Happy Sunday!
Luka was walking her dog. Or, rather, the dog was walking her. She laughed as the pet dragged her all around the park.
"Okay, okay! Calm down," she giggled. The dog obediently slowed to a trot, although it still gazed longingly at the squirrels and other dogs around it.
Luka laughed again, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Her eyes slowly turned distant and distracted, as if she were trying to remember something.
And, somewhere far in the distance, the circus music began to play.
The music only got louder as Miku woke up. She didn't remember when she fell asleep, but now it was just after sunset, and the circus was about to begin.
"I'll be back later to help you wheel her over to the main tent." Miku looked up in time to see Ritsu gesturing to her cage. "At least you'll be able to have a little conversation, since it doesn't look like the ringmaster plans on shutting her up today."
"She doesn't need to." Ruko grinned at their fellow clown. "The little diva knows what will happen to her if she causes a fuss." They pulled a knife out of their pocket, waving it at Miku. "Isn't that right?"
Miku didn't know if she should be relieved or disturbed that being threatened with a knife was losing its impact. Still, Miku wasn't going to antagonize the clown, not when the dirt was still caked with Miki's blood. "Yes," she said.
But deep down, she wondered if that was really the reason. She wondered if, maybe, Meiko didn't come to quiet her because she was afraid it wouldn't work. Maybe she was afraid of Miku breaking through the spell, and didn't want to find out if she was capable or not.
It was wishful thinking, probably. But it made Miku feel better than she had all day.
She didn't bother begging with Ruko or asking to be let out. She didn't even try to appeal to the patrons as they looked through the peephole at her. Perhaps she would have tried, if she saw any sort of pity in their eyes. But all she saw was disgust and confusion. Miku couldn't blame them. She didn't look very human, not like she was now.
Flowers covered her body and face. A few of them even grew through her scalp, pushing her hair out of place. Long strands of teal littered the floor of her cage, and still others hung limply in the elastics holding together her twin tails.
After sitting in silence for maybe an hour, Ruko snorted. "It must be fun, being the center of attention."
Miku, who had been absently rubbing at the petals of a flower on her forehead, clenched her teeth. She didn't turn around to look at the clown, not wanting to give them the satisfaction.
"Oh, yeah. I mean, you get the best of both worlds because you get your own tent and you get a part in the main act. That's pretty special, don't you think?"
Miku clenched her fists, unable to control herself. Before she even knew what she planned on saying, she spun around. "Are you willfully cruel, or just stupid?" She wanted to take the words back immediately.
Ruko glowered at her, all teasing draining from their face. "You don't want to talk like that," they said, "I'd hate for you to have a little accident." They held up their knife, frowning. Beside her, Rin laughed.
"Gosh, you're lucky the customers didn't hear that! Miss Ringmaster wouldn't be too happy with you, I think."
Miku curled her legs up to her chest, pressing her lips against her knees to keep in any more rogue words. Her temper seemed to keep getting the best of her.
She needed to be able to control herself. Didn't she remember what happened when she taunted Meiko about Kaito? That led to Miki's death, a price far too high for the fleeting moment of power she had felt when looking into the ringmaster's rage-filled face.
She turned to Kaito, surprised to actually meet his eyes. He was staring at her dumbly, the sort of look an animal would give a foreign object. He let out a small noise that sounded like a dog whine, and she felt her heart go out to him.
He was always so sweet … He didn't deserve this. It had nothing to do with him.
Like the taunting she had given Meiko, she didn't know where the words came from. She had never dreamed of Kaito, but somehow, she knew who he was before all of this. Come to think of it, the vitriol she had snapped at Ruko had the same sort of feel.
Her own voice – her real voice – echoed tiredly in her mind. So, what? You aren't in control of your body. You aren't in control of your dreams. You aren't even in control of your own name, so what makes you think you'd be in control of your thoughts or your temper?
Before Miku could even think about arguing that, Ritsu came through the tent flap. "It's show time. Let's get her rolling."
Miku was wheeled to the main tent as if nothing had changed. The only difference was the fact that she could scream, if she really wanted to. She didn't. Even if she wasn't killed, who would be the next to suffer for her crimes? Haku? Neru? Mew? She didn't want to risk it.
Meiko was waiting for her when the cover was pulled off her cage. "Has the little flower learned her lesson?"
Miku curled in on herself, not meeting the ringmaster's eye. She was strangely afraid that, if she did, her mouth would get away from her again, hurling forth the anger that she was too afraid to vocalize on her own. "Yes."
Meiko sniffed. "I think 'Yes, ma'am' would be more appropriate."
Miku felt rage boil in her stomach. But she couldn't disobey. "Yes, ma'am." Her voice cracked, and she was glad. It made her sound weak, and right now, that was all she wanted. She didn't want Meiko to think she was a threat.
And, really, was she? The other was stronger than her. Miku thought the only way she had a chance at doing – anything – was by having the other underestimate her.
