Chapter 1: Let the Games Begin

Music began to play as Ritsuka walked up the stairs onto the circle stage, people were already looking at him. He clapped twice, his bangles adding extra sound. He shook one hand up and down, clapping twice more before doing the same to his other hand. People were already standing circle around the stage to watch the boy, he smiled. He flickered his ear twice then spun in a circle and began to dance.

As Ritsuka dance he kept it very simple: a few spins, kicking his leg in the air, twisting his wrists and moving from side to side. He could already hear his stage name being called from all different directions, clapping, muffled words of encouragement and of course whisteling, a sign of how adored he was by the people. Then all of a sudden he was pushed. Ritsuka should have landed flat on his butt, but thanks to his agility and flexibility, he bent so the he landed on his hands and did a back walkover to land on his feet.

He looked over to the one that had pushed him and smiled, not at all surpised by who he saw. Nisei. Stage name, Beloved. He also noticed all sound and noise from the audience had stopped and became silent, so that they could watch and hear their little dispute.

"They want to be entertained, Loveless. Not waste thier free time watching that pitiful excuse of a dance."

"What's wrong? Afraid of the competition?" He sneered.

Nisei smiled cheekily. "What competition?"

A few people from the audience cheered and clapped at his comment and others did so because you could just tell from the atmosphere they were creating that something was about to happen.

Ritsuka did another back walkover and another fast spin, his tail moving like it had a mind of its own. Nisei just looked at him as Ritsuka continued with his dance. The crowd once again began to cheer for the young gypsy.

Ritsuka gasped as he was once again pushed, this time landing on the floor, Nisei had bumpped him with his hip. He glared at the older boy, who just smiled at him as he quickly shook his hips, bells and bangles of his jingling. The crowd cheered louder for the older gypsy and those who were once shouting Loveless were now shouting Beloved, Ritsuka rolled his eyes. He knew Nisei was going to win their little dance off from the beginning, one because his dance was a little more T rated as Ritsuka's was G rated, two Nisei had been doing this for alot longer then Ritsuka and three he was Ritsuka's dance teacher.

Nisei pulled out a dark translucent blue scarf and shook it so that it moved in a wave. Ritsuka climbed off stage and walked away, he wasn't upset or sad at his lost he just thought it'd be better to get out of Beloved's way.

"Uh, gypsy?"

Ritsuka turned around to see a tall peasant girl. Her cheeks were red and she started to play and twist one of her pink pig tails.

"Um, that was an amazing dance. I really think you should have been the winner."

"Thanks." Ritsuka smiled, actually appreciative of the complement. He hardly ever got one from a commoner that wasn't, suggestive.

The girl giggled and smiled more. "Anyway, the festival's coming up soon and I was wondering if, you wanted to-"

"Hawatari-kun, come inside freetime's over."

The girl and Ritsuka turned their heads to look over at the school building. Near the entrance stood a fragile women with her ears and a male adult with his eyes down casted, paying no mind to her.

"Hai, just a moment." The women nodded and went to talking with her male companion.

Ritsuka's ears dropped. "Are they your parents?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Thats my teacher Miss Shinonome and that's her friend Agatsuma-san."

Ritsuka looked over at the two again. Miss Shinonome was talking to Agatsuma-san, but it seemed like he didn't care what she was saying, practically ignoring her. Ritsuka never really had any friends, but he was sure that friends were suppose to be a bit more friendlier to each other.

"Are you sure they're friends?"

"Perrty sure. Agatsuma-san had saved her form two rambunctious gypsys."

"Hawatari-kun." Came a more pleading call for the girl to return to the school.

"Is that why she keeps calling you?" Ritsuka asked since he too was a gypsy.

"Probebly."

Ritsuka's ears dropped once more. "Then you should get going Hawatari."

The girl blushed. "You can call me Yuiko."

Ritsuka's ears perked up.

"Hawatari-kun!"

"Im coming!" She turned back towards Ritsuka. "Um I hope I see you at the fesival next week." She waved at him before returning to her teacher and school.

She followed her teacher into the school waving once more towards her gypsy friend. This caused Agatsuma-san to look up at the gypsy. Ritsuka's eyes got caught in the older man's blue ones, he couldn't look away. Almost as if he sensed the boys paralyzed state, Agatsuma smirked. Ritsuka felt a chill go down his back and blushed.

