A/N: Something I wrote in school when one of my teachers were sick, didn't have anything else to do soooo~
(Don't know what to name it, so it'll be named running for now, please tell me what you think I should name it!)
Hope you like it!
Running!
Running, endlessly running, that was his life.
Who's life? Why was he running? What or who was he running from?
His name was Allen Walker, a 15 year old boy, to any average person he would look like any other 15 year old, except for his white hair and pail complexion. Yeah right.
No, he was not a simple ignorant 15 year old boy as many thought he was. No, he had suffered through hardships many much, much older men would shiver at.
At an early age he had been abused by his own parents, people had feared him and spit at him if he when they had crossed, why? The cause were his miss-formed arm; a blood-red scaly looking arm with a green cross embedded in the middle of his hands back.
At some point his parents had become fed up with his and sold him to a traveling circus that just happened to pass by their town, convenient right? They had gotten rid of their problem and probably earned money at the same time.
He had become the circus errand boy; bringing the performers, doing odd jobs, and let's not forget being the punching bag for one of the circus clowns, a violent bruit.
After a violent beating from the said clown, Red, the name they had chosen to call him had stumbled away with cuts and bruises covering his face in a semi-conscious state in to the small tent he had been given, or so he thought.
He had stapled in the to tent falling down in one of the corners, trying to clear his mind. And in his confused state of mind he did not notice that he had accidentally wandered in the wrong tent; and was being watched by the tent's owner.
"Shit" Red muttered putting his sore head between his knees "Why does he always hit me in the head" he whispered, his voice horse.
"Who? a voice asked. Not expecting a question Red answered without thinking.
"Cosmo" Red muttered in a whisper "Huh?" Red said confused suddenly, he looked up and saw a man in a black suit with a top hat sitting by a small table in the tent.
"Hmm?" the man said starring down at the dirty child huddling in the corner.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my tent?" Red asked in a whisper, to exhausted to even raise his voice.
"Oh, this is not your tent" the man said getting up from the chair he had been sitting on and walked towards the dirty child.
"It's not?" Red asked, for the first time looking around and noticing that the man was right, it was not his tent.
"No, but I don't mind the company" the man said bending down and picking up the small boy "You see, I'm new here" he said smiling down at the boy.
Shocked by this strangers closeness and forwardness Red didn't immediately react when he lifted him, but then he did, all he did was press closer to the man, afraid to fall down. The man was warm, a warmth he hadn't felt in what felt like forever, if he had ever felt it, the warmth lulled his confused mind into a foggily semi-sleep.
"Hey, can you hear me?" the man's voice asked, but it seemed to be far away.
"Hnn" Red grunted as he felt someone shake him.
"Sorry kid, but you got to stay awake, I think you might have a concision" he felt the man put him down on the soft bed, and moments later something cold were placed on his head.
"Ugh" he moaned in discomfort.
"Sorry, but as I said, you have to stay awake" the man said and lifted Red's head up and started wrapping gaze around it.
"W-why" Red whispered in a low voice.
"Hm?" the man said putting Red's now bandaged head down on a pillow "Why what?"
"W-why are you being so n-nice to me?" the boy asked with a slightly steadier voice.
"I'm just doing what any other decent human being would do" he answered with a slightly amused tone of voice.
"N-not t-true" Red said shaking his head slightly and winced 'Cosmo really didn't hold back this time' he thought and closed his eyes trying to ease the pain.
"I would keep still if I were you" the man chuckled running a hand through the boy's dirty locks "He really did a number on you, didn't he kid?"
"I'm used to it" Red muttered opening his eyes slightly starring at the man "Who are you anyway?" h
"Oh right!" the man said taking of the top hat he was wearing "I'm Mana Walker, nice to meet you kid" he said bowing his head slightly.
"Red" the boy said still starring at the man.
"Hm?" Mana asked cocking his head to the side.
"It's Red, that's what they call me anyway" he said turning his head to the tents ceiling.
"Call you?" Mana asked confused "Then it's not your real name?"
"No" Red said still starring at the ceiling.
"What's your real name then?" Mana asked looking at the boys petty form.
"Don't have one" Red said closing his eyes.
"You don't have a name?" Mana asked chocked.
