so; her teeth looked a million times whiter when held against her bright red lipstick.
"You've seen numerous acts tonight, each more amazing than the last," Mirage said and motioned to the stage she stood on, "but there is one last performance until we are able to wrap this show up. It is now my pleasure to hand the stage over to our Ringmaster. Please, give him a round of applause."
The lights went out again and people clapped loudly in the darkness as they awaited for the Ringmaster to appear. Slowly, the lights came back on, but not to their full extent. Now, instead of having the stage fully lit, it was illuminated by dim lights that casted an eerie glow across the stage.
Kame quickly realized that that was all he could see; the stage. On the other side of the circus tent, where more audience had been, was now obscured from sight by the shadows created by the spotlights. Kame's attention was taken from the darkness to the center of the stage as the Ringmaster made his appearance. The center of the ring suddenly burst to life with an ominous, purple flame.
The ends of the fire jumped around wildly, lashing out at the air above and even at the audience. But despite the danger that the fire posed, people didn't run. Instead, they remained in their seats and kept their eyes glued to the purple blaze, mesmerized. Kame was no different. He, too, was unable to take his gaze from the fire.
That is, until the flames sputtered out. They vanished, as if blown away by a wind, and standing in the middle of where the fire had been, was the Ringmaster. He remained bent over, almost like he was frozen in mid-bow. Then, he ever so slowly lifted his head and gaze. When he did, his dark red eyes caught Kame's attention, and when he looked, it was almost like a fog being lifted.
He shook his head and blinked his eyes a couple of times. Those eyes, he had seen those eyes. And now that he had seen them again, it was like he could think straight. Although, he couldn't really explain how. His mind immediately went back to the concern of Jin, and he began to search the faces around him in the crowd. It was too dark to make out the features of those standing near the back, so he wasn't sure if Jin was back there or not.
There was something Kame noticed about the faces of those that he could see; they all had blank expressions. Or, partially blank. There eyes were glazed over, and their faces stuck in an expression of awe or amazement. Confused, he turned to his left to look at his friends. They, too, had the same facial expression going on. Kame lifted his hand in front of Tatsuya's face and waved.
Tatsuya never once blinked or took his eyes off of the stage. "What's going on?" Kame whispered to himself. Why was he the only one not off in some far-away trance? Not saying that he wanted to be, but it did make him a bit confused. It then occurred to him that when he saw Ringmaster's eyes it had been like he could think straight again.
Does that have something to do with this? he wondered to himself. "Welcome! Welcome!" the Ringmaster said with his hands raised above his head. Kame turned his attention back to the man in the center of the stage. Now that he took a good look at him, he realized that he was the man that he ran into back outside, the one that he had apologized to.
That was when he first saw his eyes, his striking, familiar red eyes. The Ringmaster wore the same outfit that he had been in during their first encounter; the black hat with the ebony feather stuck in it and the chains that hung from every pocket and belt loop. The black and silver-accented mask was still on his face, hiding his true identity.
"I'd first like to thank you all for your patience and support," the Ringmaster said with a sly grin, "As my lovely assistant, Mirage, has said multiple times tonight, I have been rather unwell the past week. But please, rest assured, I am fully recovered now, perhaps even better than ever."
The audience clapped their hands and cheered, but even with these motions and reactions, their faces stayed the same. There was also something about the way the Ringmaster said the last part of his statement that gave Kazuya a chill down his spine. The Ringmaster started walking around the stage, the long, floor-length coat he wore waving behind him like a flag.
Kame watched him closely and realized than a lot more than his eyes were familiar to him. There was something about the way he walked, the confidence in his step and the way he carried himself that raised another flag. Why was it that Kame found this complete stranger so familiar? He had never met him before, to his knowledge. Yet, little things like the eyes and movements of the Ringmaster felt so familiar.
Why? He thought in frustration. It was bothering him more than it probably should have. The Ringmaster stopped his pacing and said, "Now, I would like to reward all of your patience with the grand finale of tonight's show." He turned his head to the side and said to the shadows, "Mirage, my dear, if you would be so kind?" He held out his hand and beckoned to the darkness, and out of it came the mysterious woman, just as if she were stepping out from behind a black curtain.
In her hand, Mirage held two silver blades, each about an arm's length long. She held them up to show them to the audience, then handed one to the Ringmaster. He took it from her and swung it around. Kame could hear the sound of the metal cutting the air. "You know, I've always found something…Romantic about blades," the Ringmaster said as he looked down thoughtfully at the sword, "There's just something beautiful and dangerous about them. They're kind of like a woman. You can marvel them, but if you don't treat them with respect then…."
He turned around and plunged the sword into Mirage's abdomen. "You get cut," the Ringmaster completed. Blood seeped from the wound in Mirage's stomach, as well as from her mouth. His assistant coughed, little droplets of red flying as she did so. Kame covered his gaping mouth in shock.
