A/N: Another quick update! I'm beginning to like this 83 I deleted a whole scene from this chapter, which made me mad because I realized I wasted about thrity minutes typing it out -sigh-

And so the anticipated chapter where they'll meet! 8D This chapter is a birthday present for self-sacrifice~ I do hope you enjoy dearie, and that you had a wonderful birthday~ -brings out the cake- Sorry I was cutting it pretty close -sweatdrop as she cuts you a slice of cake- Want tea with that?

Enjoy -bows-

Act III: Oh, the Deformity!

Blotches of purple had appeared around Leo's wrists from the shackles that had been around them for a week. He joked about it the next day with Echo when she was staring at them intently as he was reading. "Think of it as us matching," he said morbidly, but it was said with a smile, which meant Echo accepted it and continued to watch the raven read.

"Hey, get your nose out of that book," a voice interrupted crossly, a familiar form standing before him.

"...Are you honestly interrupting me when I'm in the middle of a chapter? Ladies aren't supposed to be so annoying. Ah, I forgot, you're not one."

Charlotte reached out to grab his shoulder firmly. "Oh, the way you talk, it's as if you don't like having your head attached to the rest of your body~!" she said in a sing-song voice, even as her nails dug into the raven's skin through his clothes. "Now either close the damn thing or get tossed out the window."

With a glare and sigh, Leo bookmarked his page and set his book on his lap. "What do you want?" he asked, shrugging her hand off of his shoulder.

"Lord Glen wants to talk to you. He's in the music room, so don't keep him waiting!" she exclaimed before stomping out of the raven's room.

Will time just continue to make her a more touchy person? After her footfalls had died down, Leo pushed up his glasses, glancing at the grandfather clock still in his room. When he and Echo comfortably sat in the silence, there was nothing but its ticking, nothing but watching the needle spin through its dance.

"I'll be quick, okay?" he told Echo. "You can go visit Lily, I'm sure she'd like the playmate."

The quiet girl nodded and left the room silently.

About three hours until we leave, so I wonder what he wants... The raven rose, putting his book back on his shelf before walking down the mansion's hallways. For a place that only housed seven people and less than a handful of servants, the Baskerville mansion was immense, with high ceilings and many unoccupied rooms. He often wondered what use all the space was for.

On the third and topmost floor, Leo began to hear the music. To be honest, he wasn't really surprised – Glen spent many days inside the music room, which really only housed a dusty, black grand piano. He'd lock himself in there, playing music – songs Leo knew and melodies he thought he knew, even though he couldn't recall how exactly. It was a feeling that made his world tilt and eyes fill with tears.

Glen played beautifully, really he did. Leo spent hours trying to imitate that mesmerizing sound, brushing off the dark-haired man's offers at teaching him – this was something he wanted to accomplish on his own. Maybe then the sounds and songs would be his – along with a feelings he could never name whenever he heard them.

But then, sometimes, the music Glen played on the instrument produced angry sounds, sounds like a demon was howling. Music that could only be called music in an unholy place. There was uncertainty as to whether the playing of such hellish pieces were to reflect some inner turmoil the man was experiencing, or if he enjoyed it. Either way, the sounds terrified Leo because they always gave him nightmares when his mind replayed the demented scores over and over...

He knocked, loudly to be heard over the cacophony of the piano's fury. All at once, an out of tune chord bellowed out on the other side of the door, signaling a reluctant end to the angry playing. It was a sharp contrast to the velvet voice that beckoned him inside.

Leo opened the door, immediately finding Glen on the piano's bench, his purple gaze staring down at the white-and-black keys before him. Guessing that it was better to diffuse the tension, he said quietly, "Charlotte came into my room and said you called for me." Then, more as a personal question, he asked, "Are you...alright?"

It took a moment, and the thick silence seemed to only be taken up by the phantom echoes of the raging piece played moments before. After a few seconds, Glen finally sat up a little straighter, tucking some hair behind his ear. "I'll be fine," he rasped, immediately clearing his throat afterward.

"Good, I'd hate to be the only one losing it here," the raven tried to joke, but even he didn't smile. "You look tense."

"I've got certain things on my mind. This is...," he drifted off, choosing his words as a rare frown creased his brow. "This is just a rough time." He turned his head and raised a single gloved hand. "Come."

Leo approached tentatively, taking a seat right beside the black-haired man.

"Did Charlotte give you the letter?"

"Yes."

"And you know to give it to a man named Isla Yura?"

