I don't own Kaleido Star or Marc Levi's "Spet Jours Pour une Eternite", but I'll admit to taking up lots and lots of ideas from it (thank you, captain Oblivious) So this is a little preview, a sort of preface, not a prologue or anything, but whatever.

Enjoy...

Preface

The sound of the music was mixing with the chatter in the Big Top. There was a crash of people that night, more than she had ever thought she'd seen in all three years since she'd been working for Kaleido Stage. Sora gulped, her eyes glued to the small crack in the curtain, as she took in the sight in front of her. There were red lights and smoke, making the room look as if it had caught fire, and he had to swallow the bile in her throat, an instinctive reaction to the association this whole atmosphere created for her.

It was hell, and her beloved audience was like a horde of demons, waiting to devour whatever came forth.

She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, hoping to calm down her raging nerves. It would be alright, she thought fiercely, no harm would ever fall her. It was just a show, and these were just people. Nobody would die. Nobody would be hurt.

"If that's what you really believe, then you are a bigger fool than I thought."

Sora whirled around, much too fast for her liking, and ended up face to chest with the handsome god in front of her. No…not a god…a demon, for she knew that only pain and destruction accompanied him, whenever he went. It was painfully clear to her, now, what his intentions had been upon arriving here, but she couldn't bring herself to hate him, to even feel a smidgen of the antagonism she was meant to have for his kind. Though she realized perfectly what he was, her heart seemed to have become painfully human, succumbing to his façade and grieving for this beautiful, beautiful man who would never want her in the way she wanted him.

She looked up, and sure enough, there was mockery in his eyes. His lips were tightly pressed and his face was set in stone, yet those eyes of his told her everything she needed to know. He laughed upon her naivety, her desire to make things better when they obviously were hopeless. And, in spite of all her bravery, her inherit optimism and strength, the pang in her heart told her that his mockery was completely and obviously justified.

"There would be a tragedy. Even if you manage to stop one, the other would fall. Even if you postpone the show, it would start at some point. Hell, even if you manage to drive everyone out of the building, you know it would only stall the inevitable. Your favorite is running towards death, it's just a matter of timing whether she'd drag someone down with her…"

"So what shall it be, little one?" He continued, craning his head so that their eyes would meet "Would you try to stall the demise of your beloved friend or save your enemy? Your kind is very big on love for everyone. Surely you cannot show preference." Taking a step closer, he all but crashed into her. Sora retreated, trying to keep a distance, and felt her back brush against the red velvet curtain. Those perfect lips curled back to form a triumphant sneer. "I have you in check, little angel. Why not give it up?"

"To give up now would mean that somebody would die in vain tonight." Sora replied, fighting the burning in her throat that threatened to turn into a sob. She was well aware of the hardships that waited for her, but she never expected her heart to feel so human. Right now, it weighted in her chest, making her breathing hard and erratic.

"So you would much rather have them die because you were too stubborn. You know, I could try and save one of them, as a favor." He bent down and tucked a strand of hair back with the very tips of his fingers. From the sidelines, they looked like lovers engaged in a very private conversation. Sora was completely dwarfed by his large frame, but she could feel the stares boring into them. She whipped her head away from his touch and pushed past him, ignoring the pang of electricity that shot through her arm when it collided with his chest. Just as she expected, as soon as he was out of the way, she caught sight of May's face, scrunched up with rage and jealousy.

Sora let the feeling past her, knowing that it would not be worth getting caught up into others' emotions. Instead, she started walking briskly towards the other end of the stage, turning only to look at Leon again.

"I'm not stubborn because I can't accept defeat, Leon-san. Perhaps I have chosen the wrong path before, but this isn't over yet."

"You will regret that decision." He hissed, before turning on his heel and brushing past May as if she was a chair or another inanimate object. The latter paused, torn between the desire to follow her partner or to yell at the little woman in front of her. Settling on the following, May threw Sora a vehement look and also disappeared, leaving the girl fighting the fear and anticipation that had settled in her heart.

The air was hot, stuffy from the collective breath of the audience. Sora swung in the air, fighting the urge to hold her breath in an attempt to gauge the illusion of Hell…but she needed the air, even if it was only to look human. Her body, unusually heavy, required all the work of her muscles to maintain the beautiful pose, and although May and Leon had already figured out that she was on the stage with them, the audience didn't seem to have grasped the charade.

Her skirts danced around her legs as she threw herself off the trapeze, executing a series of screw flips until landing on another one. The metal clanged dangerously, but didn't budge…good, it wasn't that one. She continued with the routine, ad libbing whenever she had to. The music was eerie and beautiful, and her movements were graceful and vibrant, but she was agonizing. Leon and May had started performing again, the latter trying to push her away from the stage and the former doing everything to keep her there. Caught between May's intensity and Leon's void, the pain Sora felt was becoming almost physical.

And it wasn't just because she was emphatic. Her body would always pick up on emotions and respond, but not like this…not when it was so close.

May roared ferociously when Sora managed to dodge her, and only the music reaching a crescendo hid the sound from the audience. May tried knocking her off again, and Sora had to let go to jump towards another trapeze at the other end of the room. It was too far off, but she had to try, at least. May wouldn't fall off the one she had just left, Sora thought frantically…

Leon landed gracefully on the upcoming trapeze, adding a bit more of a swing at it to get it closer to her. He hung from it, and in a brief moment she came to realize it. This was it. This was the moment he was building to.

Sora let out a small sigh as she reached for the trapeze herself, preparing for the impact…when suddenly, the thing jolted to life, probably by the same pang of electricity that shot through them whenever they were close, joisting away from her fingertips. She didn't even have time to cry or even gasp at shock before gravity finally kicked in and sent her plummeting to the ground.

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A/N-So I was thinking about slowing down a bit, but I kinda love Kaleido Star and I really love Sora and Leon. This may be, or may not be, much different than my usual style, but we'll see how this works out. As for me, I've had a great weekend and so I needed to do something to make it even better. If you want the story, review, my lovelies.

Oh, and one more thing-due to the fact that more and more people nowadays use the annonymous review filter to shamelessly flame works (not only mine in particular, although I admit to have gotten quite touchy on the subject), and I decided not to put up with it anymore. Now before you raise the pitchforks and say that I can't take constructive critisism, let me say that everyone has a right to defend themselves. Annonymous reviews are for those who don't have a profile here, not for those who want to throw insults and get away with it. I won't deny it, I've written some pretty bad stuff, but I'd at least like to have a way to defend myself, or, in this context, to ask the person flaming what he doesn't like in particular.

So, I apologize in advance for any discomforts I may cause, but this is my position. Thank you for reading once again, and review if you'd like me to continue with this story.