Circus Town

From a city so bright

to a strange little town

on a carousel spinning

around and around

The dizzying height

of the stars from the ground

the world all alight

with his sights, his sounds

~Lang Leav

It was a sweet gesture, it really was that he wanted to take her out. Even made her feel all fancy picking her up in his stupid sexy black sports car she didn't know he owned since he insisted on driving that rust bucket of a 4 Runner. They'd stolen into the night, driving for seemingly hours to this amazing circus miles outside the insanely bright city of Tokyo to some small town on the coast. She'd never had more fun on a car ride, whipping down the country roads with the top down and nothing but the stars to light their way. It was insanely romantic, and perfect and Mina's stomach flipped because tonight was the night. Of course so far the night wasn't going the way she hoped it would. Mina never in a million years would have guessed that Khai Zoltan, former Golden Army Commander and Dark Kingdom General named Kunzite was scared of clowns.

Mina tried to suppress her giggles long enough to make sure that Khai was okay. His face was still nearly the shade of his hair, his head hanging down to his chest and he was breathing very deeply. It wasn't meant to be hilarious, after all it was she that should have been scared of the circus after the Dead Moon incident and Dream Mirrors and all. They didn't quite sit well either, something about trying to hide your face kind of freaked her out in some hypocritical way but Khai was utterly terrified.

"Here." Mina held out her water bottle, trying still to not laugh at the utter terror in his eyes that grew too pale. He grabbed it desperately, standing tall to basically chug the whole thing in one go. He gasped, wiping his lips with the back of his hand, seeming to regain some composure until a honking noise in the distance made him physically jump.

"Not a word." He growled, resting his hands on his hips while he glowered down at her. It only served to feed into howls of laughter Mina could no longer hold in until she was practically sitting on the ground wiping tears from her eyes. Khai's arms had crossed, fingers drumming impatiently against his bicep while she rode out the waves of her laughter. He knew their entire circle of friends would hear this story by the dawn of the next day.

"You should have seen your face!" She was pointing at him now, her laughter dying somewhat until she remembered how he'd basically screamed like one of those girls in those awful horror movies.

The night had started innocently enough. Mina had nestled into back of the arena with her cotton candy while he held the popcorn. She was annoying the hell out of him, sticking the candy to his face, neck, and jaw and trying to turn it into something entirely not appropriate for the kids nearby by licking and sucking it off. She knew by his deep throated growl that had they not been in public he would not have been opposed but all it really did was make him sticky, and maybe a little aroused.

The show was starting, lights dimming so Mina thought maybe she could get away with her amorous antics. She'd just stuck a large piece of cotton candy to his jaw line, ignoring his growled protest completely when one of those cartoon-like laughs erupted from beside him. Mina had seen the clown, walking down the aisle doing balloon animals for kids and was currently working on a red heart for them. It happened in slow mo really the way Khai turned his head to find the source of the noise and effectively screamed the way her Mother used to when there was a spider in the house.

She'd barely registered that he was gone, pushed the clown into the family across the aisle from them and ran like the hounds of Hell were chasing him out onto the fairground in a rainstorm of over buttered popcorn. Mina had barely been able to compose herself let alone follow him out into the crowded fields of people and carnival music. She found him between the carosel and one of the refreshment stands gripping the railing of one of the rides. And this was where they were now, Khai still trying to recover from a Bozo the Clown sized heart attack.

"Are you done?" His brow was raised, Mina hadn't seen him this annoyed and probably embarrassed ever.

"I'm done." She giggled, wiping one last tear from her eyes. Khai was at least a gentleman and wiped a mascara smudge away with his thumb.

"At least don't tell Jeison?" He pleaded, defeat weighing his shoulders down.

"I make no promises Khai. We'll see how the rest of the night goes." Mina winked and took his hand, pulling him toward the line for the carosel.

"Blackmailed by my own date. You're a piece of work you know that?" Mina pulled his hand, gently taking the lapel of his leather jacket and coming up on her toes to kiss him lightly.

"Part of my charm and you know it." She muttered huskily before they were called up by the carosel conductor.

"No arguments." He replied, allowing her to drag him onto the brightly lit ride of antiqued and intricately decorated horses and varying animals. The whole thing was done in gold and bright colors, the center mirrored and the music loud. Khai opted to stand while Mina hoisted herself up onto a bridled seahorse.

