Haaah...this chapter is a lot shorter than my previous ones but it has an important piece of character development (just Yuki).

To Salt-the-Catgirl: Thanks for the info. I've seen some other websites written like that but I didn't know it was the only way to show the whole ID. I'm glad you think I doing well! Your opinion means a lot! :)

To grandpamuffin: I'm always happy to help! XD Your stories are great and I love reading them! :)

I would also like to thank anyone who simply continues to read my silly story just for fun! I hope that I will always please! :)

Now then, without further ado...I present Chapter 8: The Smiling Creature

(I do not own Karneval, even though I wish I did)

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Yuki glanced up from the knife she had been cleaning. It was still dark outside and Karoku was still sleeping. She had fallen asleep easily, but had woken after only four hours due to a particularly frightening nightmare. The cat-girl got up to look out the window, trying to figure out what was making the 'tapping' noise.

What she saw was a pleasant surprise. It was one of Uro's Varuga birds. He usually sent them when he had additional orders for her to follow. She quickly glanced at Karoku and, seeing that he was still sound asleep, quietly opened the window. Yuki leapt onto the sill and leaned out to hear her master's message.

"Where. Are. You." Those three words made the cat-girl shiver with dread. Even though Uro-sama was kind to her, when something went wrong he could be quite irritable. She was very, very, very glad that she wasn't in Ka-chan's or Haru-chan's position. He must be throwing a fit.

"I am perfectly aware that you are capable of handling yourself…however, if you don't get your backside home soon I am going to kill the two idiots you call brothers," the recording took a deep breath, "I demand a reason for your tardiness. It is quite unlike you to be so very late," the bird paused looking slightly worried for her. Yuki grimaced, Sorry Uro-sama. I'm so, so sorry. Please don't kill Ka-chan and Haru-chan! I'll try my best to explain the little predicament I've gotten myself into. Sorry! She nodded at the bird with a strained smile. It twittered quietly and continued, "Come home soon, Yuu-chan. Everyone misses you. Even the trees look droopy," Yuki heard a light chuckle, "Stay safe…or else!" There was another short bout of quiet laughter as the recording came to an end.

Yuki smiled softly. Leave it to Uro-sama to try to make her laugh, even when he was upset with her. The messenger bird shook itself and looked expectantly at her, awaiting a response. Yuki thought for a moment before bobbing her head at it. The bird opened its mouth for the cat-girl to speak into.

"Sorry, Uro-sama. I know I've been gone for a long time, but I have a really good reason." She paused, took a deep breath and continued, "I'm on Circus's Second Ship. There is a long complicated story behind how I got here and I promise I'll explain later. For now I need you to tell me what I should do. So far everyone seems to trust me but I don't know what to do next." Yuki swallowed, just barely able to hold back her tears, "I really miss you guys too," she choked on a sob, "The people here are nice, but I wanna come home." The cat-girl was crying openly now (for a third time in forty-eight hours), "What should I do Uro-sama? Please tell me what I should do. I know I should be trying to learn more about them but I…" Her shoulders shook with misery, "Sorry Uro-sama, I know you don't like it when I get emotional." She took a shuddering breath and finished up her report, "Anyway, I'm alright; I have completed my original objective; I really miss you guys to, and I need new orders. Good-bye." Yuki exhaled slowly, wiped her eyes and nodded at the messenger bird. It ruffled its feathers before flying off with a squawk.

The cat-girl watched it leave. She then realized that dawn was beginning to break over the horizon. Haaah…a new day. Hey…isn't this my first day actually on the ship? Yesterday I spent with Iva nee-san and I arrived the night before that. Heh! I can't wait to explore a bit.

"Yuki?"

She turned around and saw that her new roomie, Karoku, was awake, or was at least trying to appear awake. He had terrible bed head, his eyes were still half closed, and his blankets were tangled around his legs. The blue-haired man blinked blearily at her and yawned, "Have you been up for long?"

"Just a few hours. Did you sleep well?" The cat-girl smiled warmly at him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. You?" He yawned again before stretching languidly. When he didn't get an immediate answer from Yuki, he glanced at her in surprise. She wasn't smiling anymore.

"Not so good. But there is no need to worry, it had nothing to do with you," Yuki looked down at the ground as an unconscious shiver ran through her body.

"It?" Karoku was fully awake now and, despite the girl's words, couldn't help but feel concern for her well-being.

"…Nightmare…" She muttered with a frown.

Karoku's eyes widened, "You have nightmares? I thought you were just an over-confident brat with some odd…emotional complex…thing…" he trailed off, realizing (with more than a touch of horror) what he had said to her. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that!"

"Hahaha!" Yuki laughed at his stuttering, "It's alright, Karoku-san. I've had worse things said about me." She pushed herself off the sill she had been leaning against and took a few steps toward him, another smile relighting her features, "I do give strange reactions to different situations, don't I?"

