OK, this is my first anime fanfic. Um, ITS NOT A ROMANCE, really, but she does end up loving people, just not romantically. This took, about... 4 to 6 hours, word count of 9131. Updates might not be regular, but I will do my best.

I do not own Karneval or its characters.

Chapter 1

So, to get things straight, I am just an ordinary kid. I have shoulder length black hair, green eyes, I'm very tall and in the way most fourteen year olds are, I am overweight. No, I'm not a balloon or something but I'm no model. My name is Sammy. As of current, I am eating lunch with my two friends, Jade and Sarah. Sarah is really short, a bit chubby (like me) with rosy cheeks and blue eyes. Then Jade is about somewhere in between mine and Sarah's heights, with blonde hair also but green eyes like mine.

Also to get things straight, we were NOT doing anything wrong. Nothing at all, I'm telling you. We were just calmly eating lunch when, BAM! It happened.

We were in a forest. To be precise, it was a dark, gloomy forest, we were sitting next to a lake and whoever put us here stole our lunch. Also, although, probably due to the jackass who put us here, we didn't notice (like, it was as if an anime styled world was normal), everything was suddenly anime style. Including us. Unfortunately, we were all still chubby (except for Jade).

"Shit sticks," I breathed, looking around us in fear. Awe struck, Sarah just nodded, odd considering she is what you call a chatter box. Jade, as usual, said nothing. She was a quiet one.

Both of them looked at me, suspiciously. I swear, inside my mind, Pinks song 'Trouble' was blaring out increasingly loud.

"Umm, guys it really wasn't me," I tried to be confident, but they looked pissed.

Then their faces kind of fell and I felt like a bitch. "But, I will get us out of here, I swear! Really!" I got up, grabbed one of their hands in each of mine and started walking in a random direction. Thinking of it now, leaving the only known water source was probably a bad idea.

No-one really spoke or commented on the fact that I was the one leading us through the forest when I couldn't even find the nearest McDonalds with a store locater and a GPS. No joke.

We continued to trudge through the forest, me still holding onto them, occasionally stepping over/around bits of nature that was hindering us. At some point Sarah had started repeating "Just keep walking," over and over again and it was getting on my nerves, but I just didn't have the heart to tell her to shut up.

You know, we should probably be at the side of the lake, crying in fear, but, I think shock had set in something mean and we didn't really even have the ability to comprehend our situation enough at the moment to be able to cry about it.

I absently slapped a bug off my arm as we walked; quickly rejoining hands with Jade who I had let go of to complete the act. I snuck a glance at her, but her hair was covering her face. I sighed. We had been walking aimlessly for about an hour now.

We continued to walk, until we were interrupted by a strange sound. It was like a voice, only... Scarier? Now, I'm no expert, but I am really good at observing people and things. I can predict the movements of people sometimes based on their movements, stance and what not. I could also utilize my two main skills- pressure points and lock picking. Those were seriously my only talents. I did do gymnastics a few years ago, but unless you could count high kicks and a few flips as fighting then I was pretty useless in a battle of any kind.

However, we're getting off track. Sarah and Jade had also noticed the scary voice, so we all stopped and for a second, didn't really do that breathing thing.

And then it appeared. Ok, so maybe not as dramatically as that sounds but, still. It was this gross grey thing, almost human looking in its physique. Unless you count the two extra arms that were protruding from his back, their size something that would put hulk to shame. He had a suspicious looking bag swinging from one hand as he stopped in the middle of our path (kidding, no path, it was just an area that had a slightly less, "I am Mother Nature and I will destroy you and eat your souls," feel to it).

He laughed and it was a gross sound that gave me the goose bumps. "What's this?" He said, gazing at us, his eyes glittering. "Blue seeds and Green seeds? They're not red, but they will be nicer in my collection then in your heads!" At this point, Sarah and Jade were huddled behind me, shaking and yes crying. I would like to point out, I too was crying, snot and all.

And what the hell did he mean, seeds? This guy was an obvious nutcase! However, we didn't have time to ponder this fact because Seeds Guy was leaping towards us. I screamed. Sarah and Jade screamed.

They both jumped to the right and for a second I froze. His gruesome face and body were getting closer every millisecond. And then I remembered- Gymnastics! In the one second I had left, I executed a back flip. Well, maybe executed was the wrong word. It's been a long time since I did gymnastics, so, instead of feet first, I landed face first, wincing as my lip split and my teeth opened up a cut on the inside of my mouth. However, I had evaded him, at least. I scrambled to my feet and dashed to the left with not a second to spare, my lungs and legs telling me that an extra large serving of nachos on Fridays and no serving of exercise ever was a bad idea.

"MOVE SAMMY!" Sarah screamed. I looked up and saw that Seeds Guy was about to brain me with his fist. I screamed and ran through the gap between his huge arm and his torso, running for Jade and Sarah.

But I forgot he had normal arms too. He grabbed me and threw me against a nearby tree. I cried out. I was going to die, I knew it. However, apparently my body didn't want to die, because ignoring my complaints, it got up and started running for my friends.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT," I continued to say like a mantra until I reached Jade and Sarah. We grabbed a hold of each other's hands again and ran like crazy into the dense undergrowth and trees to our right. We kept running, hearing the maniac's footsteps behind us as we ran. Panting, we aimed for small places where he would find us, or be able to get through.