Leo nodded. "He's the ringmaster of the circus," he stated, relaying the information Lily had given him yesterday. He looked at Glen evenly. "So is this just so you make sure I've got everything ready? This isn't the first time we're taking out Cannibal Marionettes, Glen." He looked down as he uttered the name. It had been about a year now that he stopped addressing the Baskerville head as his father, and although it has been his decision, he found himself still not used to it.

Glen ignored it and gave Leo a stern look. "No, you saw the envelope, and the seal I put on it. You know this isn't like other missions." He took a deep breath, his countenance showing distraction. "It's more than...the monsters."

"So you want me to keep an eye out for more than CM's?" Leo asked. The task certainly was newer than anything Glen had asked of him. That's usually all their missions were in the first place – take out the Cannibal Marionettes wherever they popped up. But that's weird, Leo thought, since they were all supposedly wiped out thirteen years ago. It wouldn't be odd of a few still lived, but over the years we've taken out hundreds.

It doesn't add up...

"You have realized something," Glen declared placidly.

"It's just... Where do CM's come from? From what you told me years ago, there shouldn't be any of them unless there are also demons skulking around." He peered up at his father-figure. "And wasn't it you that got rid of them?"

Glen nodded, the frown back on his face. "That is right. Which is why I've been investigating the pattern of the Cannibal Marionettes' appearances for the past few months. This is what I've turned up," he said, rising from the bench to walk over to the window. Outside, the sun was just beginning to set. "It seemed the CM's kept appearing in a path-like pattern, and they never crossed the same place twice. With these two clues, I managed to predict where they'd next turn up. Do you remember the attack at Latowidge?"

"Fang and Doug were on that mission," Leo replied. "But it was the last time there was a mission to take down the Marionettes. Are you saying...you predicted that attack?"

"When I was proved right after that, I saw that a certain circus had also been there. Perhaps I connected the dots too fast in my head, but I thought – a circus follows a precise path, and as did the CM's." Glen unlocked the window and pushed open the panes. A few seconds after, the room filled with a cool breeze that ruffled their hair.

"So that's it then," Leo concluded. "Find the relationship, if any, between the circus and the Cannibal Marionettes' appearances. I'm not sure what we're expecting to find, but I'll keep an eye out. I'll tell Lily and Echo that, too."

Glen nodded, breaking away from the window. "See that you do," he said, walking back to the piano bench. He reached into his pocket and pulled out three strips of red paper, offering them to the raven boy still sitting.

Dubiously, Leo took them. "What's this?"

"Your tickets," Glen replied, blinking in surprise at Leo's reaction. "You three will be going to a circus, so naturally..." His lips set into a thin line and he looked away dismissively, back towards the open window.

"Leo, I want you to be careful. You'll be seeing and hearing many things there, things that will make you uncomfortable – maybe even angry. Whatever happens," his deep purple eyes flashed down at the raven dangerously, "do not have a repeat of the asylum. Do not lose control."

At this, Leo got up, placing the tickets in his pocket. Even though he knew his caretaker was right, he couldn't help but retort back in defense. "Don't worry, Glen," he said with a small smile. "Being chained down forces you to learn some things..."

During the carriage ride to the circus, Leo looked down to examine his ticket. Earlier when they were piling into their ride, he had given Lily and Echo theirs – the former jumping up and down in joy as the latter stared at it blankly.

The entire rectangle slip of paper was more of a dark orange than the red that Leo had thought it was before. A weathered yellow like dying flowers bordered the ticket, and there, in the center, was an image of a clock face with thirteen hours. Right underneath it were the words, The Clockwork Circus. The raven frowned, wondering what kind of name that was supposed to be.

The carriage rocked a little more than it should be and Leo sighed.

"Lily, please calm down. If you keep jumping around like that, you'll only get too tired to watch the show," he said, not tearing his eyes away from his ticket. He was getting sick enough from the bumpy ride without the small girl's excitement making it worse. And they were already passing through the pathless forest, which didn't help any as the wheels struggled over tree roots, branches, and rocks.

I can't imagine anyone would go through this trouble just to see a...

"Lily, Echo, please remember to look out for anything that seems like its correlated to the Cannibal Marionettes; anything suspicious."

Echo nodded slowly. "Yes, Mister Leo."

"I will, Leo, I will!" promised Lily, bouncing on her seat. She almost stumbled when the carriage suddenly came to a stop in the middle of the forest. There was the sound of footsteps and their coachman opened one of the doors wearing an apologetic look.

"Ah, I-I'm sorry, my ladies and sir," he began feebly. "But whatever path there had been seems to be closing up, and the trees are getting too thick."

