An update! It must be a full moon or something… Well, just a note to everyone! I've decided to put Opposites Attract on indefinite hiatus. I have incredible writers block, plus I've realized I have too many burdens to bear (so many stories, so little time)! So, I'm going to focus on two stories at a time! Right now, I'm going to continue Pride and Prejudice and HANAMACHI: Flower Town, but sooner or later (since Flower Town is going to be at least a 15-20 chapter story, and Pride and Prejudice:TOTL is going to be at least 20-30 chapters), you'll see some Opposites Attract—and maybe even some Kaleido Star Vacation?!

Another note: I've changed the ages of Leon, Sora, and Sophie at the current timeline. Leon is 20, Sora is 17, Sophie is 16. That makes Layla around 19-20, May is 19, and Rosetta is going to be around 15! Yay for age changes!

Enjoy the update!

A trapeze. A girl clad in white. A red rose.

"That's right… it was that night…"

A man. A whip. A full house, complete with a cheering audience. Her bloodcurdling scream went unheard.

Sophie, who could not fall asleep after the incident in her father's study, rolled over and stared at her desolate ceiling. Faint outlines of stars and clouds adorned the now white wall. Her childhood days were over, cut off in an instant. Sophie shuddered softly and whimpered. The memories that would forever haunt her… she would have to conquer them if she wanted to go back to "her home."

"Dio… why?"

"Sophia, I'd like you to meet your new partner, Dio."

"But I like working with big brother…"

"Sophie… do as Kalos says."

Sophie looked up at her older brother with a pout on her face. The petite young lady of fourteen had a sass about her that made nearly every man around her reduce themselves to a whimpering mass. Every man other than Leon Oswald, this is. Leon put a hand on her head and mussed her hair.

"Do not complain. Besides, I'm getting a new partner as well."

"And who is that?!"

"… No more questions, okay?"

"You were lying! You don't want to perform with me!"

"Uh… excuse me?"

"Leon, you know how much I hate it when you lie!"

"Um…"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

Sophie had inadvertently screamed in the face of her new partner. She backed away from him slowly and caught her breath (all the screaming made her weary).

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry!"

"No, it's quite alright,"

Sophie took the time to look over her new partner. His voice, which she had not heard before over her screaming, sounded soft and sturdy. Like a bench, a reliable one. She took note of this as she skimmed over his feature. He was handsome and older than her—probably her brother's age. His dark brown hair was at shoulder length, with long, side swept bangs. He bowed curtly and took one of her hands in his, holding it up to his lips. Leon grimaced, but Sophie nudged him with her free hand.

"I am Dio Kobayashi. It is a pleasure to meet you."

With the swift kiss of her hand, Sophie quickly found herself blushing at the sudden contact between her and the foreigner. Dio smiled softly at her, earning an even brighter blush from the white haired performer. He had to be at least seventeen, if not older. As he stood up, a slight breeze blew around them inexplicably. She sighed softly as the smell of roses filled her nose.

"L-Likewise…"

"Sophia. Dio is an up-and-coming performer who deals with the trapeze and whips. He has a wide range of abilities that suit yours, in my opinion. You said you wanted to win the Championships, right? Dio can make that dream a reality."

Yeah right, Sophie thought. This guy may be cute, but that is all his—cute.

Little did she know, Dio Kobayashi had a lot more beneath that cute mask.

"Sophie… I like you. A lot."

With those few words, the once courageous and strong petite princess was now a nervous, quivering, embarrassed little girl. 'The feeling had been mutual, success!' Sophie twirled a strand of hair quickly around her finger, trying to figure out what to say. He had only been her partner for a few months, and yet they had grown attached to one another so quickly. He and Leon seemed to get along, but appearances were deceiving. Leon detested the whip handler; he believed that Dio had some sort of mysterious agenda. Dio had left several partnerships before, all of them with very influential up-and-coming stars like himself. Heiresses, actresses, singers, circus performs with rich sponsors; he had them all and dumped them. Sophia had to admit, it was a bit weird. Oddly enough, she ignored these facts and pursued him after witnessing one of his performances. She remembered watching the show but not really being interested. She underestimated his true ability because she wanted to perform with Leon more, but when the red roses fell from the ceiling and Dio lashed at them all in one strike, her breath hitched. The flowers instantaneously turned into petals, cascading in slow motion around the mysterious newcomer. The crowd was silent and in awe. Sophie felt eyes on her, and reddened when she realized that the pair of eyes belonged to Dio. He had his eye on her the whole time. She couldn't even remember when his arm moved to force the whip into action. All she could remember was the cracking of the leather cord, the fresh roses transforming into slim petals, and her own heart stopping for a millisecond.

"I-I like you too…"

Those words… she would live to regret them.

"That was two years ago…" It was hard for Sophie to believe that the time had been so short. Time had stopped for her the day she fell from the heavens.