My legs were aching, and I just knew I was slowing down. My breath was short and my lungs were screaming. My side felt like it was on fire

Sarah collapsed when it felt like we had been running forever, completely exhausted from the exertion of escaping. I fell next to her, but Jade tugged us up and over to an extremely large tree with huge roots protruding out of the ground. We settled underneath he roots, cling to each other for support, crying. And no, it wasn't the type of pretty girl crying. We were full on sobbing, red splotches on our faces, snot running from our noses, swelled up eyes and disgusting sounds.

I was vaguely aware that the warm feeling at my side was blood seeping out of the wound I had gotten when thrown earlier, but I was so tired I let it go.

When we woke up the next morning, we used Jades jacket to wrap around my side. She gave me a small smile, and quietly said, "I hope your okay," before going to help Sarah get up.

I don't know how long we were in that forest, but when we finally stumbled out two weeks later, we were water deprived and food deprived. Any chub was now long gone and I didn't know how to interact with my ribs or stomach anymore. I could see all my friend's bones and they could see mine. We found a small warehouse off to the side, with a small pool of water just outside the back, where the wall had mostly crumbled away. It was night now.

I looked at my two friends, the only people I had left in this crazy place. I mean, we had, out of nowhere been transported into a freaking forest, almost killed by some weird monster freak thing, and were now dying of starvation.

Dying. The word stuck in my mind as I gazed at their curled up forms. I had to do something. I went to the pool of water and cleaned up as best I could. The cut on my side hadn't been too deep, and had healed as well as it could. I was still bruised, with a split lip to top it off. The others were bruised, but thankfully hadn't been injured by that thing like I had been.

The moon was up and it was providing us with a bit of light, at least. "I'm going into the town," I said softly.

Those two were half asleep, but Sarah still looked up and gave me a worried look. I just smiled at her and left before she could complain.

I had to get us food, and maybe some good clothes. I don't know how, but I had to. Even if it meant breaking the law, I would do it.

I wandered into the town, pleased to see they had something of a night market going on. I noticed a man, with an unpleasant face walking past, wallet in hand. Now, I was by no means a successful pick pocket, but I had seen enough of the lame crime T.V. shows to have at least an idea.

I walked forwards and bumped into him as hard as I could. His wallet tumbled to the ground. Now I just had to make sure he didn't realize it and pick it up. When he opened his mouth, it seemed he was going to help me out with that. "Oi, brat, watch it," He snarled viciously, his lips curling in an unpleasant way.

I already regretted saying this, but I knew what I had to do. I took a deep breath and said, "Well, what about you, you fat old man! Why don't you watch where you're going?"

"Little bitch!" He took a step towards me and I steeled myself, wanting to keep his focus away from the wallet.

He slapped me hard, and I realized although people were around, no one seemed to care. It was a pretty shifty, run down town, so I guessed they all just had their own shit to deal with. The feral man stepped forward again and I realized I smelt alcohol. I wrinkled my nose just as he shoved me hard. Somehow, I was blessed enough to land on top of his wallet.

"Mind you place, girl," He sneered, walking away, currently oblivious to his loss. I put the wallet in my back pocket and stood up.

I still felt a little bad, stealing like that, but judging from the fact he was wearing rich people clothes and jewellery, I had a feeling he would be a-ok. My thievery was done in a pretty bad manner, and I am sure there are many better ways to pickpocket, but this was the best I could do.

I rushed into an alley way, and caught my breath. My cheek was throbbing and I knew it was going to bruise. I pulled out the wallet and my mouth dropped open. Notes and notes and notes of cash were stacked inside. I couldn't help but feel a little excited. Looking closely, I found there was about four hundred and fifty dollars inside. I felt a little giddy, until another pang of guilt hit me as I realized I had just stolen for hundred and fifty dollars. But then Sarah and Jade's hungry faces popped into mind and I realized that nothing else mattered but making sure they were okay.

With a sigh, I hauled myself into town yet again. I looked around at the stalls, and saw one for food. I walked over and started browsing what they had, and a plump man waddled over to me. He looked me up and down, sizing me up and said, "Can you pay?" In a squeaky voice.

I cocked my head to the side and met his gaze full on, surprised when it unnerved him. No one had ever been unnerved by me before. I answered calmly saying, "Yes."

I continued to browse the food goods until I had a collection of fruit, bottled water, pre-cooked meats, long life food and some bread. I payed for it all at the counter, ignoring the beady eyed fat man who looked at my money as if it was counterfeit. Well, it wasn't fake but it only recently became mine. Ah, there it was, that twinge of guilt again. I ignored it, knowing he was just another rich bastard.