And what do you plan on doing, Miku? Have you thought of that yet? The thought was fairly frank, and while it felt like her own, it also felt strange and amplified. Miku moved her lips in the quietest whisper she could manage.
"I don't know."
But then the clowns were starting their act, and the crowd was much too loud for her to listen to that quiet, internal voice.
Miku looked around, feeling watched. And, soon enough, she figured out why. It was Lily, standing in the shadows but undoubtedly looking at her. Miku felt like crying all over again.
"I'm sorry." Her voice was lost as the crowd laughed uproariously at something the clowns did, but she hoped her message got through, just the same. Lily turned on her heel to go to her act, and from a distance, it was impossible to read her expression.
By now, she knew her song well enough to sing it without magic help. She did so, not trying to change anything or give any reason for Meiko to punish her. She didn't examine her own motivations for doing so. Was she giving up, or just biding her time?
When the show was over, she was returned to the freak tent with Teto. "Mmm, looks like it's my turn again!" Teto clapped her hands together.
Miku ran her hands along her arms, trying not to shudder at the feeling of petals. "Forgive me if I'm not as excited as you are."
Teto giggled. "Such a bad attitude, oh, yes, yes! Don't forget who is in charge here!" She waved her knife at the other, grinning.
Miku's stomach lurched, but it wasn't from fear. It was that strange, coiled magic in her, urging her on. She spoke, not sure if she was following it or not. "You can't even reach me through the bars," she scoffed.
"That's what you think!" Teto pulled a ring of keys from her pocket. "I can be in there with you before you even know what hit you! You'd die in seconds, just like the contortionist, what was her name …?"
Miku clenched her fists, staring at the keys. "Shut up." By now, she could have used the magic voice to quiet the other, but she didn't, still following that strange intuition.
"Oh, yes! Miki. That was it. You know, she's been here for soooo many years, it's a shame her act had to end! But, you know, it wasn't all that interesting. Not many people came to see her, not at all. I think she just didn't have that … you know, you know! That star quality." Teto tapped at her lips with her knife. "You know, I really think I did her a favor, yes, I do!"
Miku felt anticipation building in her chest. Something was coming.
"I mean, it's not as though anyone cared about her –" Before she could continue, there was a scream, and the tent flap flew aside.
Lily hurtled into the tent, her face full of rage. And although Teto was supernaturally fast, the trapeze artist had surprise and a thick rope on her side. And she had Miku.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Miku screamed, finally unleashing all of the magic that had been building up inside her. She knew she wouldn't have to say exactly what she wanted. The magic would do it for her.
Don't let anyone outside hear what is going on in this tent. Give us time before they find out. Protect Lily. Make her win.
"Yes!" Miku shouted again, tasting blood as the power ripped through her throat. It was worth it, so worth it.
"No!" Teto screamed, but her knife fell from her grasp. She wasn't able to fight as Lily leapt on top of her, wrapping the rope around her neck. It was if she were paralyzed.
"Miss Ringmaster! Miss Ringmaster!" Rin was screeching, staring at the scene.
Miku actually laughed, the sound strident and hysterical. She knew that no one outside of the tent would hear her. She had seen to that. She had the power to shut her up entirely, if she wanted to. She could shove people right out of the tent with nothing but her mind. She had never felt more powerful in her entire life.
"Nobody cared? Nobody cared?" Lily pulled the rope tight, watching the clown's eyes bulge. "I cared, you miserable bitch!"
Rin was screaming, blubbering. Len muttered along in harmony as Kaito howled. No one entered the tent. Miku stared at the scene in triumph.
Eventually, Lily relaxed her grip. Teto's eyes were wide, staring, unseeing. "So they can be killed. That's probably a good thing." She grinned terribly, using the rope to string up the corpse.
"Miss Ringmaster!" Rin screamed, again and again. Lily turned on her.
"Shut up, you little shit, or you'll be next."
Rin quieted abruptly. Lily finished her work quickly, looking up as the clown dangled above her head. Her voice was quiet and almost reflective. "There, now. You put Miki's body on display for me to find. I'm glad I got to return the favor."
Teto had dropped the ring of keys on the ground during the struggle. Lily scooped them up and turned to Miku. Her eyes were a cold blue, like ice. Not like Luka's warm ones, but the shape was similar. Did Miki fall in love with her eyes first?
Lily was saying something. Miku tried to concentrate on that instead of her eyes. The magic had drained from her, and she didn't feel it in the pit of her stomach anymore. She didn't feel anything. The world was becoming fuzzy and indistinct.
"What?" She tried to hold on. She wanted to know what Lily had to say.
"Do you know?" The blonde was practically shouting. "Do you know what happened to Miki, were you there?"
Miku took a deep breath. It felt like it went right through her. "Yes," she whispered. Then she was falling, and the world went away for awhile.
Happy update day! And I was excited to get to introduce Lily a bit more, since she's been on the sidelines so much. She certainly knows how to make an entrance, doesn't she? I can't wait to hear what you guys think.