There was no trick of eye of illusion to this; the sword was really plunged into Mirage's abdomen. Ringmaster then pulled the sword out. The silver blade was stained red with fresh blood. Mirage doubled over, but didn't fall to the ground. Instead, she remained like that for a moment, then stood up straight, a smile plastered to her face.
When she removed her hands from her stomach, she revealed that there was no wound, no blood. The mindless audience clapped their hands and filled the tent with applause. Kame blinked his eyes, thinking that his eyes were deceiving him. They weren't. I know what I saw. That sword was really in her, Kame thought to himself.
Maybe it was an illusion, but it had looked so real; Kame could even have sworn that he smelled the coppery scent of the blood. But there Mirage was, unscathed, not a scratch on her. "That was but a minor trick," the Ringmaster said to the crowd, "I have much more up my sleeve."
His red eyes then began to scan the audience. "Now, if I could have a volunteer…." His eyes then met Kame's, and not only was he hit by that same sense of familiarity, but also a sense of forewarn. "How about you?" he asked and beckoned to Kame with his hand. There was a sly grin on his face, as if he knew something he didn't.
A voice in the back of Kame's mind was telling him to say no, but for some reason, that voice couldn't get through to his brain; it was like something was blocking his sense of reasoning. So, despite that little voice's protest, Kame stood up and walked from his seat.
He stepped over the small barricade and onto the stage, where the Ringmaster took his hand. He led him to the center of the stage and the spotlights focused on them. Now, Kame found himself being stared at by hundreds of distant, faraway eyes.
His heart began to speed up. Why had he come onto this stage? He didn't want to be there, under the light and beside somebody that he didn't know anything about, and yet he could swear that he knew. The Ringmaster looked at Kame and said, "Are you afraid of being set on fire?"
Kame raised an eyebrow in confusion. Afraid of being set on fire? What did he mean by that? "Uh…," was all he could get out of his mouth before the Ringmaster shot his hand out at him. When he did, orange flames burst forth and wrapped around Kame's body.
Kame screamed and swatted at his body to try and beat out the flames. When he didn't feel his skin burning, he stopped hitting himself and looked down at his body. The fire was touching him, but it wasn't burning him. But down at the floor, just around where his feet were, the ground was getting charred by the flames.
This was real fire, fire that could burn down houses and forests. Yet, he wasn't being harmed. How? How is he doing this? he wondered to himself. The fire then dissipated, revealing to the audience that Kame had not been harmed or touched by the flames. The Ringmaster took a step closer to him and asked, "So I ask again are you afraid?"
Kame didn't know what he was talking about for a moment, then remembered what the Ringmaster had asked him at first. "Uh, no. I guess not," he said. Kame hadn't really paid much attention; he had been too focused on the fact that his body had been consumed by fire.
Seeing how close they were, Kame decided to take advantage of it and made the gap between them smaller. He whispered to the Ringmaster, "You set me on fire, I think the least you can do is show me your face." It was a plan, and if the Ringmaster went through with it, then it was a great plan. If Kame could get him to reveal his face, then maybe he could figure out why he recognized him, why he seemed so familiar.
The Ringmaster smirked and said, "Sure, why not?" He reached up and grabbed the black and silver-accented mask, then slowly lifted it from his face. Kame felt his eyes go wide and a gasp escaped his lips. He blinked, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, but there was no denying it. Standing before him was none other than Jin.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A/N: Hope you liked it. (n_n) On another more random note...has anyone heard of the band named Three Days Grace I just heard of them a couple of weeks ago (2 I think...lol) and I'm really liking their music. If you haven't heard of them you should I recommend it. (n_n) if not oh well.
Chapter 8
Author:
joatex
Pairing: Akame
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Supernatural, Romance (maybe....?)
Warning: None...I think... (-_-U)
Disclaimer: No.... the boys aren't mine, sad.... but true (T^T)
Summary: The circus is supposed to be a place of fun and laughter, but not Circo Insanus. On the outside, it appears to be a new, modern-style circus, but on the inside, it harbors a dark, sinister secret, one that has remained hidden for years. But when KAT-TUN goes to take in a show, it ends up going from a night of fun, to a fight for survival.
A/N: Enjoy (n_n)
Previous Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06
Chapter 7: Behind the Mask
Each performance had been more spectacular than the last, which had caused many of the people in the audience to wonder how the show could get any better. Kame was among these people. He sat in his chair beside his friends, watching intensely at the current performance, which was a contortionist up on the high-wire.
Kame sat on the edge of his seat in anticipation to see what amazing positions the performer would bend into next. His attention towards the circus acts had spiked after the tiger show earlier for reasons he wasn't entirely sure about. He did know, however, that his mind had been occupied by something other than the circus.