It racked up a fifty dollar bill, to my surprise. What an expensive price. However, I walked away quietly, before reaching a clothes store. I had to vaguely guess sizes, since we had all lost so much weight. We all got a few sets of underwear, a couple pairs of pants, a few T-Shirts and a hoodie each, except I got a long jacket. Everything pretty much looked the same except for the hoods. Jade's was in blue, she wouldn't wear anything else, Sarah's, a bright, monkey patterned pink one to match her personality and mine, a long, plain black trench that flared slightly, big buttons and all. I also got us all boots, once again, Sarah's pink, Jades blue, and for a change of pace, mine were army green (they were all black but the middle strip where the laces went were coloured) At the same shop I got us all matching black backpacks, with only different coloured zips to tell them apart (Jade's was blue, Sarah's pink and mine green again). I also grabbed toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, hair brushes and other necessities for all of us. This set us back a hundred dollars, leaving us with three hundred.

At the next store I got three blankets that could fold up into the back packs. I also picked up some medical supplies, like a small first aid kit with instructions and a set of bandages. Once again, this cost me fifty dollars, putting us down to two fifty. I puffed a bit. Carrying all this was tiresome, so I stopped and stuffed two of the back packs into one of them, as well as the clothing and blankets. The food, necessities and medical stuff lay in a bag that I held whilst the overstuffed back pack was on my back.

I sighed at the weight of it and started heading for the warehouse on the outskirts of town. Just as I was about to leave the market district when a shady looking guy with a brief case stepped out.

"Hello, little lady. How would you like to buy some means for protecting yourself with? Even though the lighting is dim I can see those bruises, surely a little something for self-defence isn't too bad?" He was one of those typical street sellers, with the whole trench coat and suit case thing going on. I felt as if I should just keep walking, but my curiosity had been piqued when he said 'self-defence'. On that particular subject, I was going to practice my pressure points, predicting skills, lock picking and gymnastics, but if he had something else I could use then maybe I should look into it?

"What have you got," I asked, stepping closer. I couldn't see his face properly, but I could see he had a few missing teeth when he grinned. He crouched down and gestured for me to do the same. I obliged, slightly weary still, but then he set down the suitcase.

"I've got the perfect kit for you, little lady," He commented, and my breath left me when I saw what was in there.

I honestly couldn't identify everything, but what I could was impressive. A lock pick and a tension wrench caught my attention, then next was an odd looking flip cell phone, three suspicious looking squares, a bunch of little balls, about a quarter of the size of my pinkie nail, a pair of pliers, and... Whoa. Three knives and a gun, as well as packs of ammunition. There was also a small glass cylinder with a clear liquid inside and a dropper on one end.

"Okay, I know what most of this is but please explain about the squares, the balls, the bottle thing and the weird looking phone," I said, genuinely curious.

"As you wish, little lady. The so called squares are bombs, the little balls tracking devices, which are connected to the phone. The phone will tell you wherever anyone who has an activated tracking device on them is. You just have to squeeze the ball turn it on. They will also attach to skin, those devices, but without hurting the person, as not to alert them. The phone can also locate electric signals, and if given enough time to pick up the signals, will give you control of the lights. You can also interrupt and listen to phone calls. However, unless you figure out how to bug their phones with means I don't have, you will need to be in range. You can also control those bombs in the kit through the phone, though, normally you would just set them all to listen to the commands form this control device; he pointed to a square with a little screen I hadn't seen," he explained, his voice a bit gravelly.

"And what of the bottle?" I asked once more.

"Ah, yes. Circus, the National Defence Agency, has developed a weapon to use against violent citizens. It will slow you down until you can't move. The stronger your will and blood, the longer you last. One drop of this on your tongue will counter the effects and give you back your energy. Otherwise their serum will affect you for an entire week."

"Wow," I said, looking at the little bottle with new admiration.

"Yes, and if you buy this set, I'll even give you the recipe, little lady," He said.

"Wait, what is Circus?" I asked, curious, having been set back before by the news of the bottle.

He gave me a dumbfounded look before sighing and opening his mouth to speak, "Well, little lady, there is the Security Force, who deal with minor crimes and every day things, and then there is Circus, who deal with the BIG things. Their I.D. bracelets make it so that they can fly, use super speed, have incredible strength, use techniques with their weapons that they can materialize and a few other things."

I didn't want to believe it, but after what I saw the other day I had to. After what I saw the other day, well, the other week. I needed this kit, I realized.

"Ok. How much is the kit?" I asked straight out, "I want all of it."

"For you?" He said, then finished, "Two hundred, little lady, and I'll give you the recipe for the Anti-Serum, as well as these," he held up a bag that looked to be filled with clips of ammunition.

"Why do I need those?" I asked, "There is already ammunition."

Inside my head I was thinking about the price. This stuff would be useful, and as much as I would hate it, I would just have to steal again, since we would only have fifty dollars left after this.

"These, little lady, are fake ammo. You've never used a gun before, I can tell. Use these to practice, and if you want to stop someone without hurting them," He looked at me as he spoke, and I finally got a glimpse of his scraggly, bearded face.

I swallowed, than spoke, "You've got a deal."

We quickly exchanged the money for the suit case and parted ways. I started heading towards the store house.

The walk was wearisome, carrying the load of three people instead of one, but I was proud, as well as ashamed of myself. I walked around the back and through the crumbling wall. I looked at them sleeping, and set all the stuff down, before walking over and gently waking them up.

"What's up, Sammy?" Sarah mumbled. Jade looked at me through heavy lidded eyes.

