A/N:I am soooo sorry I've been away for so long! Long story short, I moved 1700 miles, had to study and pass some boards, and all that fun stuff that comes with it so I had a few weeks where I couldn't do any writing. But that's all behind me and I can start working on my favorite past-time again! I hope you enjoy this update! I'm posting it at 2am so hopefully there aren't a lot of errors. I do read through things many times, but I also wanted to get this out there since it's been so long...
Quick thank you to all of you who have favorited and reviewed this story so far! It's so encouraging! And I'm sorry for making you wait!
As Lucy slipped away from him, Natsu's hand fell limply into his lap. His face was slack in surprise, his eyes wide as he watched her descend the stairs, carefully making her way to the arena. Even if he didn't want to admit it, part of him knew she was right. If anyone was to be a volunteer, it should be one of them, and he simply couldn't volunteer because he had the wrong equipment. Go figure. Guy must be a damn pervert!
Happy, noticing Natsu's hands had curled into tightly clenched fists, and that he was watching Lucy like a dog watches its prized bone, hopped into Lucy's now vacant seat to pat his best friend on the arm. "She'll be fine, Natsu."
Startled by the sudden contact, Natsu jerked at Happy's touch and looked down at him, his brow still creased with worry. "Right."
Lucy was calling upon any and all acting ability she had as she made her way to the arena, coyly brushing her hair behind her ear and smiling shyly as Estobar waited for her with an outstretched hand. Although Natsu could still hear her pounding heart, and therefore knew how she truly felt, to everyone else she appeared to be suffering from the usual level of expected nervousness and excitement. When she reached Estobar, he carefully helped her climb over the red and white striped barrier, allowing her to take her time to make sure her dress didn't misbehave. The moment her feet touched the sandy floor, her heart leapt into her throat as circus performers began filing in from the back entrance. Natsu, picking up on her distress, leaned forward in his chair, balancing on his toes and ready to spring into action.
"Hello my lovely lady!" Estobar charmed with a wide smile. "Can you tell us all your name?"
The blush that crossed Lucy's cheeks was genuine. Although they hadn't discussed it, she decided it was better not to use her real name. "Ashley," she answered quietly, but he had placed the microphone near her mouth so it echoed in the suspenseful silence of the tent.
Estobar's smile widened. "Beautiful name for a beautiful lady!" Lucy's blush darkened.
Damn pervert, Natsu inwardly hissed.
Estobar placed a hand on Lucy's lower back, making her tense, as he gently turned her so they could address the entirety of the audience. "My lovely guests, while this next act is set up and I prepare our wonderful volunteer, Miss Ashley, I give you our Dance of Mirrors!"
The performers, still dressed all in white, had taken up positions all around the arena. They stood posed, with mirrors in hand, their eyes closed, and their backs to the audience. Not one moved a muscle until the music suddenly kicked on, and once the first beat hit, they all moved in sync, snapping their heads up and throwing their arms straight above their heads. The lights of the circus reflected back off the mirrors into the audience, causing more than one to squeal in excitement, even with such a simple move. After a brief pause, the music continued and so did the dancers' movements. They danced and paraded, twisting and jumping, around Lucy and Estobar; twirling and spinning their mirrors of various sizes and shapes expertly. Some were even larger than the person wielding it.
The dance went on for a few moments until Estobar whispered in Lucy's ear, "My dear, the only thing you need to do is take your shoes off."
Lucy sucked in a quiet breath and looked sharply at the Ring Master. "Seriously?"
He smiled, his teeth perfectly straight, even, and white. "Yes. No harm will come to you. You have my word."
Finding his word choice odd, given the circumstances, Lucy peered into the man's eyes that were as red as blood. "What will I be doing?" she asked, trying to sound nervous for a good reason and not the real reason. Even so, she bent to unsnap her small heels so she could kick them off. Virgo had been practical and went for something with only a small and wide heel, but that strapped on so she could be mobile if need be.