"Do we have to go on foot from here?" Lily asked, looking up at Leo.

With a deep sigh, he nodded. "Yes, we'll have to. Glen sent us on this mission, and we can't just abandon it. Thanks anyway, Anthony," he told the coachman as he jumped out.

"W-will you be fine?"

Leo offered him a smile. "No worries, just go on home, alright? We'll get another carriage back to the mansion." Or just ride Jabberwocky. Its sturdy enough to have the three of us...

As the carriage rode away from view, Leo ran a hand through his hair wearily. "Well, the sooner we start, the sooner we'll get there," he said, holding out a hand to summon Jabberwocky. A rustle a few feet ahead of them though stopped him, and he froze. There was the sound of crunching branches and leaves, and maybe even something like voices. Definitely human, at the least.

"Hey, you hear that?" whispered Lily.

"Let's follow it; it might lead us to the circus," Leo said, taking each of the girls' hands. "Be vigilant, alright? Come on..." They weaved through the trees, almost stumbling over roots every once in awhile due to the light that kept sinking further and further down. Night was fast approaching, painting the forest dark blue and black – shadows seemed to be everywhere. The noises never stopped from straight ahead, but Leo was beginning to wonder if they'd ever actually get to their source...

It took a few minutes until Echo suddenly tugged his sleeve, looking ahead.

"Mister Leo, I think that's the tent, is it not?" she asked, pointing a finger into the trees.

"No fair, I can't see it!" Lily exclaimed unhappily as they picked up their pace.

"Don't worry, Lily, we're already at the clear...ing." Leo stopped as the thick ring of trees suddenly came to a stop and they where at the edge of the clearing. There were other people there alongside them, following the noise and music that was so loud, coming from inside a large, yellow tent. Light shone within, giving the whole tent a rather paper-lantern appearance as it glowed in the night. A firefly. A live festival in its own little world.

Leo glanced back at the dark forest as Echo and Lily dragged him along. How was the light and music blocked out so well? I couldn't sense a thing. He closed his eyes wearily. Shit, what if I am losing it...?

Lily looked up at the tent with wide eyes. "It's so big!" she exclaimed in awe.

"Have you really never been to a circus before?" Leo asked her, but he was gazing at the tent as well. Now that they were getting closer, he could begin to see black and orange silhouettes of things within.

Her hair whipped over her cheeks as she shook her head. "Nuh-uh. All my life was just dark, and people hating me for no reason – for having this, I guess?" she inquired, touching the perfect crimson mark on her cheek. It was the reason Lily was a Crimson Faust. Her mother had been one, changed during the Tragedy of Sablier, but she suddenly lost her powers when Lily had been born.

Both Fang and Glen had seen Lily's case to be fascinating. Not only did it prove that Crimson Fausts could still reproduce, but that their offspring held their power – and stole it. Suddenly reminded of Dr. Atmore, Leo thought that Lily was the real second generation of the Fausts.

Leo bent down to take her hand again. "Come on, there's a smaller tent right there people are going to. It must be the ticket collector."

The smaller tent was a narrow rectangle, not leaving much room for whoever was inside, and had purple and teal stripes all over it. The people casually handed over their tickets, babbling away amongst themselves excitedly as they continued on to the large tent. From his angle, all Leo could see at the time was an arm reach out and take the orange slips of paper.

Inside the small tent was only darkness when Leo and the two girls approached. He frowned, leaning on a counter as he peered inside. "I just saw someone here," he muttered, more to assure himself that he wasn't mad more than anything.

"Ohmai, so sorry to keep you waiting," remarked a male voice in sigh. Leo jumped, turning around to face a pale with with as equally pale hair that fell over one of his eyes, the other a glinting wine red. He offered the raven as cordial smile, slipping into the tent from the back side. "Do forgive me, I decided to take a small breath of fresh air."

At Leo's silence, he tilted his head slightly. "Have I frightened you, sir?" he asked in a pleased voice.

"I... No, nevermind. I suppose if this is a circus, I need to get used to this type of thing...," he reasoned, taking the three of their tickets and placing them on the counter.

"Oh, you're no fun. You remind me of Oz when I first met him. Isn't it just so Emily?" asked the man to the doll sitting on his shoulder as he took the tickets. It had a wide smile and a bow on top of its head...and it replied in a creaky voice, "Just so! Just so! He's no fun at all."

She talked...

"She talked!" exclaimed Lily happily.