I smiled, "I got some food," my own stomach growled, reminding me of my hunger as well.

They were up in an instant. I laughed and picked up the bag with the food, dolling out an even amount of fruit, bread, meat and water, putting a small amount of non-perishables in each of our backpacks, which I had just separated.

We all began to eat ravenously. When they were finished and full their faces a mess, Jade looked up and quietly asked, "Where did you get this? And all that stuff?"

"Go clean up and I'll tell you," I said, chucking them the clothes they would need, as well as shoes.

When they got back, I started using wipes, band aids and other things from the medical kit to make sure they were okay.

Then I went outside and got changed, quite liking my new outfit and size. I also bandaged my side up, after cleaning it with medicinal disinfectant. I also brushed my hair and teeth. I smiled, looking at them. We all had our boots, black pants and jackets, and we sort of matched.

Sarah spoke up, voicing my thoughts, "We all look the same, though you kind of look like the ringleader with that trench coat!"

We all laughed and I said, "I didn't get you guy's coats because I know you don't like them!" We all laughed some more, but when things quietened, Jade turned to me and said, "So how did you get this stuff? You said you would tell us."

I sighed and explained everything, right down to the shady guy, Circus, and how we were going to have to lay low. I looked up. Both of them looked so solemn.

"Guys, I don't know how we got here or even why, but this is how things are going to be for now. We have to focus on surviving. Okay?"

"Okay," They said in unison.

I smiled. "Good. Now, about those weapons I bought, I know you guys won't touch any of it but I want both of you to at least carry knives. There sheathed, so carry them in your hoodie pockets okay?"

They both nodded and took the knives I had grabbed out of the suitcase, even though it was somewhat reluctantly.

"I need to train myself, but I want to teach you guys how to predict movements and how to use gymnastics to evade the enemy. At the moment, we want to avoid Circus, the Security force and those monsters, okay?" They nodded.

Sarah spoke up again, "But... I don't want to learn how to pick pockets or use pressure points, okay?" Jade then added, "Me either."

I nodded, "Alright. I won't be able to spend all my time training you guys since I need to practice with the gun," I winced a bit as I said that. I never thought I would touch a gun, let alone fire one, yet here I am.

The next day began with bread, fruit and water. I looked at Jade and Sarah, and started explaining the basis of predicting an enemies move, "Focus on their breathing, see if it changes- that means their getting ready to strike. Often their feet will be in the ready position, and notice how that position changes depending on whether they are going to kick, punch, jump or whatever," throughout this I demonstrated with my own body, "Now focus on watching muscles. Muscles will have some movement seconds before a strike, as they tense and get ready to do their jobs. Now, Circus, as you know, apparently have super speed, so always try and predict them before you have to look at their muscles. Breathing and stance are some of the best ways. Make sure to watch how they shift their body or their hands, that will tell you if they're going to turn, attack, jump, it will tell you everything," I finished.

We then continued to demonstrate on each other until they got the hang of it. With a piece of white stone, I drew a target on the opposite wall as the continued to practice. I then loaded the gun with the fake ammo, which required a lot of fumbling and cursing since I had no idea what I was doing, but I finally go there. However, when I went to shoot, nothing happened. "What?!" I said.

I was frustrated extremely, until I remembered something from an episode of NCIS where someone had mentioned safety. Safety... Oh! Safety switch. I searched the top of the gun until I found it, and quickly switched it off.

I aimed, and then fired at the target. The little capsule hit very, very far away from the target. I scowled. "That failed," Sarah said, and I swore I heard Jade giggling in the background.

"I'd like to see you do better," I retorted. They continued giggling. "Are you practicing?!"

That shut them up, I thought. I had also shown them the only things I knew about fighting so that one could play predictor and could play attacker. Those things were the correct way to punch, proper stance and balance, and the correct way to kick from the front. Even then we were all sloppy. I would really have to rely on pressure points, but I don't think that they would work on those monsters like Seeds Guy.

At about lunchtime, we ate some more fruit and a bit of meat each before I watched them practice and nodded my approval. I then taught them some gymnastics warm ups like a few back steps, side steps and what not that were kind of like leaps. I then practiced my flips, which got me a lot of bruises, and split my lip again. After that I practiced my gunmanship until dinnertime, which was a bit of meat and bread.

Every day proceeded like this, and for a whole month we stayed there. We had found a barrel to wash things in, and whenever we needed stuff I would steal it from the town. I found that guy again and picked up more fake and real ammo, since we were planning on leaving.

At the end of the month, the girls were average, but better than most people at predicting and dodging, I could do a front and back flip as well as cartwheels again as well as dodging, and could also hit close to or sometimes the bullseye when shooting. I had also practiced my own predicting and pressure points, and like to think I had improved.

We also, at the one week point, decided we had to be in shape if we were going to be able to outrun our enemy. So this meant push ups, running, sit ups and other exercise every day.

However, today, we were leaving. I had made sure this month that everything with my phone was activated, tracking devices (though I'm not sure when I would use them) were good, bombs would activate if I put the code into the control piece, knives were in place for all of us, and that my gun was in my pocket inside my coat, and the bombs in my bag, along with the serum, serum recipe and everything else I had bought that had to be carried. I had spare fake and real ammo in my pocket along with in my bag, along with my pliers and lock pick and tension wrench in yet another pocket. Though, I also had bobby pins if I needed them. Everything was set, for me and the others.

