The other chapter... Sorry for not updating fast enough! Writer's black gotten to my head see... Anyway, enjoy!

-_~~\|MEH

Meiko slowly awoke from the consuming darkness, her hands blindly groping for something warm among the cold clutches of dark surrounding her. Feeling cold metal beneath her small, delicate fingers, she quickly her opened her eyes and stood up with alarming speed... Only to hit a similar metal ceiling.

"A cage...?" Meiko thought groggily, the pain of the club that hit her over the head still hurt faintly.

Trying to sort out her confusing thoughts, the only thing she remembered while in the circus was being hit over the head with the said club while trying to comfort a boy who she thought, liked her, but betrayed her.

A boy with blond hair and blue eyes... His sister sewn to him... His friendly smile... The manic expression his twin wore... His tearful apology as she was dragged away...

Meiko shook her head, she already forgave this boy. No use holding a grudge on him now. Then as her dazed condition left her, that's only when she realized at that being in a cage was bad. Very bad. Especially when you're in a circus full of Kami-knows-what.

With fear coursing through her, she clutched at her pendant, which appeared to be broken while inspecting it curiously, looking around. She was in a cage... In a dirty room... With a possibly insane blondie... Meiko's heart began to beat faster and faster, what were the possibly other freakish inhabitants of the circus going to do to her?

As Meiko opened her mouth to call for help naturally, a strange raspy voice hushed her, "No no! Please don't panic!" The raspy voice pleaded. Meiko, with her heart beating as fast as a crazed hummingbird, turned in the direction of the voice.

She saw a boy, maybe just a year or two older than her staring at her... With four insect-like eyes with two sewn into his original ones and two more butterfly's eyes fused to his forehead along with feelers. "Hi. Uhm... You won't panic... Right?" The boy said faintly and awkwardly, smiling, revealing a pair of ugly and painful looking beetle's pincers sewn or fused to his inner bottom lip with his right feeler twitching nervously.

Meiko squealed hysterically, having feared insects her entire life. Slamming back into the back of her cage, she didn't even bother to wince at the impact of her body onto the bars. Der, who wouldn't squeal?

The insect boy looked anxious and worried, stuttering through his words, attempting to calm the young redhead who just screamed at his various insect parts before another voice which was resonating from an unusually large cage that stank of dead flesh at the corner of the room cut through the boy's stuttering words.

"You heard the beetle boy, don't panic. If you don't stop that pretty little mouth of yours... They might let you out. If you don't, they will keep you in that cage forever and eventually I'll have fresh dinner..." The cold voice said which had the echo of a hungry dog's growl. The voice was also deep, bitter and angry.

The insect boy glared at the dog man. "Stop scaring her Kaito. Just because you have half a rabid dog's brain doesn't mean you can just threaten everybody."

"Yeah Kaito, don't be rude. She's just a young girl." A young man with long purple hair which was tied into a long ponytail who she hadn't noticed since her insect boy panic attack scolded, kneeling in front of her cage holding a bunch of keys.

"Hi, my name is Kamui Gakupo. You can just call me Gakupo, you can trust me. You can also trust the others. Don't worry about Dog-man Kaito, he's just mad at the world. He calms down eventually too." The man named Gakupo said, smiling kindly and reaching a hand in Meiko's cage while the man in the rotting flesh cage whose name was Kaito muttered a string of obscenities under his breath at being called, "Dog-man".

"You can also call him Eggplant Guy." Kaito muttered loudly, just enough for Meiko to hear.

Gaukpo twitched before sighing and coming back down to Meiko. "Maybe you can also call me Eggplant Guy."

Meiko giggled a bit, her pendant forgotten. She slowly reached out a small hand taking the purple-haired man's own hand, her fear quickly dissipating. "Good." Gakupo whispered softly. "We're lucky Rin isn't on guard duty today." Meiko wondered at the name, was Rin the crazy female twin of that sweet quiet blond-haired boy?

"Piko," Gakupo called softly to the insect boy, "Take the keys. Unlock her cage, slowly and quietly."