Estobar smiled wider, his hand finding the small of her back once more as she stood up straight again. Natsu noticed the movements from the stands and scarcely suppressed a snarl until Happy silenced him. "I don't want to ruin the surprise."
Damn it, Lucy cursed. When Estobar would tell her no more, her eyes searched for Natsu. It was hard to find him in the darkness of the stands, his normally vibrant hair covered (by her insistence, of course) by the black bandana, but when she found him, she felt warmth emanate through her being. Although she couldn't make out his eyes, she could feel his gaze on her, feel the concern and strength radiating from him even from their current distance. It wasn't until a mirror flashed before her that her attention was pulled from him and back to what was happening around her – where it belonged.
The mirror dancers were no longer alone in the arena – four others without mirrors had joined them, dancing and gyrating right along with them. Those without mirrors were dressed in more brightly colored outfits – the two women in tightly fitting pink and purple garments that could just pass as swimsuits, but with more ornamentation in the way of feathers and sequins and the pink one even had a feather boa. Their long and lean legs were bare and exposed, and Lucy distractedly noticed that they also were not wearing any shoes. The two men also wore tight clothes, but their white pants were long. They wore tight sleeveless tops – one sky blue and one turquoise – that revealed long and lean muscles that would make any woman gawk. They were not wearing any shoes either. What's going on?
The Dance of Mirrors was winding down, as the dancers spun and tossed their mirrors to each other. Some of them went over Lucy and Estobar, causing Lucy to shriek and duck as though she expected to be hit, but Estobar simply smiled and chuckled at her side. Once the exchanges were completed, lights still dancing throughout the tent from the reflection off the mirrors (and with the aid of multicolored lights from overhead), the dancers spun and placed their mirrors down, situating them in various places throughout the arena before dancing and flipping their way to the rear entrance. The four in their brightly colored outfits also disappeared, but they moved to the four poles supporting the tent (other than the main one in the middle) and began to climb. Lucy couldn't take her eyes off them until Estobar spoke again.
"I do hope no one got any light in their eyes!" Estobar teased, grinning into the microphone as he spun around the arena once more. When he received a few cheers and groans, Estobar stopped spinning, his smile falling as he got serious. "Now who wants to see some magic?" Cheers erupted around them, as well as wild clapping and more than a few high-pitched screams from the little ones. Estobar turned over his shoulder and winked at Lucy, making her shiver. "What would you do if I told you I could make Miss Ashley disappear?"
Natsu's blood ran cold and he jumped to his feet. No!
Although it didn't seem possible, the crowd grew even wilder. Lucy knew nothing bad was supposed to happen, they had been told as much numerous times, but she still couldn't shake the sudden bolt of fear that went through her. Why am I so scared? I use magic too, after all! She berated herself, biting her tongue in irritation in an effort to calm herself down.
After several moments of wild hollering, Estobar turned back to Lucy. "Well? What do you say, Miss Ashley? Would you like to disappear?"
Lucy's eyes were wide as she looked at Estobar, forcing herself to smile, even as her heart pounded. "Just as long as you bring me back!"
Her answer was just want the Ring Master wanted, as he laughed and clapped her on the back, causing the crowd to erupt once more. "Is there someone who would be quite unhappy if you didn't come back?" he teased, leading her to the largest mirror in the arena.
"Yes!" Natsu shouted angrily from the stands.
Lucy's cheeks flamed, her eyes darting to where she knew Natsu to be. He was easier to spot since he was still standing; his change in position drawing a surprised face from Lucy. Damn it, Natsu! To his credit, his outburst brought laughter to the tent, including Estobar, who clapped his hands as he laughed heartily, throwing his head back.
"Well, then I promise your boyfriend I'll bring you back!" he vowed.
"He's not," Lucy started, but Estobar had gently pushed her in the back, making her take a step forward. She went right into the mirror. And disappeared.