I had changed a lot. I was still me, but I had gotten a lot tougher so the others could stay just the way they were. We were all still young, me being the oldest, at fourteen and ten months.

We were just about to leave when Sarah asked, "I can understand avoiding the monsters, but why Circus and the Security Force if they're good guys?" She seemed genuinely curious.

"There are no records of us anywhere- that makes us a suspicious lot to them. Also, I feel as if Circus is somehow connected to those monsters, and it's safe to assume the security force and circus communicate, so... It's just to stay safe, you know?" I answered.

"Yeah, I get it," She chirruped. Like me, she had also lost a lot of weight from our ordeal in the forest, so she looked more like a pixie then a cherub now. I smiled.

"Alright, so like we discussed, we're going to jump into the trains cargo carriages at the spot where it just leaves town. Then it will head into Karasuna, which we will skip by until we hit the next city, okay? Then we will look for a place to stay, and see if we can get any more information. Maybe see if we can get you guys both cell phones," I said.

The both nodded affirmatively and I smiled. I felt a bit bad that I had a cell phone and they didn't but in the end it was a safety measure not something that was for fun, so I didn't feel too bad.

We silently set out, and when we saw the train tracks we waited. I started getting really bored when the train seemed a little late, but then we heard the familiar screeching of wheels and looked up. "Let's go," I said, tightening the straps of my backpack. The train got close and we started running, before we launched up to the sides. I hauled open the cargo door and threw myself in. Jade got in with my assistance, and I turned to Sarah. However, when she grabbed my hand she slipped, and the only thing stopping her from being thrown was me.

"SARAH!" I screamed hoarsely. I could see her sobbing, the wind pushing her tears away. With one great heave, I pulled her in. We closed the door and sat, before we just started laughing at the adrenaline rush. We quickly tidied ourselves up, and then I explained the plan to them.

"When we get to the passenger carriages, act as if we're just back from the bathroom or something okay?" I told them.

They both nodded and we started the precarious task of jumping between carriages, before we finally hit the passenger carriages which were all connected so we could walk through safely.

"Weird, there is no one here," Jade mumbled.

"Mhmm," I said, than continued, "It must be a quiet day."

We walked up until we hit the second to first carriage, deciding to sit in there. It was peaceful, and I could faintly hear people in the first passenger carriage, meaning we weren't entirely alone.

"We're almost to Karasuna," I said, remembering the time the map I had picked up had said it would take to get there.

I saw us pull into Karasuna, yet for some reason the train didn't stop. I was slightly alarmed.

The next thing I know, we were passing under a bridge, and the hatch on the roof was opening. I stood up and pushed the girls behind me, my heart beating fast. In dropped a boy about my age, with a long blue trench coat, black hair and brown goggles, with untrusting olive coloured eyes and a handsome face. Next to him was a young, short and (very cute) small boy. He had huge, innocent red eyes and white hair, with two spikes of it on each side that were coloured purple, sticking out as if they were animal ears. For a second, we looked at each other, before he took the boy and sat down, a few chairs in front of us. I watched them from the corner of my eyes, and I'm sure the older boy was watching us too.

I heard the little kid mention something about sound, and then the older boy said something about a lack of passengers. Then I froze- something did not feel right. I sat their calmly, but then there was a thunderous crash, and two people literally came into the train, putting a hole in the roof as they did. A tall, handsome, purple haired man in formal attire and a top hat, along with a girl with long blonde curls, a white and pink outfit that looked like it belonged to a performer and a cloak to match stood there, not too far ahead of us.

I stood up, keeping the girls behind me near our seats. I was about to draw my gun when the Goggles Boy beat me to the chase. Next thing you know, Top Hat Guy was moving so fast I couldn't see him, and then Goggles Boy was being delivered a swift kick to the gut. He then said something along the lines of, "Mere child as a lookout." I pushed the girls further behind me, and let one eye sneak a glance at the girl, who was watching us. The man looked to me, obvious intent, when the first carriages door burst opened.

"Who the hell are you?!" He said, panicked and looking at all of us, before slamming the door shut.

Top Hat Guy turned to Goggles Boy and said, "You should have told me you weren't with them; I could've made a mistake." Goggles Boy didn't seem to appreciate that much, and for some reason it irked me too.

"You already did, ass clown," I said. Goggles Boy shot me a small smile, and Top Hat Guy and Blondie were both giving me disapproving looks. I raised my hands and said, "Just saying."

As they turned, I grabbed two of the tracking devices from my pocket. I don't know why, but I felt it was necessary. The first one flashed with the number one when I squeezed it, and I then threw it. It attached itself just under Top Hat Guy's ear. I then did the same, except with number two, for Blondie, and it somehow wedged itself underneath her weird looking bracelet.

