So, here's the next chapter!
2
Hotsuma lets out a yawn as he walks to school, still half asleep. He rubs his eyes, cussing about wanting to go back to sleep. His bad habit of playing video games late into the night is beginning to catch up to him. His blond hair is untidy and his purple tie is messily tied and the slightly wrinkled gray school uniform finishes the look. His multiple earrings give him a rebellious look. When Hotsuma finally reaches the outside of the school, he dreads the start of classes. A few other classmates are kind enough to wish him a good morning, which he rudely ignores. He doesn't really know most of the people in his school. He has a few friends and as far as he's concerned, that is all he needs.
"Morning, Hotsuma."
Hotsuma turns around only after recognizing the voice.
The kind voice came from a silver haired boy, wearing the same color tie as he is. Behind him is a pretty, long haired girl also wearing the same school uniform only with a red tie, signifying she is a year ahead of the two boys. They are the Murasame siblings, Hotsuma's two good friends.
"Didn't sleep well again, huh?" The girl, Toko, asked. Even she knows the cause of his insomnia is the video games.
Hotsuma grumbles a response.
"How's everything going?" Tsukumo asked.
"Same as always…"
The school bell rings breaking their conversation and made the three students hurry to their first class. Toko goes to her homeroom leaving behind her brother and Hotsuma who rush to their classroom.
The two boys take their seats, right next to each other.
Tsukumo looks towards Hotsuma. He notices the blond's hair was messier than it usually is and sees dark circles under his eyes.
"Hotsuma, you don't look so good, are you sure you're ok?"
"I'm fine."
"But, you-"
"I said I'm fine, Tsukumo."
Tsukumo drops the subject. There is no point in arguing with someone as stubborn as Hotsuma, especially one so tired and irritable.
Hotsuma looks over at Tsukumo. He knows he's lucky to have a friend like Tsukumo, especially with how he prefers to keep people at a distance. He saw only concern in the boy's eyes and he wants to apologize for his tone. But as everyone knows, apologies don't come easy from Hotsuma.
"It's alright, Hotsuma. I understand." Tsukumo smiles. It was very rare to see Tsukumo angry or flustered.
Hotsuma blushes. Damn that boy! Is he a freaking mind reader or something?!
Tsukumo holds in a chuckle. Hotsuma sees the smirk on Tsukumo's face, but decides not to say anything.
"Hmph!" He looks away from the kind, silver haired boy.
Hotsuma turns his attention to the front of the classroom, expecting to see their homeroom teacher, who apparently, still hasn't arrived. He glances toward the window instead. It was an overcast day, appropriate, considering his lousy mood. He let out a sigh, which causes Tsukumo to look at his friend.
Tsukumo doesn't want to keep nagging him for fear of pushing him away. Tsukumo and his sister always have to be careful to find the right balance between being there for Hotsuma and knowing when to leave him alone but it's hard to see a friend suffer.
If only we could tell him the truth…
The teacher walks into the room and Tsukumo quickly prepares for class, unlike Hotsuma who continues to stare out the window.
...
"We are almost there, Shusei. Will you be ready by tomorrow night?"
Shusei looks over to the driver, his boss and cirque owner.
"Well? You still look paler than usual." He laughs to himself.
"I'll be fine."
"Heh, we'll see how much longer you can go before exhausting yourself."
For Shusei, it is hard to tell if he really means it and wants to see him collapse or if it is a warning.
Shusei keeps a steady gaze on the man from the corner of his eye.
Ryuu Tanaka is the man's name. His age shows through the way he carries himself and speaks. His thin hair is white and combed back and he is always seen in a suit. He has been the owner of the circus for as long as Shusei's known him. He is usually a quiet man and from the outside appears to be nice, but to everyone who knows him, especially those at the cirque, his demeanor is laced with spite. When he is angry, everyone does their best to avoid him.
Shusei looks away from the man and looks at the side view mirror of the truck. He sees the other trucks carrying the cirque supplies in tow.
"As soon as we've found the spot to set up, make sure everyone gets their jobs done. We don't have much time to prepare and we are only staying a few days. Two shows and that's it. We'll pack again and move before the Tokyo police find us. Understood?"
"Yes."
"I've been discreetly promoting the show, trying to avoid the bastards who want to shut us down. Otherwise, it should be a big turn out." He seems to be talking to himself.
"…"
"Make sure the performers have practiced enough but are also well rested." Tanaka adds.
"Alright." Shusei automatically answers.
It's quiet in the truck for a few minutes. Tanaka looks over at Shusei and stares at him, "Damn, you're boring…"
Shusei hides a smirk. He won't go against Tanaka's orders, but he doesn't try to make his life easy either.