The moment Lucy disappeared, Natsu's heart twisted so fiercely in his chest he couldn't breathe. He took a step forward, a strangled sound coming from his throat, before he caught her scent. She was still there! His eyes turned to the right, just as she stepped out of a mirror on the other side of the arena, her eyes wide in confusion, but a true happy smile on her face nonetheless.
Relief flooded through him with such force, Natsu sat (more like collapsed) with a huff. Happy snickered at his side, but the sound was drowned out by the wild cries of the crowd as Lucy turned and disappeared through the same mirror only to reappear through a different one. This time she emerged from a mirror that had been placed in the middle of the stands, a small flash of light as she exited the only indication she was there until someone squealed, "Oh my! She's right here!"
Teleportation magic, Natsu pondered, his eyes following Lucy's progress as his mind worked. While it wasn't rare, it wasn't all that common either. And it took a lot of experience to be able to transport someone without being right there with them. That thought made Natsu pull his eyes from Lucy to scan the stands. Who was pulling the strings, then? His eyes narrowed as he looked at Estobar, whose eyes never left Lucy. Was it him? The longer he watched, he became aware that even Estobar didn't know exactly where Lucy was going to appear – his eyes never found her before she showed up. It couldn't be him…
While Natsu searched, he became aware that Lucy's scent was gone. She had stepped into a mirror, but hadn't come back. Suddenly on high alert, every nerve in his body on edge, he felt his stomach clench painfully as his heart leapt into his throat. But just as quickly as he lost her scent, he picked up on the familiar sound of her heartbeat and relaxed. But why could he hear her and not smell her?
The audience was making noises again, murmuring and gasping at Lucy's continued absence. Even Happy was anxious at Natsu's side, but he took Natsu's relative calm as a good sign, fretting silently as he rubbed his paws together. Just as he was about to say something, he noticed Natsu's sharp glance at the arena – her scent was back.
Natsu could smell her again, but still couldn't see her. Then a collective gasp and even a few cries of surprise brought Natsu's eyes up and even he gasped. Lucy was atop the trapeze, sitting on it like it was a swing, even kicking her feet. How the hell did she get up there?! There are no mirrors up there! Although he didn't want to, he pulled his gaze from her, rapidly scanning until his eyes fell on the slicked back white hair he immediately recognized from before. "Linkin," he breathed. He was so focused on the white-haired wizard that he completely missed the pink-haired woman in a tight black dress. She wore long white gloves that covered three-quarters of her arms, like Lucy's, and had her hair in a large bun high on the back of her head. Her posture and positioning mirrored that of Linkin, both arms extended above her head toward Lucy.
Happy looked up at Natsu in confusion. "What?"
Just as Natsu went to explain, Lucy disappeared from the trapeze. She didn't fall, she didn't jump, and she didn't use a mirror. She simply disappeared. And this time Natsu did jump to his feet because there was no sound of her heartbeat and no indication of her scent. She was simply there one moment and gone the next.
He wasn't alone on his feet for long. Scarcely a fraction of a second after she disappeared from the trapeze, Lucy reappeared in Linkin's arms with a soft squeal. Her hair and her dress fluttered as though she had fallen into his grip, bringing everyone in attendance to their feet with a wild roar of approval accompanied by vigorous clapping that threatened to bring the roof down. The white-haired wizard smiled at Lucy, obviously giving her a gentle squeeze, which made Natsu's fists grow warm for some strange reason he didn't understand, before he gently set her back on her feet. The pink-haired woman and Estobar were at her side a moment later.
"Who's that?" Natsu asked, his eyes falling on the pinkette for the first time. The still wild crowd immediately drowned his voice out. Where the hell did she come from?! What was even more concerning was that while Linkin exuded magical power and control, that power increased the moment the woman drew near him.
"There you have it! Miss Ashley is back, as promised!" He winked, his innuendo unmistakable to the adults in the audience. "Thank you for volunteering! And for not puking at being up so high," he added softly, bringing a soft chuckle from the crowd as they slowly took their seats. "Now please, let me direct your attention above!" He pointed up as Lucy quietly snuck away to grab her shoes. "I am proud to introduce, The Flying Four! They perform aerial feats like none you have ever seen before, without the use of a net!"