Bracelet? No, they can't be... Wait, super speed, super strength... Were they Circus?! Those two boys were walking to where the two Circus people had disappeared, and I followed, the girls trailing behind me. As I walked, I quickly replaced in my phone tracking device one and two's names for Top Hat Guy and Blondie, respectively, and checked to make sure they were indeed, following their location. Assured all was good, I put my phone away and listened in just enough time to hear Top Hat Guy introduce himself as Second Ship Captain of the National Defence Agency Circus, Hirato. Shit, I thought, looking at the girls. The boys opened the door, and as I saw the older ones muscles tense so he could leap to the right, I grabbed the girls and leaped to the left. Just in time, too, as shots rained down on us. The boys made a break for it and I grabbed the girls, and once again followed him. I heard steps behind me when we were halfway down the carriage, and spun, simultaneously pushing the girls behind me. Blondie skidded to a stop in front of me. We sized each other up before I continued following the two boys. I could hear her footsteps behind me, though they were light. Humph, expected of a member of Circus.

What happened next was a bit of a blur, but men came rushing in and the girl beat the shit out of them. However, like I had with, what's his face... Um, Hirato, I observed her movements and stored them away for later. The boy had said something about, she's just an unarmed girl, but she was all like I'll protect you and then bam! The fully grown men are unconscious. The little kid grabbed Goggles Boy and Blondie and yanked them down, so following my instincts I did the same with Jade and Sarah, who had gone quite pale and were not really in a good place, let alone able to speak.

The next second, there is a huge explosion that shakes the train and makes the lights flicker. Hirato rushes in and grabs the boys, looks at us and rapidly says, "Are you all unharmed?! We have to get to the front now!" He explains about the bombs that are rigged up on the train, and we all run for the front. I feel my phone buzz but I leave it, focusing on surviving.

Goggles Boy asks about what's going on, and I half listen in, really focusing when I found out that the guy who knew where the bombs were had drunken poison. That was bad. Blondie was all like, "I'll make him vomit," So I took a discreet step back.

I hear the guy call Blondie Tsukomo and then the older boy calls Hirato something along the lines of, "Shitty Four Eyes, I have a plan."

The two boys and two Circus people rush out. "Um... Sammy, your p-phone," Sarah stammers, speaking for the first time since this event started. "Hmm?" I say, than see my phone buzzing incessantly.

I grab it and I'm instantly flashed with "BOMB SIGNAL TRANSMITTER DETECTED!" I remember when I had trained with bombs, buying a few cheap ones here and there from the shady guy, and messing with my phones ability to sense electric signals I added a few tricks. This was one of them. It couldn't sense the bomb, but it could sense a transmitter. "Shit," I whisper.

"What is it," Jade asks softly.

"Don't worry," I reply, not wanting them to panic. "Stay here," I order, rushing in the direction the other group went.

I get there just in time to see Hirato slice off the end of the train. Literally.

This is what we call dumbfounded. I pause; so is that the power of one of Circus's 'Techniques'?

I hear Goggles Boy say that the signal as stopped just as I approach and I sigh in relief. Looks like I don't need to say anything.

We were in the next town over at last. Hirato told us to wait, along with the other two who had finally been identified as Gareki (the older one) and Nai (the kid).

Those two had already left despite his orders and I wanted to go to. I did not want a meeting with circus.

However, there was one small problem. Sarah would not release the ground.

"Sarah," Jade urged.

"No," She sobbed, "If we start moving again everything will FRIGGIN' EXPLODE!"

"No, Sarah, it really wont, now we have to leave so get up!" I exclaim.

Sarah was about to reply when a smooth, masculine voice interrupted us, "Leave? Oh, but I thought you were being so nice, staying here like I asked you unlike those other boys," I turned around horror-movie slowly and looked at his sweet smile.

Oh dear God we are in deep shit now.

Jade was finally getting Sarah up, and I gave Sarah a, 'This is your entire fault' death glare and she averted her eyes.

Hirato's voice interrupted again and he calmly said, "Why would you leave?"

Ok, Sammy, time to lie since the other two are petrified. They really were, though, just clinging to each other and watching.

"Um, well you see... Um...T-The reason... We are in t-this town... Is because, we ah, actually live... Um, here," I said weakly. Lying was not my forte.

Hirato seemed to realize and enjoy this fact as he raised a slim eyebrow and said, "Continue."

Bastard, he is such a freaking bastard.

"W-well, yes, you see, we were, um, on a, ah, holiday! Yes, a holiday. And, um, my sister is... Looking after our cat! Yes! Our cat! And we have to hurry home because... Um, S-Snowy is very, very sick, so we have to go see him! Yes, that's it!" I finished, looking up cautiously.

The bastard was trying not to laugh. I seemed to like Gareki's name for him a lot better now. Shitty Four Eyes.

"Oh, and pray tell, what is wrong with Snowy?" He asked.

Shit... What's a believable lie?!

"Oh, um, he has, ah, diabetes!" I said.

Well, not that.

"Your cat has diabetes?" He was incredulous. I don't blame him. So was I.

"Yes... So, um, got to go now bye!" I grabbed the girls and made a break for it.

Hirato P.O.V

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. Yogi was about to capture the boys... But those girls would be a problem, he could just tell. That was when Tsukitachi walked in, the light of the room glinting off of his top hat.

"Yes?" I asked, resigned.

