Stage 13: Carnival Corpse

My fingers gripped the bark of the tree as hard as they could, turning white under the strain as my legs seeked footholds. There was barely any time to try and get a proper grip, so all in all it was a case of taking hold of the nearest piece of bark and hope that it had an irregular enough texture that I was able to hold onto it well enough to allow me to pull myself up further. I was now well over fiften feet above the ground, out of the reach of Crow- like a hyena, he waited at the base of the tree, blades sharp as ever and ready to leap into action if I fell. Perhaps that thought was what prevented me from slipping and kept me clinging to the tree's trunk all the way until I reached the first branch. Then I was slowly edging along it, worrying whether it could take my weight and at the same time if I was able to balance well enough to stay on.
"Like a bird in a tree," Crow chuckled from down below as he paced and stared up at me with his single eye. "A little Weaver Bird."
I ignored his muses and crept as far forward as I could until I reached the spot I guessed was the furthest I could go without my platform giving way. There were no leaves, nothing that blocked the path between me and Crow, and that was perfect.
Now that I was up here and my pants had slowed down, I could feel my heart beating in my ears. It was a steady pulse, yet quick because of anxiousness and apprehension. In no way was it a pleasant sensation- rather, it made me feel light- headed and overall... Weird. Was this what they called an adrenaline rush? The thought that I wasn't in control of my own body was one that scared me, but at the same time I felt determined to do this, maybe even a tad excited.
So I left the thinking behind and leapt off the branch.
I was aiming for Crow's chest with my feet, but ended up heading closer to his stomach. It was a straight jump, made to knock him down, maybe even unconscious. He was right about the whole 'pleasing the crowd' thing- that was all we were here for, wasn't it? That was how Deadman Wonderland made its money, since it didn't receive any income from the Government. What's more, I believed him when he said that the fight contestants were completely random- he was holding back his attacks and trying not to hurt me, whilst at the same time fooling the audience into thinking that he was fighting seriously. And since he had weapons and I didn't, this was my way of 'pleasing the crowd'.
I saw it before I felt it, the blood flying through the air towards my face. My legs hit the ground at an angle so that I slid a few feet over the dirt and stopped before collapsing onto my back.
The pain travelled up my left leg like a snake, biting every inch of it. My uniform had been sliced in two up the length of it, and from my knee to my ankle the skin had been slit open, and now a mixture of sandy dirt and blood filled the indentation and spilt out.
"No... Not again..." I could hear myself mutter, but it was background noise. There was a splitting pound in my ears that I guessed was a mixture between pain and the blood that was dribbling from my body.
I didn't want to go under- I couldn't if I wanted to win this, or even survive. Yet I felt as though I was being pulled towards the black, despite the fact that I was fighting it with everything I had. My hands squeezed instinctively my leg to try and quell the agony, and though it had a minimal effect, I could feel myself gaining a little more consciousness each second. But that smell... It was poisonous.
Perhaps it was because I was so occupied with staying awake that I didn't notice when Crow wrapped his hand around my hair and dragged me upwards.
I shrieked until my voice ran dry. Crow had raised me off the ground, allowing me room to kick and grab at my hair to stop the pain that ripped at the back of my head and all down my neck. For a few moments I was disconnected from reality and thrust into a world of relentless agony and then brought back, only to find one of Crow's blades pressing against my throat.
I couldn't believe it- he'd actually cut me as I was going past him in the air. I probably deserved it though, since I'd been aiming to hurt him. But now he was dangling me from his hand, like a hunter displaying his catch for everyone to see. And it seemed everyone loved it, due to the audience's senseless shouting.
"Looks like you've finally understood what this is all about," Crow jeered close to my ear.
I couldn't reply for fear of screaming again if I opened my mouth, but he seemed to sense this, and chuckled macabrely.
What had happened? I'd thought we were going to play it safe, but this was a new level of pain. The edge against my neck pushed in further, so much so that if it had gone in any more it probably would've torn the skin open. I was still gripping the base of my hair with fists balled so hard that they were aching, and wincing. It was as if the agony held me in a trance, so that I was unable to move.
"Sorry to have to do this to you, kid," came a mutter from my left.
At once the hand in my hair, as well as the blade at my throat, left me, allowing me to drop to the ground. But as I soon as my legs touched the floor, they crumpled and I kneeled down, letting out a long whimper of pain.
I barely had time to recover as a pair of giant red scythes snaked round my body from behind and slid across my stomach.

Just thought that I'd add a few comments halfway through this section, now that the first Carnival Corpse scene's over. ^^
Wow, so much action! I suck at writing it, I know. I kept on going into colloquials as I recounted the fight scene, something that really doesn't suit Jana's character. But I guess the adrenaline rush has altered the way he thinks, so the language is more excitable and rushed.
...Or perhaps it's just late and I can't be bothered to write in my usual over- descriptive prose. -_-
Oh, and since this story is set in Japan, and the characters speak in Japanese (duh), I wonder what the honorifics after their names would be. It would probably be Crow- San. Crow- Senpai would be a little creepy. o_O And Crow would call Jana... Jana- Kun? Jana- Chan? :L But on that note, there is absolutely NO yaoi in this between the two of them, or any of the characters! Boo yaoi! Kill it with fire! (I wonder how many people are now damning me to hell right now... ._.)
Well, at least you now know why I gave the story the title it has. The little Weaver Bird of Deadman Wonderland, which is actually quite a fitting name, since the species has yellow feathers (although Jana's hair is a slightly softer blonde, like Hananusa Aido's from Vampire Knight). It also has something to do with his Branches of Sin fighting style. But what are his dreams? Does he have any, or is Deadman Wonderland turning him into an emotionless shell? I'll leave you to think about that one. ;)
Take care, everyone!
Lei x
P.S. I'm in a mega Gackt fangirly mood this evening, and I've been listening to the 54 songs of his I have on my iPod for the last four and a half hours non- stop. Just thought I'd let everyone know that. :D 'Oasis' is an absolute masterpiece!