Lucy wasn't listening, nor was she looking. While moving to get her shoes, she had caught a glimpse of what she was most afraid of – what she had known she would have to face but yet prayed she would somehow not have to. She had just seen a shock of red curls and white paint in the barrel to her right. The image caused her hands to immediately start to shake, which made buckling her shoes incredibly difficult. The oohs and aahs of the audience did little to distract her as she fumbled and fought with the strap on her shoes for several moments, her breath coming shorter and faster with each passing second. In her mind, she saw the clown climbing out of the barrel. Like a scene in some horror movie, it may not even stand up all the way, just continue to crawl toward her on all fours, its limbs and head moving disjointedly and awkwardly as it approached. When it looked up, the mask would be twisted and grotesque – the eyes empty and devoid of feeling as it lunged for her.
Scarcely suppressing a yelp, Lucy gave up on her shoes and grabbed them up in her hand, threw a frightened look over her shoulder (and saw nothing coming for her), and darted up the stairs.
Natsu sensed the change in Lucy from the arena, and once he caught sight of her eyes, he knew what had happened. Happy, his eyes wide and sympathetic, hopped from her seat as Lucy bolted to it, dropping into it unceremoniously and pulling her knees up to her chest. Natsu immediately put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tightly against his side, resting his cheek against the top of her head. She trembled in his grasp and it made him angry, made him grind his teeth, and made his temperature rise. He didn't have a problem with clowns, although he didn't particularly like them either, but a clown that upset Lucy like this deserved a Fire Dragon Iron Fist to the face.
Happy looked at his two best friends and swallowed. The tension was coming off of them in waves and he hated it because there seemed to be nothing he could do about it. The show was going on around them and they no longer noticed. Were they even learning anything by being here? He thought Natsu had been on to something. Regardless, was any of it really worth this?!
"You know, it's a good thing you volunteered because I probably would have puked all over everyone if they put me on that trapeze," Natsu murmured, nuzzling Lucy's hair gently as he tried to soothe her with something – anything – even a stupid distraction at his own expense.
Lucy shifted, leaning into him more, and chuckled. "I don't think a trapeze qualifies as transportation, Natsu."
He shrugged, his eyes merely flicking up to where The Flying Four were still flinging themselves from the trapeze bar and expertly spinning and flipping through the air before catching or being caught by one of the other members. The audience was eating it up. He couldn't care less. "Looks like transportation to me. From one side of the tent to the other."
Lucy glanced upward, catching the end of a fully extended flip by one of the girls before she was caught by one of the guys, hanging from the other trapeze by his knees. A smile toyed with the corner of her lips as she nudged Natsu in the side. "Weirdo."
He pulled back, but just far enough so he could peer down at her. "Hey! That's my line!"
The small smile turned into a big one, which was what he wanted, and she rolled her eyes. "What would you prefer I call you? Fire Breath?"
Snorting, Natsu curled his lip in distaste. "Please don't. I don't need another Gray."
"There goes the majority of my choices then."
He didn't know what to say to that, so for once, he didn't say anything. She gradually relaxed, her hold on her legs not so tight, but kept leaning into his side and he kept his arm around her. Happy continued to scan around them, his eyes catching the movements of the "circus guards" as they appeared to occasionally move about the tent and the onlookers. Although he wanted (and currently had so much ammunition to do so) to tease the two wizards beside him so much, he chose to be responsible for a change, especially when the clown popped out of the barrel and Lucy cringed back.
With Natsu holding her, and the current distance between them, Lucy didn't have the undeniable urge to flee, but she still couldn't look at the clown. As soon as she was aware of its presence in the arena, she closed her eyes and turned into Natsu's chest, her breath immediately coming faster as her mind replayed its earlier imagery as opposed to what the clown was actually doing. Natsu's arm around her tightened, but his eyes remained fixed on the clown, especially when the clown asked for the children to come down.