"Oh, don't be like that, Hirato! I just came to thank you for helping with the train case and the show!" He said.

A that moment a thought came to mind. Those three unnamed girls, two blondes and one ebony haired girl could cause trouble if not captured, since I had felt something suspicious about them, but I have already dispatched Yogi to get the boys, so I had no one to get the girls... However...

"Tsukitachi, can you do me a favour?" I asked.

"Sure! What is it?" He said, overly enthusiastic.

"I need three girls captured right away, but I have no one available to send... Do you?" I ask.

"Of course! I can send Jiki and Kiichi! I'll tell them right away!" Tsukitachi turned and tapped away at his phone.

I had a slight smile on my face, I knew. Soon, soon I could get my answers.

I sighed, flopping on the bed, not bothering to take anything off just yet. We had managed to get to this abandoned house, and were now resting. Finally, I thought, we've got some peace and quiet.

Then there was a knock on the door. "I've got it," I yelled, wondering who the hell it was, especially now of all times.

I opened the door and was confronted by yet another tall boy in a top hat, though this one had wider framed glasses. He had grey hair and was wearing a basic, black outfit underneath a cloak. Next to him was a short, almost bitchy looking girl, in a familiar outfit but with more colours underneath, mostly in a variety of blues and it was a female version. She had dark blue hair and eyes.

"Can I help you?" Why do I get this sinking suspicion they're with circus?

"Yes, actually," The boy said pleasantly. I cautiously flicked tracking device three and four onto them, hitting the mark perfectly as it connected to the underside of their bracelets. He continued speaking and said, "I am Jiki, and this is Kiichi, we Combatants Personal of the First Ship, Circus. We've been asked to bring you and your two companions in for questioning, so if you wouldn't mind coming along?" He was so nice, but I knew the answer already.

And by the way, I called it, they are circus.

"Yeah, sorry, no can do, but have a nice night," I closed and locked the door before calling out to Sarah and Jade, "We've got to go. Circus is here, let's move!"

A little too late though. The door burst in, and Jiki walked through first. I stood protectively in front of the girls. "Kiichi, get the other two. I've got this one," He said.

"Yes," She said.

I watched his movements, and the instant his muscles tensed I ducked, watching as the girls dodged the other woman.

"You're smart," He said calmly,"but that's not going to help you now."

I managed to dodge two more moves before he caught me and knelt on my back. "This could have been much more pleasant, you know," He said.

He turned me over, straddled me and grabbed my wrist. He had a square box that had a protruding needle, and he pushed that into my wrist. I hissed, instantly feeling myself fatiguing.

"You lot are coming with us," He said, looking at me.

I smiled, and he looked confused.

"Like hell we are," I said, before twisting the positions are wrists were in, pressing a few points in his wrist hard, he instantly collapsed. I managed to push him off me and staggered to my feet. "You should be able to move in three hours, especially since you didn't lose consciousness," I informed him. I grabbed the needle box and shoved it in my pocket. A twinge of guilt hit me- seeing and hearing everything but being unable to move; a feeling of total helplessness. "Sorry," I said, unable to look at him.

Kiichi, who was about to start giving needle boxes to my friends, noticed the situation and gasped. She rushed at me, and I let her. When she grabbed me, ready to knock me out, I pressed my thumb and forefinger to a spot near the nape of her neck. She too, collapsed. "You'll be up in about three hours too," I said drowsily. "Sorry about that," I staggered to the left.

"Jade, the bottle..." I had already sunken to my knees, unable to keep upright. Sarah rushed to my side as Jade dashed to the other room.

Sarah held me upright, and Jade put exactly one drop of the anti-serum into my mouth. The man who gave it to me had tested all of us, first giving us the Circus Serum, than giving us the anti-serum to prove it worked. I felt my energy returning instantly. I rushed about and grabbed all my stuff, and the others did the same.

"Let's go," I said.

Hirato POV

Tsukitachi suddenly looked up at me from his phone, looking worried.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I just received a distress signal from Jiki. He needs help. And there is no-one else other than us..." Tsukitachi left that bit hanging in the air.

"Let's go than," I said, smiling.

Damn kids.

"It's a basic layout house. You cover the back I cover the front, yes?" I asked my companion.

Tsukitachi nodded. "Let's get this done with and have some tea after," He said.

"You mean alcohol, right?" I ask.

"Of course!" He replied.

I chuckled.

My phone was buzzing. I looked at it, and noticed the tracking system had come up. It showed two red dots for Jiki and Kiichi, a blue dot for me... And another red dot at the beginning to the house?! I hovered over it and it popped up with a name, 'Top Hat Guy'.

Shit.

"Out the back, now!" I said, than continued, "The big guns are here!"

I rushed them out in front of me then made a break for it myself, only to find myself faced with a red haired, tall, slim man in a top hat, floating just off the ground and smiling at me. I moved in front of my friends and glanced at my phone- 'Top Hat Guy' was right behind us. I stole a quick glance and cursed when I saw his smile.

Then, Hirato spoke, "Tsukitachi, I'm going to take Jiki and Kiichi up to the Second Ship, I'll be back to help carry these ones. Can you handle it?" He asked, addressing the red haired man.