"She talks," the silver-haired man confirmed with a smile. "Say how do you do, Emily." To Leo's astonishment, the doll bowed its head and greeted them.

After checking that the man's mouth wasn't moving when the doll talked and saw that, save for his shoulder, he was making no contact with her at all, he asked, "That's not ventriloquism you're showing us, is it?"

"Oh, you'll be seeing many strange things tonight," reassured the man. Then, in a lower voice, he added through a grin, "Maybe even the strange things you're looking for. The things that like to eat the people up. But will be able to see through all the deception of this show?"

Leo widened his eyes, taking a small step back. Is this guy like Dr. Atmore? No, there was something more, something...more mysterious, although the aura Leo sensed wasn't malicious. "We'll just be going now. Thank you, Mr. Ticket Collector."

"Xerxes Break to the returning visitor," he introduced, bowing his head slightly. "Do have a wonderful time~"

When the raven looked back, he saw that the striped tent was no longer there.

Benches revolved in a circle, surrounding a circle of space in the middle of the tent where the performances would be held. It looked large from outside, but inside was enormous, bigger than the mansion it seemed, like they were standing in a paper sun. People were laughing and whispering everywhere, and there was the cordial vocalization of a violin's strings coming from somewhere, filling the whole tent with playful music.

Is this really a place that could be connected to Cannibal Marionettes?

Lily as assaulting his sleeve again, trying to pull him towards a direction she was going. "Leo, Leo, this way! I want to sit right there! C'mon, c'mon, let's go before someone else comes!"

"L-Lily, what did I say about calming down?" he snapped, quickly grabbing Echo so that she wouldn't get lost. At present, she was staring at everything with a somewhat confused expression, as if she were trying to take in the meaning of it all at once.

The seats that Lily had found for them were somewhere around the middle, so they could see the center ring well while Leo could still take survey of mostly everything. So far, he wasn't finding anything worth noting – well, at least not anything related to the mission. Despite all the noise, Leo found himself getting a little excited. Glen never took him out much when he was little, much less to something like a circus. Up until that point, they had been an event he only read about. His anticipation was growing just as much as Lily's was.

"Echo has been to one of these before," Echo suddenly piped up, so quietly that Leo almost hadn't caught it. "It was when she was still small. I was alone. I kept hearing...hearing Noise... But then I heard the voices from this big tent. I wondered inside and found a man there. He took care of me while the show went on, let me sleep in his boxcar and stole some apples and bread for me."

"Was it this circus?" Leo prompted.

Echo shook her head. "It was too long ago. Echo was stuck in the asylum for years, where it was always dark and dirty. Then again, so was life before that. Echo's mother...did not want to hear about Noise."

Leo blinked in surprise at the mention of her mother and past. It was the first time she ever uttered a word about it. He opened his mouth to ask more when the light suddenly dimmed inside the tent, the illumination growing in the center ring. A hush came over the crowd then, and the violin music stopped. Lily bounced on his other side.

When his eyes adjusted to the change in light, Leo found a man stepping into the empty ring and onto a large, circular and red podium. They were close enough that Leo could see slightly tan skin and blood-red hair, but those were the only details the raven could make out.

"Ah, you're here, you're here! How wonderful!" the man suddenly exclaimed in a voice as creaky as Emily's had been. His voice echoed in the quieting tent, startling some people with the power behind it. "My name is Isla Yura. I am ringmaster of the Clockwork Circus.

"We will be presenting to you tonight the sad fate that some of this world carry with them," he announced, walking back and forth on his circular platform. "Children that God has abandoned. Children that can't even carry the trembling limbs they were born with. These children cry out without reason, words distorted by their malformed tongues."

As Isla Yura spoke, there came a sudden small procession of people entering the ring. They hesitated upon stepping into the light, and even from his distance, Leo could swear he saw the grimaces they all wore on their faces smeared with make-up and glitter and masks. Those, he concluded, must be the freaks.

There was a girl with short hair that towered over the rest by at least another whole person. Another with dark hair that spilled down her back, a silvery blindfold over her eyes. A boy with half a mask. Another with golden hair and white things sprouting from his back. Each one was stranger than the freak before, and there were several more, but Leo's attention was dragged back to the ringmaster as he spoke again.

"They smile through their deformities, wishing to bring fun to the people that stare down at them through the darkness, longing for laughter. Please, settle down and lean closer.

"And let the freakshow begin."

The three Baskervilles watched the performances wordlessly, save for Lily's cheers and gasps of awe. And laughter. There seemed to always to be laughter. Even so, Leo could see that the smiles on the freaks' faces were too wide.