There was nothing overtly suspicious about the clown or his act. He had balloon animals, some minor magic (which was actually more slight of hand), and a few other random acts like riding a unicycle and juggling that appealed to the much younger crowd. Once they had returned to their parents, more clowns came out, popping out of barrels that rolled into the arena seemingly from nowhere; making Lucy groan and shudder in distaste, as they upped their game. They performed more daring and complex tricks, and then the pinkette returned, sauntering to the middle of the arena in such a way that flaunted the slit up the left side of her dress, that ran clear up to her hip.
"There she is again," Happy murmured, causing Lucy to finally pull her head away from Natsu's chest.
Estobar appeared a moment later. Where the hell does he come from?! "It is my esteemed pleasure to introduce the lovely Lady Sinara!" He bowed before her as though she were royalty. "You may have noticed her presence earlier, but now, I present, The Great Escape!"
At her introduction, Lady Sinara smiled, which had many of the men in the audience swooning. The lights immediately dimmed, so that only four remained on her and the three clowns in her presence. Music kicked on, slow and steady at first, and it was as though a starting pistol had been fired. The clowns scattered and she dropped into a crouch, her hands flying up to her sides as a crude leer crossed her lips.
The act was correctly named, for as the clowns attempted to flee, often tumbling over their oversized feet or each other, she waved her hands and her arms in a strange motion, almost as though she were trying to dance. After a few moments of "toying" with her victims, her eyes, as brilliantly blue as Juvia's hair, locked onto her target – the clown with the sad mask. She flicked her wrists, almost as though she were actually throwing something, and the clown's feet were fixed to the ground. He looked down, dramatically waving his arms as he tried unsuccessfully to lift them. The others even came over, attempting to lift him up to no avail. Lady Sinara took a few steps closer and they scattered once more, leaving their sad companion alone as she flicked her wrists again with a chuckle. This time the clown was snapped to attention, but still rooted in place. Satisfied, she turned her eyes to her next target.
"I don't like her," Happy mumbled as he shivered.
Lucy and Natsu looked at their blue friend. He was all but biting his nails, his eyes glued to the spectacle before them. The Great Escape was nothing but a show of magic power, something the woman clearly had in spades. "Confinement magic?" Lucy whispered.
Natsu didn't answer her, simply nodded. The woman had already caught the second clown. What's the point of this act, anyway?
The final clown was the clown that had popped out of the barrel near Lucy, the one that started her spiral of fear. She was much more calm as Lady Sinara stalked her prey, even as the clown used his comrades as a shield to duck and dodge her attacks. The crowd gasped and cheered as he fought to evade her, until finally, Linkin rushed to the stage leading an elephant and a crocodile.
"Be gone!" Linkin shouted, pointing at Lady Sinara. "Free these clowns!"
Linkin's arrival provided just the distraction Lady Sinara needed, as the final clown stepped out of hiding with an even wider smile on his already painted face. She spun on her heel, flicking her wrists and snapping her fingers so quickly even Natsu hardly saw it, leaving the clown so immobilized he fell flat on his back. "I'll leave that to you, Dear!" Lady Sinara called, her voice like a musical bell as she quickly ran from the arena.
Linkin pointedly looked at the audience. "Women," he grumbled, earning many chuckles from the men in the audience, who were then smacked by their accompanying women. "Here you go, my friends." The white-haired wizard took turns visiting the trapped and fallen clowns, touching their chests. A white magic circle appeared beneath his hand, matching his hair and tossing the curls of the clowns. A strange sound filled the air, similar to a whomp as the clown he was freeing was first pulled to him and then pushed away – a free clown.
Once all the clowns were released, Linkin indicated the elephant, "Now please, make your escape!" They giggled amongst themselves, cart-wheeling and jumping, before quickly moving to do as bidden. Lucy groaned and buried her face back in Natsu's chest. Make it stop!