"Oh I have names, may at that" Red said turning his eyes to Mana "Names as; Monster, Demon, It and let's not forget the most common, freak" Red said bitterly through his teeth "That's why I'm here" he said nonchalantly "sold by my own parents"
Mana didn't know what to say, he stared at the boy, so young, and yet he had been treated like dirt, no, less that dirt.
"But I'm gonna get out of here" Red said in a determined voice "I'm sick of being Cosmo's punching-bag"
"This has happened before?" Mana asked sounding chocked.
"Yeah" Red sighed "Whenever ha have a bad performance at the circus he takes it out on me" he said in a monotone voice "But" Red said raising his arm and using it to cover his eyes "That's what I'm here for, just one of my many jobs, or so I've been told"
Shocked in to silence at what the boy had said Mana just stared at Red, he didn't know what to say, what could he say? Try to console the boy? Comfort him? He simply said just that "I don't know what to say"
"You don't have to say anything" Red simply said lowering his arms to look at Mana "I just have to 'suck it up' like I've always done" he said in a matter of fact tone "nothing new"
Mana stared at the boy horrified "How long have this been going on?" He asked, slightly afraid of what the boy would say.
"For years" Red said starring into Mana's eyes, seeing them fill with pity for him "Please don't" Red said turning his eyes upwards once again "Pity just makes it harder" he said sitting up on the bed "Sorry for bothering you, I need to go now" He said standing up unsteadily.
"Where?" Mana asked starring at the boy's frame wobbling towards the exit.
"My tent, if I don't get ordered to do anything that is" he said turning around when he was at the tent's opening "It was nice meeting you, Mana" Red said and exited the tent leaving Mana staring after him.
Several weeks had passed since Mana's talk with Red, he had hardly seen the boy at all, but every time he did see the boy he was always covered in bruises. He had heard rumors about the clown who had hurt the small boy so severely and the rumors were never of the good kind.
He feared for the boy, afraid to find his dead one day, he had only known the boy for a short while, but it felt longer, he liked the boy.
"Ahum" someone said behind him, startling him a bit.
"Yes?" Mana said turning around to see the director of the circus standing behind him "Oh" Mana said smiling at the chubby man "What can I do for you director?"
"Yea, well…" the man said not looking at Mana in the eyes "About your contract" he said fingering the buttons on his far-to-small-shirt.
"Yes?" Mana asked already knowing what the man was going to say.
"I'm afraid I have to cancel our contract" He said looking up at Mana for the first time since they had started talking "Sorry" he said his eyebrows knitting together.
"No, that's okay" Mana said bowing his head "I'm glad I had the chance to appear in the show at all" He said taking the directors hand and shaking it.
"Ah, yes" the chubby man said slightly shocked "We were happy to have you Mr. Walker" and with that the director walked away leaving Mana with a heavy heart.
Red Woke up feeling stiff all over, last night he had to suffer one of Cosmo's many breakouts where he had thrown the small boy around, smacking him, kicking him. Red had learned after being beaten for so many years how to position himself to get the least hurt, how to take a punch without seriously injuring himself.
Red stretched his arms out in front of him grunting at how stiff he felt.
Suddenly he heard someone knocking at his tents door and turned around to see Mana, the newcomer standing there watching him.
"He beat you again" it was not a question, simply a statement. Red nodded his head and gestured for Mana to come in, the man had to bend down to not hit his head in the tent's roof.
"Well, what can I do for you?" he asked eyeing the man warily.
"Come with me" Mana said looking into Red's eyes.
"Eh?" Red said coking his head to the side confused "Where?"
"Don't know. Away from here" he said shrugging his shoulders.
"But-" Red said his eyes widened in shock "you work here"
"Not anymore" Mana said nonchalantly "The director terminated my contract, this is my last day"
"They won't let me-" Red started but was cut off by Mana.
"I didn't plan on asking for premonition" he said amusedly "do you or do you not want to go with me?" Mana asked, carefully watching emotions swim in the boy's big silver eyes.
"YES!" Red yelled flinging himself at the man.
"Well then, get your things packed and we'll be off" Mana said smiling down at the small boy as he rushed to gather his things.
A/N: Well that's that! Hope you liked it! Please tell me what you think!
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