Everything was sparkling. Everything had an otherworldly shine and song. Leo couldn't help but be entranced, taking the sights and sounds in quickly, trying to absorb them before the next act appeared. Between the freaks' stunts and appearances and the crowd's reactions, he was having a hard time keeping a look out for anything suspicious.

Any one of these freaks could be the Cannibal Marionette...

Isla Yura came on stage again, as he always did once an act was finished so as to announce the next one. Leo was only half-paying attention to the introduction of a pair named "Diva" and "Humpty Dumpty" as a certain heaviness began to take a hold of his body. He almost swayed, his shoulder bumping into Echo's.

The pale girl looked at him in muted concern. "Mister Leo?"

"Sorry, I think I'm just getting tired," he said with a dry chuckle.

A sweet melody began playing inside the tent, like they were all inside a music box. The girl from before with long hair and a blindfold came to the center of the stage, taking Yura's place. Her light-purple dress swayed, flying out like the petals of a flower as she twirled around, her lips parted to voice a mesmerizing song like an opera singer. At the beginning, she sounded lost, her notes staccato and fleeting, and her head kept looking this way and that as if searching.

"She has a pretty voice," Lily whispered, eyes shining in awe.

"She does," Leo agreed, a small frown creasing his brow. The way she sang...it almost reminded him of Glen when he played the piano... Like she was vocalizing a melody he shouldknow, but of course, he couldn't remember. The soft notes in the background rained on them like glitter, making Leo want to close his eyes and see only silver stars.

The song reached a crescendo, and the girl twirled like a ballerina, her voice filling the tent, rising above the tinkering music box sounds complimenting her song. As she reached the main melody again, Leo suddenly noticed movement near the top of one of the poles that held up the tent. Other people began to notice, pointing and exclaiming at a boy standing at one end of a tight rope, a hundred feet in the air.

"Oh!" exclaimed Lily.

The girl, Diva, ended her singing as the music box song continued. She too looked up, hands behind her back.

The rope looked thick enough, but of course, Leo wasn't sure from his distance, and he never walked on a tight rope before. The boy began to move, the light shining down on him. He wasn't wearing any clothes save for blue shorts that reached to his knees, so all could see the odd etchings of thick black marks all over his skin. Leo frowned, squinting his eyes in a vain attempt to see the boy better. He was walking languidly, seeming to have no trouble at all crossing the rope, never wobbling in uncertainty. His spread arms gave a weird appearance that he was floating, and his head never stopped facing forward.

It was as if he saw no one else in the world.

For some odd reason, Leo's heart was pounding in his ears. He was sure other people, with their bated breaths, could hear it as well. All of his attention was at this one boy, standing above the crowd, oblivious to the danger he was in. The raven's chest was beginning to hurt again, but he didn't care, trying to ignore it.

The boy, Humpty Dumpty, was halfway down the rope. His arms began to tilt at angles as he began to waver, but the angles were too steep. Then Leo saw it. The boy paused, wobbling slightly, one foot out in front of him. Heat rose to Leo's cheeks as panic swelled in his chest. No...! The foot came down, but past the rope. The boy's body tilted away. People cried out in alarm.

He was falling.

Leo didn't have time to think, didn't have the luxury to. He shot out of his seat, summoning Jabberwocky at the same time, not caring who saw. Later on, he'd vaguely remember Echo and Lily calling out to him as he mounted his scythe and flew into the ring.

Humpty Dumpty wasn't making a sound, his back facing the ground as his limbs flew in front of him. Leo dove in, cold air whipping over his face as he reached out an arm to support the boy when he fell onto Jabberwocky. The scythe jolted down at the sudden impact, but Leo managed to keep it in balance, tightly holding the boy to him.

"What the-!" Humpty Dumpty suddenly grabbed the back of Leo's Pendulum jacket, a panicked look on his painted face. He looked all around, until eyes the color of a piercing blue found Leo. "Who the hell are you!"

"Abyss, want to not get mad when I saved your life?" Leo retorted, heart still hammering in his chest. The boy was at an awkward angle between his thighs, so he said, "Make sure your grip on me is tight until we land. I don't want you to fall."

A slightly enraged look crossed the boy's face as his blue-painted lips made a grimace. "Don't want me to fall? Abyss, that's what-!" He looked around then, eyes widening, and this time he did hold onto Leo tightly. "What is this thing?"