What this was though, he couldn't remember. Normally something like that would bother him, but his mind was just so focused on the performer overhead. Kame had no desire to remember, though. In all honesty, he was perfectly content as he was.
But deep down within his subconscious, he knew that something wasn't right, that he shouldn't have been so attentive to a simple circus act. But no matter how loud this little voice seemed to shout this warning, it couldn't reach Kame and snap him from his trance. Up above, the contortionist twisted her body in a way that was humanly impossible, and proceeded to stand on one hand on the high-wire.
This earned her yet another round of applause from the crowd. The contortionist did a little curtsy on her hand and then untwisted her body. When she returned to her real shape, she bowed from up on the wire and scampered off, her performance now over. And just like the intermission between each act, the lights went out.
They then quickly clicked back on and pointed down to Mirage. The beautiful, exotic woman stood in the middle of the circular stage, the make-up around her bright green eyes shimmering like water. She smiled, flashing her perfectly white teeth as she did so; her teeth looked a million times whiter when held against her bright red lipstick.
"You've seen numerous acts tonight, each more amazing than the last," Mirage said and motioned to the stage she stood on, "but there is one last performance until we are able to wrap this show up. It is now my pleasure to hand the stage over to our Ringmaster. Please, give him a round of applause."
The lights went out again and people clapped loudly in the darkness as they awaited for the Ringmaster to appear. Slowly, the lights came back on, but not to their full extent. Now, instead of having the stage fully lit, it was illuminated by dim lights that casted an eerie glow across the stage.
Kame quickly realized that that was all he could see; the stage. On the other side of the circus tent, where more audience had been, was now obscured from sight by the shadows created by the spotlights. Kame's attention was taken from the darkness to the center of the stage as the Ringmaster made his appearance. The center of the ring suddenly burst to life with an ominous, purple flame.
The ends of the fire jumped around wildly, lashing out at the air above and even at the audience. But despite the danger that the fire posed, people didn't run. Instead, they remained in their seats and kept their eyes glued to the purple blaze, mesmerized. Kame was no different. He, too, was unable to take his gaze from the fire.
That is, until the flames sputtered out. They vanished, as if blown away by a wind, and standing in the middle of where the fire had been, was the Ringmaster. He remained bent over, almost like he was frozen in mid-bow. Then, he ever so slowly lifted his head and gaze. When he did, his dark red eyes caught Kame's attention, and when he looked, it was almost like a fog being lifted.
He shook his head and blinked his eyes a couple of times. Those eyes, he had seen those eyes. And now that he had seen them again, it was like he could think straight. Although, he couldn't really explain how. His mind immediately went back to the concern of Jin, and he began to search the faces around him in the crowd. It was too dark to make out the features of those standing near the back, so he wasn't sure if Jin was back there or not.
There was something Kame noticed about the faces of those that he could see; they all had blank expressions. Or, partially blank. There eyes were glazed over, and their faces stuck in an expression of awe or amazement. Confused, he turned to his left to look at his friends. They, too, had the same facial expression going on. Kame lifted his hand in front of Tatsuya's face and waved.
Tatsuya never once blinked or took his eyes off of the stage. "What's going on?" Kame whispered to himself. Why was he the only one not off in some far-away trance? Not saying that he wanted to be, but it did make him a bit confused. It then occurred to him that when he saw Ringmaster's eyes it had been like he could think straight again.
Does that have something to do with this? he wondered to himself. "Welcome! Welcome!" the Ringmaster said with his hands raised above his head. Kame turned his attention back to the man in the center of the stage. Now that he took a good look at him, he realized that he was the man that he ran into back outside, the one that he had apologized to.
That was when he first saw his eyes, his striking, familiar red eyes. The Ringmaster wore the same outfit that he had been in during their first encounter; the black hat with the ebony feather stuck in it and the chains that hung from every pocket and belt loop. The black and silver-accented mask was still on his face, hiding his true identity.
"I'd first like to thank you all for your patience and support," the Ringmaster said with a sly grin, "As my lovely assistant, Mirage, has said multiple times tonight, I have been rather unwell the past week. But please, rest assured, I am fully recovered now, perhaps even better than ever."
The audience clapped their hands and cheered, but even with these motions and reactions, their faces stayed the same. There was also something about the way the Ringmaster said the last part of his statement that gave Kazuya a chill down his spine. The Ringmaster started walking around the stage, the long, floor-length coat he wore waving behind him like a flag.
Kame watched him closely and realized than a lot more than his eyes were familiar to him. There was something about the way he walked, the confidence in his step and the way he carried himself that raised another flag. Why was it that Kame found this complete stranger so familiar? He had never met him before, to his knowledge. Yet, little things like the eyes and movements of the Ringmaster felt so familiar.
