Kaleido Star: The Amazing Ascension
Chapter 2: "Take Me Home For Christmas"
It was as if Kaleido Stage had dove into the Christmas spirit head-first.
The entire complex (starting with the dorms, then moving to the grounds, while Marion was assisting her father Jean in working with the scenery for the Christmas production), already appearing to have gotten one present with Sora and her family returning, was preparing to give Cape Mercy a Christmas present they will never forget.
Even May was in the Christmas spirit, as she was working with several of the trainees to decorate the halls of the dorm before they ran off and did the same to the practice facility.
Because, as Yuri would say in that bedazzled practice facility the next day:
Yuri: "This is no ordinary show, for no ordinary ensemble."
"Yes, I want us to all to be at our best, but this is a present, a gift, for the community and for each other."
Rosetta: "So we're all supposed to go out there and perform just to have fun?"
Mia: "Exactly! We're basically wishing the community in which we have been built and grown a very happy holiday!"
Anna: "And that includes me getting to face-paint the kids and all that!"
May: "And we get to take kids out to the trampolines on the Kids' Stage, isn't that right, Marion?"
Marion: "Yep. And I get to show them the joy my mother gave me!"
Leon: "And we all get to have Sora on our stage again..."
Yuri: "And that's the big surprise we'll give them. They won't know she's there... We have a huge surprise at the end of the show, and they will love it..."
Sora: "And Ken gets to be there too?"
Ken: "I'll be part of the performance, yes."
And, with that, the entire cast and crew flew into a frenzy. Their first show was a "Midnight Mass" ending at midnight, Christmas morning.
Several days before Christmas
Rosetta's Room
Rosetta was working on her new stunt for the show with May between arts and crafts sessions, Kids' Stage run-throughs, and, of course, the main Christmas Show itself.
But one thought kept haunting Rosetta...
In her dreams, ever since that first night the Fool spoke to her in them, she was now flying alone.
Rosetta, after several nights of this, woke to find the Fool at the foot of her bed.
Rosetta: "Master Fool, what are you trying to tell me?"
Fool: "The time is drawing nigh..."
Rosetta: "The time is drawing nigh... – for what?"
Fool: "That, you will have to figure out for yourself."
Rosetta sighed. Sora had told her the Fool could be like this from time to time.
Rosetta: "Please tell me, Fool. I need to know what you are trying to tell me!"
The Fool sighed.
Fool: "I cannot tell you, for it is something you must do, as part of being chosen by The Stage."
Rosetta: "I don't understand..."
Fool: "Then it is not time for you to know, yet..."
Rosetta cried and then slammed her fist into the bed and tried to grab at the Fool...
But the Fool was gone – he had flown away.
The Next Day
Dozens upon dozens of cast and crew were sprinting from one area of the complex to the next – some perfecting a performance, some creating gifts for the children, some putting up promotional materials all over Kaleido Stage...
And one Belgian feeling as wooden as a plank.
Mia: "Rosetta, what's wrong?"
Rosetta: "I don't know, and Master Fool won't tell me."
May: "He won't tell you what? I mean, that pervert never tells me anything..."
Sora: "That's because you can't see him."
May: "I KNOW THAT!!"
Rosetta: "Sora..."
Sora stopped. It was as if she had the thought to answer Rosetta, but the brain could not form the words for the answer. It's as if something was stopping her. Sora sighed, and decided to fake it, for now...
Sora: "I don't know what the Fool wants either. I don't know what he's trying to tell you. Maybe if I can still see him, I can ask him for you."
Ken: "The Spirit of the Stage is a capricious sort. Sora's told me a lot about him."
Sora: "But, you know what? We'll always be friends. We'll always have shared that moment on Kaleido Stage to win the Paris Circus Festival. That's all that matters to me."
Rosetta: "Thank you, Sora..."
Christmas Eve: 4:00 PM
Sora and Ken's Living Quarters
Ken was dressing up baby Hope for her First Christmas.
Sora, who otherwise would've been doing this, was in her room alone, hoping that she could, first, see the Fool, and then, talk to him.
Just then, a glowing apparition, with light music in the background.
Fool: "Ah, so you can still see me."
Sora wasted no time...
Sora grabbed the Fool and began to shake him...
Sora: "WhatareyoudoingtoRosettaandwhyareyoutorturingherandwhatareyoutryingto..."
Sora stopped.
For three reasons...
First, Hope began to cry, startled by the commotion Sora was creating.