"Heh heh…" Karoku was still blushing slightly at his rudeness, "What kind of nightmares do you have, Yuki?" He figured he could get out of sounding like an idiot if he brushed his words aside rather than dwelling on them in embarrassment.

Once more, the glee disappeared from her face but this time, instead of fear replacing it, a haunted look, that someone of her age shouldn't possess, appeared. The ground wasn't what occupied her gaze though. Instead, she simply continued to stare at the blue-haired man in silence. Karoku's eyes searched her own, desperate to find even the smallest amount of light in the depths of the red and blue orbs. He found nothing to suggest that the girl standing in front of him was the same one who, not even five minutes before, had been smiling at him in amusement. She blinked slowly and said, with the barest hint of malice, "You need not concern yourself with my mental state, Karoku-san. It has nothing to do with you, so please do not question me on this subject again. Do you understand me?"

Karoku flinched away from her. He was the first person on the Second Ship to see Yuki's less amiable side and he had no wish to see any more of it, "Yes," he whispered, "I understand." The man continued to watch her, hoping that she would suddenly burst into laughter at his gullibility. However…the look in Yuki's eyes never wavered. Her body may have relaxed and the sweet smile she tended to wear may have reappeared on her face, but Karoku didn't notice any of that. He only saw her eyes. They still had the haunted quality from before but there was another emotion in them this time, cold fury.

"Excellent, Karoku-san." The smiling creature chirped her next words, feigning delight, "I hope that we can continue to get along as well as we have been."

Just as she finished there was a knock on their door. Karoku forced himself to say, "Come in!" It opened to reveal Nai, Yogi, and Gareki all peering in (trying to see if any blood had been shed overnight). Nai let out a strange noise of happiness and bounded over to his catty friend. He stopped when he noticed that her eyes were closed. He could tell she was trying to hide something from him and he didn't like it.

"Yuki-chan!" Nai came up to her and took hold of her limp hand, "Are you okay? Did you sleep well? How did yesterday go? Why are your eyes closed? You and Karoku didn't fight di-" He was cut off by a gentle finger on his lips. Yuki had finally opened her eyes and was half smirking at him. Karoku noticed that the cold dead look from before was no longer present. He wondered if Nai was the only thing keeping her from looking like that all the time.

"Shh," Yuki breathed softly, "I'm fine. Just a little tired," she smiled at the albino and tilted her head, tail flicking with pleasure, "How about you?"

"Well, I was kind of worried that you and Iva might get into a fight…or something…like her trying to kill you…maybe…I would certainly hope not…buuut…Iva-san does have a scary personality when she isn't being…nice." He kept moving his head from side-to-side as he spoke each phrase. The cat-girl giggled slightly at his antics.

"Oi! Cat-brat!" Gareki growled at her while leaning his head back (like some kind of lame gangster), "What happened yesterday? Iva's not sayin' much and Karoku here looks like he's seen a ghost." The eighteen-year-old glared at the cat-girl, who was gazing so softly at his younger friend. Gareki was slightly surprised that Karoku hadn't ripped her apart for getting so close to little Nai.

"Mou, Gareki-kun! Be nice to Yuki-chan! She already proved herself to Iva nee-san and if Iva accepts her isn't that good enough for you?" Yogi gave Gareki's shoulder a small push of exasperation, inciting a harsh glare from the younger boy (…Man? Teen? Hmmm…well, you know eighteen year old boys, it's a toss-up; even on their good days…). The blonde man sighed, There's just no getting through to him. Haaah…sorry Yuki-chan, I tried…

Yuki flicked her eyes over to Gareki. He was frowning at her in frustration. A smile ghosted across her face as she said, "Thank you Yogi, but it's okay, really. I don't mind telling him that yesterday went very well and that Iva-san and I are now friends. Also, Karoku-san and I are getting along quite well now. Isn't that right, Karoku-san?" She looked over at the blue-haired man. He was still a little pale from his previous encounter with that Yuki.

"Y-yes. That's right. I must say that Yuki is a rather interesting person," he met her eyes again and smiled warmly, "She is quite brilliant and has a magnificent memory. I hope to be able to speak with her more at a later date." To himself he thought, However, if her hidden emotions start affecting Nai I am going to Hirato and demanding that she be either transferred or kicked out entirely, regardless of Nai's protesting. She is far, far too dangerous for his fragile psyche.

Nai, glad that Yuki seemed to have been accepted by all his friends, cheerfully asked if everyone wanted to go to breakfast together. When he got a round of 'yes's from those present he grabbed Yuki's hand and proceeded to lead the way.

That's all folks! (I don't own Loony Tunes either) Hope you liked it! By the way, I won't be posting new chapters for about two to three weeks. My magnificent editor, aka: my spectacular, wonderful, loving, funny, incredible mother (I 3 U Mama!), is going on a ten day trip and I would be positively lost without her. So I will be taking a short hiatus. I'll try to make up for the lost time when she gets back!

Thanks for everything, ya'll! :)