"Hey, Natsu," Happy whispered while the clowns stacked themselves on top of each other so they could climb onto the elephant. It took them several times because they kept falling and then fighting because they would fall on top of each other.
"Yeah?"
Happy was careful to keep his eyes facing forward. "The guards are moving around. I think they have been since the show first started. I don't know what they're doing."
Natsu's eyes narrowed. "I noticed that too."
"What do you think they could be doing?" Lucy asked, her voice slightly muffled from her face being buried in Natsu's chest.
The clowns finally succeeded in getting atop the elephant – the first one up helping the second one, who was standing on the bottom one's shoulders. The last one up was boosted by the elephant's leg. Once they were all together, the elephant took off in a mad dash around the arena, trumpeting happily as it waved its trunk to the crowd and even splashed some of the younger kids with water from strategically placed buckets.
One by one the clowns jumped down until Linkin whistled and the elephant stopped running. Estobar was back at the microphone, explaining what was about to happen as the clowns began to lie down on the ground. "This is something this group has been working on for quite some time now, but they've never done in a show before!" The crowd immediately cheered. Linkin was leading the elephant to one side, perpendicular to where the first clown was lying. "Stella is going to walk over our clowns!"
Lucy's head snapped up at that, her eyes narrowed. "No way."
"Want to see them squished?" Natsu teased. Happy giggled.
"Can it," Lucy snapped.
Stella was equipped with a bridle – it was the only way the clowns could ride her around. Linkin held on to the one side and gently led her forward. She hesitated at the first clown, lifting her leg and lowering it over his stomach before stopping and gently marking a circle in the air with her foot before moving it further forward, between the two clowns, and stepping down. A collective sigh resounded – the audience had been holding their breath. This movement was repeated with all three clowns and all four of Stella's feet with no injury; just a slap on the last clown's head by Stella's tail when he sat up too early. The crowd went wild, especially when Stella proudly bowed and flapped her ears, gently bopping each of the now standing clowns on the head with her trunk.
"Now, for this next trick, our three draw straws," Estobar explained, holding up three straws. The three clowns came forward and drew straws. The one with the short one hung his head, wringing his hands before his eyes as though he were crying. Ironically, it was the clown with the happiest face of them all. Lucy no longer had to bury her head, but her face was pulled into a look of disgust and distrust – she looked ready to bolt at any moment, or violently throw something.
The clown with the happiest face kept up the sad act as Stella was led away and Linkin stepped forward with the crocodile. Again, the audience waited with baited breath as Estobar introduced the act. "Harsey," he indicated the clown, "will now demonstrate Linkin's control over our oldest croc, Croc!" Several kids giggled at the name. When Harsey appeared reluctant, Estobar frowned. "Come on, Harsey. It's been two weeks since anything happened." He winked at the audience to show he was kidding, and again the kids laughed. Parents didn't find his joke as funny.
Harsey, his ecstatic red smile misleading, shook his head in dismay – red curls bouncing. He swung his arms in worriment, shuffling his feet that were covered in much too large bright blue clogs. "Harsey," Estobar commanded. "Get down."
Clearly trying to plead with the audience, Harsey eyed them, making Lucy recoil. "Get down!" several audience members cried out, and Harsey glumly complied.
Once the clown was situated, Linkin stepped forward, leading Croc on a chain just as thick as he used on his previous predators. Harsey shuddered and covered his face with his gloved hands, kicking his feet in protest. Linkin didn't stop, didn't show any reaction to Harsey's plight, until Croc was head-to-head with the clown; red curls brushing the exposed and yellowed teeth of the reptile. "What do you think? You think Croc will listen?" Linkin surprised everyone by asking.
His voice, like velvet, soothed Lucy enough that she withdrew from Natsu's arms, making him look at her with brows drawn in confusion. She leaned forward on her elbows, resting her chin in her hands as Happy took a similar position at her side, his tail swaying happily from side-to-side. "Luce," Natsu whispered, not at all sure what just happened.