'Cute'

Agatsuma pushed himself off the wall and went back inside the school. Ritsuka took a deep breath and a step back, finally having control over his body.

He gripped his chest. 'What was that?' It scared him. That feeling.

"WOOOOO!" The boy's ears winced as someone yelled.

He looked back up towards the stage. Nisei was still dancing, giving everybody a show and from the number of scarfs, Ritsuka could tell his grand finally was coming soon.

...

On top of the house of god, a very tall building, in the shade and away from all the people at the bottom, two commeners sat on the edge, watching the stage where the gypsy danced.

"How repugnant."

"Aww Sei-san dont be like that. I think it's nice and very elegantly done."

"Flaunting oneself around like that?" Seimei gave his friend a look. "It's repugnant."

Mikado rolled her eyes as she went back to watching the gypsy, it would be pointless to argue with Seimei he wouldn't change his mind about the gypsys. He just couldn't understand why they would show and display thier bodies in such ways, sure it could be beautiful and enchanting at times but it was still... repugnant. Though thats not all he thought of the gypsys. He also found them quite, intresting.

Seimei studied the winning gypsy. He was spinning in countless circles with several translucent scarfs, of several different colors. You could hardly see the gypsy anymore, just the spinning rainbow of ribbions. Then all of a sudden it fell straight to the floor. This caused Seimei to lean forward and the audience to gasp, before cheering aloud. The gypsy had disappeared. Vanishing before everyone's eyes.

That's what Seimei found intresting. Their use of 'magic'. Even though Seimei knew there was no such thing as magic, sometimes the gypsys made it seem otherwise.

"I wish he wouldn't do that."

The youngest of the two turned around. "Mimuro? and? Mei?"

"The people are going to burn him if he keeps that up."

"Burn him? For what?" Seimei looked at the older boy. "Magic? Dont tell me your foolish enough to believe in such a thing."

"Of course not, but that doesn't mean others dont."

"Why do you care so much about the gypsy?" Mikado questioned.

"Because Mimuro has a thing for the gypsy boy! Mimuro's a queer!" Mei shouted, obviously not happy. This caused Mikado and Seimei to stifle a laugh, not really because of what she had said, but the fact that she had said it.

"I am not!"

Mikado pulled her legs up and put her hands on her ears as her cat ones went down. "You two are being too loud."

They all just looked at her, except for Seimei who went back to looking at the stage where the pile of ribbions still laid. It kind of frustrated him that a gyspy, that anyone, could go from dancing right infront of him to practically turning into the air. He couldn't make any sense of it and thats what frustrated him.

"... Im going home."

Everyone turned and watched as Seimei made his way to the floor stairs and disapear into the church.

"... See what you two did? You made him leave."

...

Ritsuka slowly walked away deep in thought about him and his past. Seeing that girl and making the assumption that those two were her parent made him think about his parents. He sighed. It's been about almost two years since he last seen them and he did honestly miss them, despite how weird or unorthodox that it may sound.

"There you are."

"Ah!" Ritsuka winced and yelped at having his tail pulled. He turned to glare at the person. Nisei... Of course. He tugged at his tail again causing another yelp to escape Ritsuka's mouth.

"That's a cute sound Loveless." A smirk.

Ritsuka blushed red. "Give me that." He pulled his tail into his arms, glaring at the older boy. Nisei just laughed, he loved to tease the boy in such ways.

"What do you want?"

Nisei looked at him puzzledly. "Hey hey hey. Whats wrong?" He could tell there was something a strange to the boys behavior.

"... It's nothing." He dropped his head. "It's my parents."

"Why are you thinking about them?"

He lifed his head. "Dont you still think about your parents?"

A picture of his younger self flashed into his head. He was seven, his ears where down and shaking out of fear, his tail was hugging his body and he was leaning on a wall trying his best not cry.

"No, I dont. I dont care about them and neither should you. That part of your life is over now, nothings going to change or bring that back."

Ritsuka's ears went down.

"... Guess what I found out today." He said in a very cheer tone.

Ritsuka looked up at the slightly insane boy. Nisei pulled him close and whispered in his ear. His cat one's instently picked up, and there was this happy glint in his eyes, his tail swished from side to side. It was nearing the time of the year all gypsys loved and he had heard it earlier, but it had completely slipped his mind... The Fesival of Fools.