Why? He thought in frustration. It was bothering him more than it probably should have. The Ringmaster stopped his pacing and said, "Now, I would like to reward all of your patience with the grand finale of tonight's show." He turned his head to the side and said to the shadows, "Mirage, my dear, if you would be so kind?" He held out his hand and beckoned to the darkness, and out of it came the mysterious woman, just as if she were stepping out from behind a black curtain.
In her hand, Mirage held two silver blades, each about an arm's length long. She held them up to show them to the audience, then handed one to the Ringmaster. He took it from her and swung it around. Kame could hear the sound of the metal cutting the air. "You know, I've always found something…Romantic about blades," the Ringmaster said as he looked down thoughtfully at the sword, "There's just something beautiful and dangerous about them. They're kind of like a woman. You can marvel them, but if you don't treat them with respect then…."
He turned around and plunged the sword into Mirage's abdomen. "You get cut," the Ringmaster completed. Blood seeped from the wound in Mirage's stomach, as well as from her mouth. His assistant coughed, little droplets of red flying as she did so. Kame covered his gaping mouth in shock.
There was no trick of eye of illusion to this; the sword was really plunged into Mirage's abdomen. Ringmaster then pulled the sword out. The silver blade was stained red with fresh blood. Mirage doubled over, but didn't fall to the ground. Instead, she remained like that for a moment, then stood up straight, a smile plastered to her face.
When she removed her hands from her stomach, she revealed that there was no wound, no blood. The mindless audience clapped their hands and filled the tent with applause. Kame blinked his eyes, thinking that his eyes were deceiving him. They weren't. I know what I saw. That sword was really in her, Kame thought to himself.
Maybe it was an illusion, but it had looked so real; Kame could even have sworn that he smelled the coppery scent of the blood. But there Mirage was, unscathed, not a scratch on her. "That was but a minor trick," the Ringmaster said to the crowd, "I have much more up my sleeve."
His red eyes then began to scan the audience. "Now, if I could have a volunteer…." His eyes then met Kame's, and not only was he hit by that same sense of familiarity, but also a sense of forewarn. "How about you?" he asked and beckoned to Kame with his hand. There was a sly grin on his face, as if he knew something he didn't.
A voice in the back of Kame's mind was telling him to say no, but for some reason, that voice couldn't get through to his brain; it was like something was blocking his sense of reasoning. So, despite that little voice's protest, Kame stood up and walked from his seat.
He stepped over the small barricade and onto the stage, where the Ringmaster took his hand. He led him to the center of the stage and the spotlights focused on them. Now, Kame found himself being stared at by hundreds of distant, faraway eyes.
His heart began to speed up. Why had he come onto this stage? He didn't want to be there, under the light and beside somebody that he didn't know anything about, and yet he could swear that he knew. The Ringmaster looked at Kame and said, "Are you afraid of being set on fire?"
Kame raised an eyebrow in confusion. Afraid of being set on fire? What did he mean by that? "Uh…," was all he could get out of his mouth before the Ringmaster shot his hand out at him. When he did, orange flames burst forth and wrapped around Kame's body.
Kame screamed and swatted at his body to try and beat out the flames. When he didn't feel his skin burning, he stopped hitting himself and looked down at his body. The fire was touching him, but it wasn't burning him. But down at the floor, just around where his feet were, the ground was getting charred by the flames.
This was real fire, fire that could burn down houses and forests. Yet, he wasn't being harmed. How? How is he doing this? he wondered to himself. The fire then dissipated, revealing to the audience that Kame had not been harmed or touched by the flames. The Ringmaster took a step closer to him and asked, "So I ask again are you afraid?"
Kame didn't know what he was talking about for a moment, then remembered what the Ringmaster had asked him at first. "Uh, no. I guess not," he said. Kame hadn't really paid much attention; he had been too focused on the fact that his body had been consumed by fire.
Seeing how close they were, Kame decided to take advantage of it and made the gap between them smaller. He whispered to the Ringmaster, "You set me on fire, I think the least you can do is show me your face." It was a plan, and if the Ringmaster went through with it, then it was a great plan. If Kame could get him to reveal his face, then maybe he could figure out why he recognized him, why he seemed so familiar.
The Ringmaster smirked and said, "Sure, why not?" He reached up and grabbed the black and silver-accented mask, then slowly lifted it from his face. Kame felt his eyes go wide and a gasp escaped his lips. He blinked, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, but there was no denying it. Standing before him was none other than Jin.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A/N: Hope you liked it. (n_n) On another more random note...has anyone heard of the band named Three Days Grace I just heard of them a couple of weeks ago (2 I think...lol) and I'm really liking their music. If you haven't heard of them you should I recommend it. (n_n) if not oh well.
Chapter 8