"Croc," Linkin commanded. "Say 'Ah!'" Croc immediately opened his mouth and the kids in the audience giggled at the command. "Harsey," Linkin added once the croc was in position.
Harsey scooted back, holding his head up, and placed his head in the crocodile's mouth. Normally when this was done, the person would have their hands on the crocodile's mouth, perhaps to sense if something were to happen since there's no way to stop it from closing if they so desire, but Harsey's hands were folded on his chest. Also, their head is normally turned to the side, making for an easier escape if need be and less catastrophic damage if there is an accident; but Harsey lay flat on his back, looking up at the roof of Croc's mouth. His head was so far in Croc's mouth that if it were to close, the clown was very possibly going to be decapitated. "Talk about ballsy," Natsu whispered. Or stupid.
The crowd was waiting silently, clearly afraid to cheer and startle the animal, but tense enough out of excitement. Linkin looked up at them and smiled with a nod, eying every angle of the crowd in turn. Something in his gaze made Natsu feel uneasy. Very uneasy.
"How does it look in there?" Linkin asked.
Harsey shrugged. "I think Croc might be getting a cavity right here," he indicated with a point, actually touching the tooth.
"You sure? Croc," Linkin began, "closer." To the horror and amazement of all, Croc closed his jaws halfway and stopped. "Take a closer look."
Harsey did as asked and a chuckle could be heard as he reached into Croc's mouth. "Oh! Never mind! It was just a leftover!" He sat up and out of the reptile's mouth, holding up something triumphantly.
This time the audience couldn't contain their laughter and Harsey smiled, as did Linkin. They made their way from the arena as Estobar returned, grinning widely. "Well, folks! We're just about done for the night, but like they always say, 'We're not done until the Fat Lady sings!'" Hoots and hollers erupted, quickly followed by gasps of excitement as gymnasts flipped and tumbled their way out, some blowing fire, which immediately had Natsu interested. Until he realized they were using lighter fluid.
"Cheaters," he grumbled.
Lucy blinked and sat back up. "What?" she asked, her brow furrowed.
Already losing interest in the fake fire spitters, Natsu returned his attention to Lucy. "Hey, something happen when Linkin was out there?"
Lucy's eyes were distant. "I don't know," she shrugged. "Why?"
"It's just," he stopped, pressing his lips together into a thin line. Did he really have any right to complain about it? Why should it matter that she felt good enough to pull away from him? He should be happy about that, right? It shouldn't bother him! Sighing quietly, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Never mind."
Ordinarily, Lucy would press the issue, but movement from the arena pulled her attention away and they were faced with a sword swallower (which Natsu scoffed at, saying Gajeel could do better), a falconer (which had Happy sneering), and then the more gaudy part of the circus came out. There was a man well over eight-feet tall, a woman completely covered head-to-toe in tattoos, a man weighing over five-hundred pounds (and yet could still walk), a woman so small she only came up to the tattooed woman's knee even though she was in her twenties, Siamese twins, and then finally the Fat Lady (who also happened to be bearded) came out to sing. As her song wound down, the entire performance crew, which took up every inch of space the arena would allow, plus the trapezes, came out to resounding applause and whistles of approval. As the circus crew bowed and Estobar dismissed the guests, asking them to come back the following night for an even better show, the Fairy Tail trio was left more than a little confused.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed! I also hope (again) that I didn't butcher the circus. Obviously it's tailored to fit the story more than what a real circus is most-likely like. I must say that I think seeing "The Greatest Show" definitely helped with some aspects... If you haven't seen it, it's very good! And I don't normally like musicals! ;)
As always, I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. They all belong to Hiro Mashima. This story is a request/idea given to me by my avid reader, 4everlot on DeviantArt, who has waited patiently and I thank you so much for that! Reviews and comments are always appreciated!