The beetle kid now known as Piko nodded and took the keys from Gakupo who gently pulled his hand back from the cage as Piko carefully selected one rusty key from the many others and stuck it in the lock, twisted the key, and the the lock clicked open.

Meiko hesitantly pushed open her cage door and came stumbling out into Gakupo's arms. Fixing herself quickly, she stood up in her small form and looked at Gakupo nervously.

"Are there others too?" Meiko asked quietly, careful not to offend the young man and Piko.

"Yes... There's Haku and Neru, they're the giants outside, Piko, Kaito Dog-man, Miku, Len and Rin, Luka Fishstick, Kiyoteru the ringmaster, Gumi and me..." Gakupo said, looking down on his booted feet, "Although I am not as... Unique. Simply my deformity lies on the inside. Not personality... My blood runs dry." Gakupo finished, his voice faint.

Meiko was a bit shocked, someone who couldn't bleed? This was someone her Zatsune onee-chan would look at...

"Don't worry dear, some of us can be a little shocking to look at." A kind motherly voice joined in. Meiko turned around to see a pink-haired fish girl with sleek pink octopus tentacles poking out through her hair and her feet bound together in one single flipper with gills sewn onto her neck swimming about in a large aquarium. "But please don't be scared. We're kind, really. We'll take care of you."

"And I heard you Eggplant Guy, don't ever call me Fishstick again." The fish girl said again, albeit rather sharper at the purple-haired young man.

"Fine Luka, at least give a break on the eggplant jokes." Gakupo muttered, shoving his hands inside his pockets.

Kaito, the dog man, growled again, "The only real danger is that psycho, Rin. She's freakin' insane." Kaito sniffed then growled harder, "She loves this circus. But the rest of us'll protect you and care for you... Especially her good lil' two-shoes brother Len. But Rin... She's psychotic. She'd kill you as soon as you turn your back on her."

"Kaito! Stop scaring her!" The fish girl scolded Kaito then she turned back to Meiko with a gentle smile dancing on her pink lips. "I'm Megurine Luka. Just call me Luka. We'll do our best to make it comfortable and nice for you here, okay dear?"

"And I'll be your best buddy! Well, Len's already my best buddy, but who cares! We can play games, make up stories... Sure his sister scares me-" Piko rambled with his pincers and feelers clacking and twitching before being cut off by Gakupo.

"Yeah Piko, don't shout." Gakupo said, placing his hand over Piko's mouth.

"You leave it to Luka to be nice and motherly." Kaito grumbled from his cage making Piko snicker as Gakupo removed his hand.

"So Eggplant Guy has to act cool and fatherly then?" Piko said slyly.

Luka immediately flustered. "E-eh? Piko!"

Meiko then thought about it, "So... It's like Luka is the mommy and Gakupo is the daddy?" Then Luka blushed... Well, Gakupo can't. He has no blood.

"I don't even like Gakupo. End of story." Luka muttered, crossing her arms.

"You both fight like old married couples everyday. Deal with it." Piko said, still laughing.

Meiko was then suddenly struck with a memory of her brother and sister. Her eyes teared up a little. "What's wrong honey?" Luka said suddenly, concerned over Meiko. The others also stopped bickering and looked at Meiko worriedly.

"I miss my nii-san and onee-chan..." Meiko whimpered, sniffling.

Gakupo knelt down, facing Meiko. "It's alright. We're here for you. Even if this circus doesn't budge and let you go, we'll be your family."

Meiko blinked. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. "Is Len the boy twin? Ooh, I can't wait to play with him! It'll be so fun!" Meiko chattered excitedly.

"Yeah! Sure Rin is a scary monster, but we'll get along pretty well... Uh, what's your name?" Piko asked, his feelers twitching and his pincers clacking.

Meiko rested her hand on her chest, feeling the cold metal of her pendant even through her shirt. "It's Meiko."

Piko grinned, "Can I call you Mei?"

"Maybe." Meiko said casually, ruffling Piko's white hair.

Then Kaito growled with a cold ferocity, "Yes Meiko, it would so much fun." He snarled, "Especially when the Red Master turns you into one of us. Then you will have fun."

END OF CHAPTER