A/N (and Disclaimer): Sorry for the lack of a disclaimer in my first posting. I know perfectly well that Inuyasha and company are characters created by the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi :D! So without further adu I present the next chapter of The Greatest Show on Earth. Sorry about the spacing I still need to figure out how (I'm not an HTML prodigy so it may take a while). Also, feel free to comment.but be kind because I am frequent fanfic reader but first time writer.

Chapter 2: Kikyo, back again?!

Today was Monday, a day that the performers had time to practice their acts and not worry about performances. Inuyasha was with the elephants spraying them with the hose and cleaning their massive grey hides. While performing his duties on a day when there were no performances, Inuyasha wore a red cloak with a hood, an outfit that concealed his looks considerably from the naked eye. While scrubbing Tanto with the brush, he remembered that Sesshoumaru told him that a new Trapeze troupe would audient for the Sengoku Jidai Circus today. In the midst of that thought he felt a wet sponge hit the back of his hooded head. He turned and growled when he saw Kouga, the wolf trainer, sneering at him. Of all the Circus staff, Kouga was the only person who teased Inuyasha.
"What do you want Kouga?" said Inuyasha trying to keep back his anger.
"I just wanted to remind you, puppy that my wolves need to be bathed today as well. Don't forget, or I'll tell your brother that you're not doing your job and you'll get pink slipped." remarked Kouga.
"Fine! I'll bath your stinkin' wolves!" said Inuyasha angrily. Under his breath though, he added that Kouga reeked of his wolves and that it would do him well to also take a bath in tomato paste because water would not be enough.
Kouga turned and asked, "Did you say something else, dog turd?"
"No sir." Inuyasha said.
With that, Kouga turned and went to meet the other animal trainers and have lunch with them.
Inuyasha finished bathing Tanto and remembered that he was also supposed to have lunch with Sesshoumaru in his tent. So he turned off the hose and gave a hand full of peanuts to Tanto before he left for Sesshoumaru's tent.
Inuyasha went into Sesshoumaru's Tent, took off his red cloak, and hung it up on the coat rack. He sat down across from Sesshoumaru and poured himself a cup of green tea. He slowly sipped it as Sesshoumaru began to talk about the trapeze troupe that he was supposed to interview and audient today.
"Inuyasha, it is said that the Higurashi trapeze troupe is one of the best troupes in all of Japan. They are known for their original routines and for being one of the only troupes that can successfully accomplish the triple flip and twist. This group is composed of the Higurashi family including: Mrs. Higurashi, Sota Higurashi, and Kagome Higurashi. They are joined by the acrobats Hojo Kunatu and Sango Taijiya. Sounds pretty impressive, ne?" declared Sesshoumaru.
"You bet it does, Sesshoumaru." agreed Inuyasha. "But, would it be possible for me to come and watch the audient?" he asked.
"Come now.Don't you have some chores that need to be finished?" asked Sesshoumaru.
"All I have to do is bath the wolves and I am free for the rest of the day." responded Inuyasha.
"Very well, you can come and observe but stay hidden in the shadows. We wouldn't want any of the troupe members to be scared away." warned Sesshoumaru.
"I know. I just want to see if this group of performers is really what you say they are." said Inuyasha.
"Well, they arrive at 3:00 pm. So, I suggest you finish your chores. Now go and let me finish eating."
Inuyasha nodded and smiled to himself on his way out. He always loved to see a good trapeze act. But one thing that he would definitely like to see more is Kouga being drowned in a vat of tomato juice by Inuyasha himself. He would let that thought entertain him while washing Kouga's pack of performing wolves. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
With his hands reeking of wet wolf fur, Inuyasha made his way to the main circus tent to watch the audient for the Higurashi trapeze troupe. He found a dark corner in the upper balcony that enabled him to both remain unnoticed and have a great view of the performance. The majority of the performers were already assembled in the lower seats around Sesshoumaru. The clock struck three and on cue the five members of the troupe entered the tent in dazzling silver sequence costumes and makeup. The stood in front of the audience and introduced themselves. The eldest woman and the first to introduce herself was Mrs. Higurashi, the foundress of the group. She had short and wavy black hair and dark purple eyes. She appeared to be in her mid thirties and in pretty good physical shape for a person her age. The next introduction was Hojo, the eldest male in the group. He looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old and had short brown hair and eyes. Then the younger male, Sota introduced himself. He was ten years old. He truly resembled Mrs. Higurashi but was younger and male. The fourth introduction was Sango. She was a beautiful young woman of seventeen with a slim but built body. She had long flowing black hair that was neatly tied in a high ponytail with a pink barrette. Inuyasha noticed that the juggler, Miroku, seemed to have taken an interest in Sango not taking his eyes off of her for a second while she was narrating her work experience to the crowd. The last member took Inuyasha by surprise. As she stepped into the spotlight, his heart jumped five beats. The girl that now stood in the spotlight and was telling of her work experience looked like a younger version of Kikyo! She had long black hair, a slim body, and warm brown eyes. Inuyasha could not believe it. He thought that he would not be plagued by her memory or his mistakes any more. But there stood a girl that looked like a younger photo copy of his supposed lover Kikyo. Inuyasha, still hysterical could not move from the shadows as the troupe climbed up the rope to the trapeze to perform for everybody. Hojo swung himself over to the swing away from the platform and stayed there. A slowly orchestrated piece began as Kagome leapt from the platform and gracefully moved from one swing only to be caught by Hojo. Then Hojo threw her so the she caught the swing closest to the platform with her knees, her upside down body dangling several hundred feet above the ground. The other members moved according to the routine until it was time to perform the triple flip and twist. Hojo remained on the swing farthest from the platform while Kagome readied herself for the stunt on the platform. She turned to her comrades and they all nodded their heads to show that they believed in her abilities. She nodded back at them and applied a fair amount of powder on her taped hands. While doing so she noticed a mysterious cloaked figure sitting and watching her from the balcony. She ignored the mysterious figure and focused her attention on the dangerous stunt that she was about to perform. She grabbed hold of the trapeze and worked her way into a high swing. She let go at the highest point nearest to Hojo and completed three complete flips and managed to get into the final position, Hojo holding one of Kagome's hands and one of her knees. The audience, including Sesshoumaru, erupted in the sound of applause. The troupe got down from the trapeze and waited for the verdict from Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru stood with a grim expression on his face. He looked away for a moment then looked at the troupe and said, "I regret to inform you that you will be spending the rest of your circus career with. these performers behind me. Welcome to the Sengoku Jidai Circus and thank you for that splendid, excellent, and absolutely riveting performance!"
As soon as the troupe heard this, they all hugged one another. The women were crying with joy as the men all had big smiles of accomplishment on their faces. Sesshoumaru pulled Higurashi Kagome aside and whispered something in her ear that made a huge smile appear on her face. Inuyasha was still in shock. Not only did Kagome look like Kikyo, but she was also as talented as Kikyo was. "Shit," he thought to himself as he got up and tried to walk away as nonchalantly as he could out of the main tent.
Sesshoumaru saw Inuyasha's reaction but could not lose such a big act. Kagome was a brilliant performer. He needed her as a ringmaster and manager. Yet, he had also found her extremely attractive and wanted her apart of the circus for personal reasons. So he also needed her not only as a ringmaster but also as a man. He figured that Inuyasha would eventually get over it. He thought that he spent the majority of his life defending him and that it was time that he focused on himself for a bit.