Dio was one of the few men she trusted completely. His voice, the way he moved, and the way he looked at her—it put her at ease. He took care of her when her bouts of sickness stirred up. He massaged her feet and back when they became sore from their tiring practice. He didn't baby her, yet he didn't treat her like an adult. She felt normal around him, as if she wasn't Sophia Oswald, heiress and daughter of a multibillionaire hotshot. That normality… made her vulnerable. She would let down her guard, gave him access to things he shouldn't have had—her money, her car, her life. He controlled her, but discreetly. She felt free, but she was surrounded in chains. And on that one, unfaithful night… she was. Sophie quivered beneath her sheets, suddenly feeling cold. She gasped slightly, the feeling of the night air felt like soft hands touching her skin.

'You said you liked me, right Sophie? You trust me right? If you do, then you'll do this for me…'

'D-Dio…'

The thin, white dress he bought her form-fitted her lithe frame. Dio sat in a chair in front of her, arms crossed with a smile on his face. Sophie blushed and moved her hands to the spaghetti straps of her dress. She untied the bow, letting the thin straps fall. As the dress fell around her ankles, Sophia felt herself become extremely cold. She watched with wavering eyes as Dio undid the buckle to his belt. It became too late to back out as he approached her.

'Good girl…'

Sophie covered her mouth, stifling a scream. He wasn't there, he wasn't touching her, but she felt his presence and his touch.

'I told you to be quiet!'

Sophie jumped slightly as Dio raised his voice. She nodded and spread her legs further to accommodate him. The pain was unbearable. This was not how she imagined her 'first' would be. She opened her eyes to look up at the man hovering over her, grunting with each thrust. His eyes were filled with lust, nothing more. She tried to move her hands, but winced as the leather rope cut into her wrists. He bound her to the bed; just one of his many fantasies. Dio touched her face with a comforting look on his face.

'It'll be over soon…'

It would never be over, the horror was still there. She gave herself to him in full, even betraying her family for him. She stole countless amounts of money from her father to give to him, money he said he would "donate to charity" or "use to pay off sponsors." Little did she know that the money she stole from her family would be spent on their expenses. He bought lavish homes, cars, and clothing with her money. Without blinking an eye or showing a bit of emotion, he maxed out credit cards in her name. The many charities and sponsors Dio was donating to: himself. She fell for his tricks due to her immaturity.

'Trust in me, Sophie. We will win this competition!'

'… Yes.'

The time had finally come for Sophia's dream to come true: the World Circus Championship had finally come and she was ready to win it. Though it took months to design, Sophie would be performing her prototype of her Angel's Act, complete with Dio using his 'unique talents' to whip one-thousand white roses around her and a singular red one that she would throw to him. The Angel's Act was hard enough as a prototype; she shuddered at the thought of the full length act. She would be performing the first half alone, the difficult maneuvers would be done solo. Dio had his own act going on beneath her, like an accent. He was supposed to be her curtain, her backdrop—yet he had stolen her spotlight. In the midst of her death-defying act, Dio caught the audiences' attention with his techniques. Sophie was several seconds ahead of herself; timing had to be perfect. She had slipped up, and missed her trapeze by a few centimeters. Leon, her family, her friends, and her devoted fans all watched in horror and amazement as their angel fell. Besides those few, the crowds of people all paid attention to Dio, who ignored her as she fell. The flowers fell like a curtain and Dio sliced them all to pieces, 'accidentally' cutting Sophie several times. She let out a bloodcurdling scream before hitting the ground.

When she woke up, a month had passed. She missed her birthday by a few days. Leon had been by her side the whole time, clutching her hand.

"Le…on…?"

"S-Sophie! My god, you're awake! I'll call for a nurse—"

"What happened? The performance… did they like it?"

"You… can't remember?" Leon felt tears well up in his eyes. Sophie smiled and stretched her hand out towards him.

"Tell me… where's Dio?"

"That bastard?! You still think of him?! The motherfucker got all the glory…"

Much to Sophie's dismay and confusion, Dio had been thrust into the spotlight with their loss. Seven minutes after she hit the ground, people finally realized that Sophie had fallen. They cheered for him, applauding and asking for an encore from Dio for seven minutes straight. He ignored her injuries and accepted their small trophy and bouquet of roses for himself. He cried on television after hearing about her coma and then moved on, taking on a new partner a week later ("I have to get myself back on my feet," he said). He didn't even visit her, not once. He did send his regards in a brief, cardboard "Get Well" card. Sophie didn't eat or sleep for days. All she did was cry. Her dreams had instantly been crumbled. What made it even worse was, she had involuntarily caused her family hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, rumors of her illicit relationship with Dio leaked to the dirtiest and moth ruthless of tabloids and her less devoted fans swayed to Dio's side.

She had lost everything to the mysterious young man who smelled like rose petals.

Sophie clutched her sheet, gripping it tightly. Her slightly charred hands bled softly, the red ebbing into the soft satin cloth.

"I have to get over him. It has been two years. I am going to go back... whether he shows up there or not! I'll prove them wrong… I'll prove to them that I am not the little girl I was two years ago…"

Sophie sat up and flipped over her dampened pillow. She flopped back down into her plush bed. The whole bedroom set felt childish all of a sudden; Sophie decided that she would dispose of it as soon as possible.

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