"So why clowns?" She asked, causing his eyes to roll in annoyance and he gave her a look.

"My mom used to have a really creepy doll... then that Poltergeist movie happened... just... clowns suck and you should drop it now." Mina smiled down at him from her seahorse endearingly and leaned over to kiss his still sticky face.

"You just got like a billion times more adorable." She whispered right in his ear so he could hear her above the music. The ride started, the lights and people beyond their carosel began to blur and cease to exist.

"I don't know that anyone has ever called me that." He chuckled a little and caught her insanely blue eyes. She really was stunning, even in her plain sneakers and red three quarter sleeved top and perfect golden hair that floated down her back in the light breeze. She leaned her head on the pole of her painted mount and stared back at him. "I love you."

Her eyes went a little wider, it just seemed to blurt from his lips and surprise him too. Khai stood a little straighter and cleared his throat, raking a hand through the side part of his long silver mane. Mina grinned even if he stole her thunder, she was about to burst if she didn't tell him. Instead she leaned forward and pulled on his jacket to press her lips to his. The ride only lasted a few minutes, but he still tasted like cotton candy and Mina refused to let him go. The world seemed to keep spinning after the ride stopped, but they broke and Khai lifted her from the seahorse to plant her on her feet.

"I LOVE YOU TOO!" She shouted in efforts to drown out the music so he could hear her, just as the music stopped. People dismounting from the ride all seemed to laugh in unison, making Mina laugh again as well, her face turning red as she pulled Khai off the ride quickly. He was laughing with her when they hit the trails, the stars in full glory above them.

"You love me?" He nudged her, enjoying the red flush of her lightly freckled nose because not much could make her blush.

"Only if you win me that giant Hello Kitty." She nudged him back while he sized up the game.

"That thing is as big as your apartment." He muttered while he fished his wallet out of his pocket.

"We'll keep it at your place then." She shrugged, leaving him behind her when he froze. He cursed himself when he actually won the damned thing.

It looked hilarious later when he buckled it in his nearly non-existent back seat. It was late and Mina couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun, or laughed the way she did. They sat in the field where the cars were parked until it was nearly vacant. The Moon was high, and it felt like they were truly in the middle of nowhere. Lost in a sea of tall grasses and stars. Mina tugged on his hair lightly, shifting closer to him so she could nestle up under his arm. It didn't take much before she had him kissing her, pressing her against the hood of his car.

"God I love you," He nearly groaned into her lips when she began to grind on him. She so loved it when he lost himself, feeling rather lost as well the way their hips pressed into each other.

"Mmmm should we get some more cotton candy?" She giggled when he shook his head and his hand shifted just a little higher on her waist. "It's late love, we should get Hello Kitty home so you can take me to bed." His grin became wolfish against her neck where he kept his lips busy, she knew he was more like the guys than he let on. Propriety be damned tonight was too perfect to waste, and Mina was far passed waiting. She'd wanted him for far too long. She was kissing along his neck, aiming for his adam's apple when she felt Khai's every muscle freeze.

"Car. Now." He growled, ripping himself from her and practically jumping over his car door to start the ignition. "FOR FUCKS SAKES GET IN!" Mina sprung to her feet, getting in the car just as his tires skid in the dirt, punching the gas as hard as he could.

An entire group of men, dressed in all variations of clowns were leaving the park at the same time. Mina noted that they were walking in their direction, the large bus on the other side of Khai's car no doubt their destination. She began howling immediately, his expression turning somewhere between pissed off and defeated.

"I love you." She giggled, trying to not fall into an inconsolable puddle of laughter.

"I love you too." Khai grumbled, turning on the radio. His tanned skin only just began regaining it's color. Mina's phone lit up the car when she began typing. "What are you doing?"

"Texting everyone we know." She answered innocently, snorting a laugh into the group text she'd started.

"Oh you are so going to pay. I'm going to find what you are afraid of, and I'm going to make you pay." Khai's voice was doing that gravely sexy thing it did when he got frustrated and it turned her grin predatory.

"Bring it." She quipped back "But don't threaten me with a good time." She winked and placed a hand on his thigh, swearing she heard him groan.

"I told you I love you right?"

"Next to that scream earlier... it's the best thing I've heard all night."