"Oh, of course, Hirato!" He said.

Hirato nodded and headed back inside, and I moved to a more protective stance in front of my friends. He smiled and said, "What you're doing is admirable, but meaningless. We don't wish to hurt you, we just want to have a chat," He had a pleasant enough voice, but I wasn't going to let that fool me due to past experiences with guys with top hats (Jiki, Hirato).

He sighed when I didn't move. "Fine," he said, "We'll do it your way."

These two were far more skilled than the ones inside, I know. I just didn't know how much so until I was flying into the bricks of the house, my head smacking hard into the brick. I gasped when I felt bones in my arm and possibly my ribs crack and break, and I thought I could feel blood on the back of my head. I whimpered quietly.

I started getting up, and looked over to find that Jade and Sarah were sinking to the ground, and this, this Circus Man, Tsukitachi, had a needle box in his hand. He deposited it in his pocket and began striding towards me. When he was close enough, I lashed out with my good hand and watched as he gracefully dodged the clumsy attempt. He pushed me back against the wall. That was when I realized he had no idea what the extent of my injuries was, especially since the jacket would hide my broken arm and ribs, and he hadn't seen the back of my head. I groaned softly.

"You fought well, you know," he said, his face looming above mine, despite how tall I was. "Piss of and leave us alone," I mumbled.

"Sorry, no can do," I vaguely realized he was saying to me exactly what I said to his subordinates.

"Hirato, can you grab those two?" He called. Great. Ass clown was back.

"Yes," He replied, and there was a kind of whooshing noise. I got the feeling he had just taken my friends to his 'ship'. I took the chance to slip a tracker underneath his bracelet. Best not to waste an opportunity.

"Now then, let's go!" Tsukitachi wrapped his arm around me and I gasped softly, trying to hold in agonized screams as my broken arm was pushed against broken ribs. The feeling of blood on my arm told me the bone had broken through the skin, and that very arm was pushed against the bad ribs.

We entered the ship, and I had to go through this whole 'voice recognition' thing. I was then led (thankfully by my good arm) by Tsukitachi to a room. I recognized the boys from the train and smiled weakly when Gareki raised an eyebrow at my state of apparel. I was sat down next to them, and then Hirato began to speak. "I have already spoken with these two, so I'll make it quick. You're here due to our suspicions. You will have to undergo a full medical examination. We believe you have had contact with the Varuga. This will be explained later, for now; we are ridding you of any contraband and sending you to your rooms."

"Yogi, search her please," He finished.

A good looking blonde pulled me up with my good arm and smiled at me before going to remove my jacket. I had to put immense effort into not screaming and sobbing as this happened. He pulled it off and gasped as he saw my injuries. "Mr. Hirato, look! She needs to see the healer!"

Hirato nodded, but then said, "Finish searching her first."

I could feel the red head watching, but I did not look at him. I didn't even look at the considerate blonde, because he was Circus and did not really care at all.

A few eyebrows were raised as all the items were removed: bombs, my gun and knife, ammo, lock picks, pliers, duct tape, etc. Next came the phone, still watching where everyone was.

"I'm not even going to ask how you came into possession of this phone, but please tell me where each of our tracking devices are?" Hirato's voice showed slight exasperation and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Tracking device?" Play it dumb. Yes, that's a good idea.

"Please remember your friend's lives are in my hands," He looked at me expectantly.

I sighed; he really was a bastard.

"Yours is just behind your ear; everyone else will find theirs underneath their bracelet," I said, grumpy.

"And who would have one? There are five on here but only two are named; I'm also assuming 'Blondie' is Tsukomo?" He was speaking so... So pleasantly! I wanted to hit him. Also, the pain in my arm and ribs was worsening,

"Jiki, Kiichi and Tsukitachi," I wasn't even looking at him anymore.

"Mhmm, thank you." He said.

Finally, the little bottle with the anti-serum was discovered.

"What's this?" Hirato shook the bottle a little before looking at me.

"Um... Wa-ter," I stumbled a bit, and prolonged the vowels and syllables in water a bit too much.

I was a really bad liar.

"We'll just send it to the lab for testing. Search her bag later, okay, but for now, take her to the infirmary, Yogi," Hirato directed the blonde subordinate, who I now knew as Yogi.

He kind of looked a bit dopy, in my opinion. But, if he weren't circus, I would think he was nice.

We eventually reached the infirmary, and just before he left gave me such a huge smile I had to give him a small one of my own. The healer came and tended to me, and then gave me something to eat and drink. I was kind of suspicious of the food but it smelt too good to give it up. All questions about where my friends were ad been completely ignored, but when I asked if Jiki and Kiichi were okay, the guilt hitting me heavily now, they told me they were fine and had already started moving again. I felt a little better, but not by much.

I would complain about pain but I had been so pumped full of meds it didn't matter. A little later I was put into a small surgery to put my bone back into my arm, and then I was x-rayed and I had no broken ribs, much to my surprise, but the bruising would be painful for a long time.

Later that night I lay there and just watched the ceiling, wondering what the hell was going on.

What do you think? I know it IS a bit fast paced, but things will slow down. Are the characters alright and not OOC?

Please review,

Stars :)