A/N: Thank you Dancer520 for following and reviewing! Haku and Neru will probably come in, but they will most likely be minor characters. Thank you OkamiNoSafaia for reviewing! Thank you marnie1990 for favoriting! Thank you Katize Luka for following, favoriting, and reviewing! :D
As Meiko stared into the forest with her mind elsewhere, she noticed two figures dancing slowly in the thick wall of trees. The dancing wasn't odd, but she could clearly see them through the trees. She began staring with, her mind whirling, until Len tapped her on the shoulder.
"Hey, are you going to stare at the forest all day?" He asked. Rin giggled.
"Yeah, come on!" She said in her bubbly tone. Meiko blinked a few times and looked slightly confused. She cleared her head and followed them into the center of the carnival. Rin and Len walked into the crowds of people swarming out of the largest tent with Kaito trailing behind on his leash. Loud conversations from the swarms of people and loud carnival music drowned Meiko's thoughts as Rin and Len lead her to a place with less people. In the shade cast off a tent, a group of five gathered. Kaito walked to Miku, tugging the leash tight and almost pulling Rin and Len ahead. Rin handed the end of the leash to Miku and Kaito walked to her side. His expression was worry mixed with protectiveness. It was clear to Meiko they were close.
Nobody spoke for a few moments, they just listened to the humming buzz of life coming from the crowds. Meiko was biting her tongue to keep from spilling her plan, but the sadness on the faces of the people she was staying with urged her to tell them.
"I have a plan," She blurted and bit down hard on her lip as if it would cover up her mistake. The group turned towards her with fresh curiosity budding among them.
"W-well, I was thinking of a way to get us out, it's still in planning, but I think we can escape," She said. Hope seemed to bloom out of the curiosity and the shade seemed brighter.
"What's this about escaping?" A voice recognisable from miles away chimed. Meiko turned and there was the person she dreaded hearing them the most, the ringmaster. He tsked and walked closer to the group.
"Oh dear, I thought we had covered this earlier with the Diva and the Beast's punishments," He said with a horribly fake look of sadness. He pulled Meiko out of the group by her collar.
"Come on, let's not trouble the others with your punishment," He said as he dragged her away. Meiko watched the group's hope turn to defeated horror as she was pulled into an operation room-like room. Metal tools stained crimson adorned the walls like gruesome trophies. Meiko looked at them and bit her lip, a sick nausea rising in her chest.
"Come now, don't be scared," said the ringmaster as he pulled a familiar vial out of a drawer. "This doesn't hurt as much after you get used to it." He splashed the liquid onto Meiko's cheek and she screamed as a burning pain seared at her flesh. She fell to the floor and tears rolled off her cheeks. She curled into a ball and her breathing became ragged with sobs. The ringmaster tsked again and dragged her off the floor and back to the group.
"If there's any more discussion of escaping, the punishment will be worse," He threatened and walked away. Meiko heard light footsteps approaching her and out of the corner of her eye saw dark blue. She felt someone sitting next to her and realized Kaito had walked from where Miku was to Meiko. There was a sound of something dragging behind him and Meiko realized it was the end of the leash.
"Are you okay?" Rin asked in a panicked tone unlike her usual happy one.
"I'm fine," Meiko said. "This just makes me want to get out more."
"So, what do we do in your plan?" Len asked.
"I don't know yet, but I think I have an idea."