They are driving on a back road, well hidden from most of the population of Tokyo and lucky enough to have gone undetected by police. They pass by a few clearings that would have been suitable for the show, but not good enough for Tanaka's taste. He always expects perfection, which makes Shusei's, and the other worker's, lives more difficult.
After a few more clearings passed by, Tanaka found the perfect place for the shows setting. It is just big enough to comfortably contain all the tents and is completely surrounded by trees.
Without waiting for orders from Tanaka, Shusei hops out of the truck and immediately went around the back to begin unloading supplies.
He opens the back of the truck and holds in a groan. There is a lot of stuff that needs to be unpacked and most of the supplies fell over and had made a mess in the truck
Tanaka appears behind Shusei, lighting a cigar. The man loved cigars and was never caught without one, "Get everything set up. Work all night if you have to." He walks away, leaving Shusei with all the work.
Shusei sighs and gets in the truck and begins working, preparing for the next show.
...
The school day couldn't have gone by quick enough for Hotsuma. Between falling asleep or staring out the window, he has no idea what any of today's lessons were about. He's just thankful it's the weekend.
"What's with the scowl, Renjou?"
Hotsuma turns around. It's a student wearing a purple tie. His name is Kazuki, a member of the school's basketball team. Hotsuma is also a member of the basketball team. He joined the team about two months ago and already gained a reputation as a great basketball player. He enjoys the sport, but lately, he thinks of the game more as a distraction.
"Well?" Kazuki asks again when Hotsuma didn't respond.
"It's nothing." Hotsuma turns away from his classmate and begins to walk home.
"Hey, where ya going?" Kazuki grabs him by the shoulder and spins him around, "Hold on a second! A few members of the team are going out Saturday night, wanna join?"
"Not really." Hotsuma says in an uninterested tone, which Kazuki either didn't pick up on or just ignored.
"Aw, come on! You're a part of the team, but we hardly ever see you besides games and practice!" Kazuki pleads, "Just one night won't kill ya!"
Hotsuma wasn't good friends with any of his teammates, so he doesn't really understand Kazuki's offer, "I'm not interested." Hotsuma, becoming impatient, turned his tone into a growl of annoyance.
Kazuki saw Hotsuma's growing irritation, "Alright, alright…" He steps back to give Hotsuma room, "Well…Katsu got a few tickets to some…freak show or something…He, Osamu, Yuu, and I were gonna go. Just…let me know if you change your mind." Kazuki walks away feeling defeated.
Hotsuma groans. He feels like he's making everyone worry today. First Tsukumo, now Kazuki. Kazuki is a nice guy and one night with him and a few team members won't hurt. After all, if it weren't for Kazuki, he wouldn't even be a part of the team. It was Kazuki who invited him to join, probably because he felt bad for Hotsuma, who always looked lonely.
And what was Hotsuma going to do over the weekend anyway?
"Uh…Hey, Kazuki…" Hotsuma says just loud enough for Kazuki to hear.
Judging by Hotsuma face, the other boy already saw he accepted the offer, bringing a small smile to his face, "Yeah?"
"I guess…one night won't hurt." Hotsuma looks down at his feet as he says it. His acceptance is his form of an apology. He'll be damned if just says 'I'm sorry.'
"Awesome!" Kazuki ran back to Hotsuma, excited that he was going to join the group, "The show is right on the outskirts of Tokyo, just past the woods." Kazuki points in the corresponding direction.
Tsukumo and Toko live that way… Hotsuma thought, not knowing why that came up, "So, uh…What's the name of this thing?"
"Cirque Mystērium…I never heard of it before, but according to Osamu, it's an illegal show so that would probably explain why most people don't know of it."
Hotsuma doesn't care for circuses. The idea of going usually doesn't sound fun, but the thought of some illegal circus performing right outside Tokyo does sound a little intriguing.
"You know the trail that cuts through the woods right?" Kazuki continued, "That's where we'll all meet up at 10 o' clock at night, right by the entrance. Katsu will give out our tickets there."
"Alright."
"The show starts at 10:30. Hope that isn't past your bedtime!" Kazuki jokes and runs off. He turns around and yells towards Hotsuma, "Glad you're coming, Renjou! See ya then!"
Hotsuma watches the boy run off and after a few seconds decides to make his way home. This won't be the weekend he's been anticipating, but Hotsuma figures it's better than staying home alone.
Thank you to Yuumon2, Tess, Giogiu, Yuu-chan, and Deaththekid1998 for your reviews! It's been nearly 3 years since I've uploaded anything and was hesitant to upload this story at all, so your reviews were so nice! Thanks again!
