~Prologue~

If only, if only…

A young boy, in his early teens, sat in the dark, with his back against a ornately decorated cylinder. Of course, he loved his job. He was good at it. He was flashy, a show-off. He liked making his audience smile. His face turned, blue eyes locking on the clock, face illuminated by the glow of the stage. It was almost time for him. Getting to his feet, the boy stretched, shaking the bristly head and setting his outlandishly spiky hair back in place.

Time to start the show. This is what the audience was awaiting. It was still early in the boy's career, he'd only been here a month, but he'd already become a hit. Maybe it was his recklessness? Or maybe it was his exuberant personality. Or maybe….

"Hey, kid, you're on."

The ringmaster's voice shook him out of his reverie. Time to get this party started, hmm? A bit of static, and a voice over the loudspeaker. The boy quickly scaled a ladder.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… Kaeri Kyouran!"

And the stage exploded…

A shower of sparks, and some black powder from his hand right where he would land. Taking a bracing breath, he leapt onto the stage, bending at the knees to lessen the impact. He immediately swept off his short jacket and pivoted quickly counterclockwise on his right foot, using the opened jacket like a fan to blow some of the smoke off the stage. It didn't bother him as much as it used to; the boy had a flair for fire. The smoke was just a part of it.

When the smoke cleared, a few seconds later, enough for him to be seen, Kyouran was once again facing the audience, jacket in place across his shoulders and flashing a bright smile. A low whistle was heard from backstage; another performer appreciated his work. After all, Kyouran was known for making flashy entrances. The smoke dissipated, and a couple of the spectators close to the stage coughed. Then, cheering. Ah, how he loved having an audience.

Making a show of darting his eyes left and right, as if he was going to do something he was going to get in trouble for, he put a finger to his lips somewhat dramatically.

"Shhhh.."

Ever since he was little, Kyouran was able to do things the other kids couldn't. And, he damn well took advantage of it. Stepping out to the edge of the stage, he bent at the knees, gathering his strength for this spring. Once he was sure of himself, he took a leap up and over the audience. Half of them reached out to catch him, the other half flinched, afraid to get hit, but all of them stared when he made the impossible leap. Grabbing his target, a black trapeze rope suspended from the ceiling and invisible to the spectators, he used his momentum to propel himself further, swinging out over the astonished audience, laughing. Gripping the rope with his right hand, he extended his left, rubbing the fingers together. After a moment, he flicked his wrist, and sent out a shower of sparks. As he nearly completed his circuit, Kyouran swung his legs up over the wooden bar. Reaching the middle of the stage, he clapped his hands together, forming a bright flash of light.

"HA!"

Gripping the rope, he swung his legs out and somersaulted onto the stage. Putting his fists on his hips, he stood triumphantly, before smiling brightly and holding his fingers out "V" for victory. The audience clapped. In a second, using the same hand, he pulled his left eyelid down and sticking his tongue out. They burst into a loud applause, laughing. A job well done. Wiping his hands off on his pants, Kyouran walked off the stage, reveling in the warmth the applause filled him with. It never got old. Especially not the flying part.

When he made it backstage, he was clapped heavily on the back by his fellow performers. It was a short show, yeah, but it made up for it by quality. He was fun. The performers knew it, and the audience knew it. And Kyouran knew it. But why wasn't he as happy as he should have been?

"Hey, you alright, man?"

Kyouran looked up to see his closest friend in he caravan, Duckie.

"Yeah, just tired."

The look on Duckie's face said one thing: Tired my ass. Thankfully, the boys said nothing to each other, and Kyouran walked to his bunk, sliding his back down the post and sitting on the floor in front of it. He didn't show it, but there was a face he had recognized in the audience. Not personally, of course, but the black spiky hair was unmistakable. He wasn't far enough away yet.

Well well well, a new story. I friend of mine owns Kado, or, "Kaeri Kyouran". The character interested me, and his background was never written down, it all sits with in Josh's (said friend) head. So. I thought I'd take the liberty of writing it for him. Don't worry, I'm not making up a bunch of crap; I'm getting the information (more or less, I totally made up Duckie) straight from the horse's mouth. I'm going to see just how long I can make this story.