"My...," the raven drifted off. Was there a point in not revealing it now? He just used his scythe in front of so many people, while wearing his Pendulum uniform. His only hope was that Humpty Dumpty's hand was gripping over the Incuse at least...

The crowd was gasping, exclaiming in awe as Leo gently touched the ground, gingerly sliding Humpty Dumpty off. Quickly, he sent Jabberwocky away before people got a good look at it. "Are...are you okay?" he asked. Then Leo properly looked at the boy he had saved, noticing his body for the first time.

All over the slightly tanned skin were the black marks, only Leo saw that they weren't only marks. Humpty Dumpty's limbs and flesh were held together by thick black thread. They were stitches that went all around his arms and legs several times, one encircling right above a toned stomach. Leo was glad for his glasses then, because he knew he was staring with wide eyes.

Diva was looking lost on the podium, looking around desperately. Humpty Dumpty noticed and, with a glare at Leo, walked off towards her with wobbly movements.

The faces and eyes around him were all open in surprise and pleasure and laughter. The shock had died down, leaving gales of humor – they thought Leo was apart of the act. Then I guess it doesn't matter if they see the jacket, if they think its a costume.

He followed Humpty Dumpty to the center where Diva was. He was ruffling her hair, telling her that he was alright.

"What happened?" she asked, gripping his arms tightly.

Humpty Dumpty shot a look at Leo when he noticed the raven had been following. "This boy flew in and caught me before I fell," he said, a guarded look in his intense blue eyes as he profiled Leo. For some odd reason, the raven felt like he shouldn't stare for too long – it made a weird, crawly feeling go up his spine.

"Look," Leo began, crossing his arms. "Why do you talk like what I did was a bad thing? I saved your life, you idiot!"

"You're the idiot!" Humpty Dumpty cried, turning his head so fast that the golden glitter fell from his blond hair. He prodded Leo hard in the chest. "I was supposed to fall! These! You see these?" he exclaimed, tugging at his stitches. "Whatever happens to me, I'll just be put back together again! I wouldn't die, idiot!"

Leo blinked in surprise. "How can you not...?"

At that moment, Isla Yura appeared. The raven had expected anger, maybe even a taut expression on his face, but was surprised to see that the man was smiling broadly. "Ah! What a show! Quite a performance!" he exclaimed in glee, clasping his hands together. "You are a Baskerville, I assume? A part of-? Ah, but we shouldn't discuss it here."

"Mr. Yura," Humpty Dumpty began slowly, cautiously. "This boy just ruined the show. I-!"

"Quiet," the man ordered firmly, the faintest of frowns on his face. "And go back to your cars. The post-show festivities will begin soon."

"But-!"

Isla Yura suddenly gripped Humpty Dumpty's shoulder tightly and the boy winced. He leaned in, whispering something that Leo couldn't hear into the blond's ear. Blue eyes widened, a fearful expression in them that he seemed to be fighting to hold back. Quickly, he took Diva's hand and led her away, still wobbling. He fell onto the ground once and Leo stepped forward, thinking maybe he should follow him. Yura shook his head.

"He'll be fine once Gilbert stitches him back up. Now then, Mister Baskerville, if you'll get your friends and wait near the ticket booth. You can go to the post-show viewing if you'd like – I'll just get Xerxes to fetch you once it's time to discuss our business~," he said, then turning. "For now, it's time to announce the curtain fall."

Leo nodded slowly, more than happy to get out of the spotlight. He still felt eyes on him as Yura's voice boomed throughout the tent again and he walked back into the shadows. At another corner of the ring, he saw Humpty Dumpty and Diva escape into a small flap on the side of the tent between some benches. The boy stopped and turned, seeing Leo.

Even from his distance, the raven could still see the piercing blue of those eyes and the criss-cross of stitches.

Ending A/N: The first part of the speech Yura makes after he intorduces himself doesn't belong to me. They belong to peachandhoney-san on youtube, who did a wickedly wonderful English dub of the Vocaloid song "Dark Woods Circus." So go, listen! watch?v=sd8tAdh3oDk

So this was for you, self-sacrifice! -hugs- I hope you liked that they finally met :) The interactions and mystery will only go up from here, since I think this is a pretty straightforward chapter x) Happy birthday again, love~

For Shaz-san, after this chapter, I'll start working on your one-shot 8) I think a fluffy one is in order indeed -ruffles your hair- So an Elliot/Leo, then? And thank you for your wonderful reviews~! -hugs-

Ah, long chapter again x'D And I still haven't explained CM's... -fail- But I will, I will. For now, just accept that they're bad xD -stabbed-