Second, Ken had walked into the room to tell Sora to settle down a bit, and that she was bothering the baby.
Third, the Fool had somehow escaped her grasp and disappeared.
Sora threw her pillow at the last known location of the Fool, and nearly screamed in frustration when she clearly knew he had left.
Just then, Sora noticed something...
It was a picture of Layla performing the Angel's Maneuver in her challenge to Sora. Alone.
Sora: "What is this supposed to mean?"
Ken then walked in and told Sora it was time to get going.
The Robbins-Naegino family – all three of them – had a full and festive night ahead.
Thoughts of the Fool would have to wait. There was Christmas to be celebrated.
The Kaleido Stage Christmas Spectacular
On the grounds...
Already, by this time, the grounds were a sea of action, as hundreds of children and thousands of families took advantage of the free Kaleido Stage experience to put a lot more Christmas magic into what, otherwise, was a fairly dismal holiday season.
Three weeks of preparation proved barely enough for the cast and crew to have the grounds lit up like a massive Christmas tree.
Marion was bouncing around with an innumerable amount of children inside a trampoline area made to look like a giant Christmas ornament.
May and Leon were taking pictures with adoring Kaleido Stage fans. Both were even smiling.
Mia was helping Anna, face painting many children.
Yuri was accepting not only donations, but congratulations from industry and individual alike.
Layla had arrived a couple days before, helping to coordinate the Hamilton Foundation's efforts, which largely consisted of feeding many less fortunate families who came to the grounds.
Layla had also commandeered a fleet of vans to take some of the trainees to give out meals (and a small slice of the Kaleido Stage experience) to those of Cape Mercy's poor who could not be present.
Cathy Taymor had been brought in to aid in the final setup of Kaleido Stage itself, as more seating had to be placed onto the stage level to accommodate the crowds.
It was truly a Kaleido Stage Christmas.
Joy was abundant in this little corner of the world, with peace to all of good will.
The best, however, came at about 10 PM...
The Show -- Midnight Mass Edition
It took well over an hour to get everyone seated.
The show began with a number of the trainees coming out through the children assembled on the Kaleido Stage floor.
Some sang carols, while others embraced the children.
After several Christmas standards, Yuri took the center-stage.
Yuri: "Good evening to all, and a happy holiday season. Welcome to Kaleido Stage."
His welcome was met with significant applause and shouts of appreciation.
Yuri: "Tonight, we thank the people and the city of Cape Mercy, California, for their continued generous support of the Kaleido Stage effort, which, with the help of Kalos Eido, has been made into an international venture of joy through the application of the circus arts to cultures around the world."
"In that spirit of thanks, we give you this gift – a free performance, highlighting not only our biggest stars, but our newest prospects. This is not going to be a strenuous night for any of us. Tonight is truly joy to our world, as we not only celebrate the holidays, but have a huge surprise for you at midnight, at the end of this performance."
"So enjoy, and, please... Have a safe holiday."
With more applause, the spectacular began.
The lights went up, and immediately, Rosetta and May were flying literally over the audience on the floor...
Anna was juggling with Hanna and Barbara on the stage.
Mia, in her first performance in over a year, leaped on the trampoline with Marion. Jean cried in the wings, being so proud of her daughter.
Marion, then, brought Jean out, recognizing him as not only the genius behind many of the sets, but a loving father, as she then leaped into a touching tribute to her late mother, Jean's late wife.
After a few moments to collect their thoughts, the audience was thrown into a rollicking version of the old Caterpillar stunt (though Ken was no longer involved with it).
On the other side of the stage, Leon was leaping on a trampoline while decorating the massive Christmas tree in the center of the arena.
May and Rosetta were, once again, flying high above the stage, with the climax of the aerial portion of the evening being the "SHOOTING STAR ILLUSION!", with Rosetta putting the star on top of the tree before the lights were lowered for the climax of the Christmas spectacular.
At the stroke of midnight, Christmas morning, all eyes were brought to the center of the arena.
Kaleido Stage began to resemble the manger of Bethlehem.
A small shack was put up, with hay in the center.
Mia brought a donkey onto the stage.
Anna brought a couple of sheep.
Several of the older investors were also involved – some as the "local shepherds", with the three largest investors as the Three Wise Men.
Then, Yuri Killian came on over the PA system...
Yuri: "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back...."
Then Yuri stopped, because he just had a better idea of how to announce this show's climax.
Yuri: "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome home for Christmas to Kaleido Stage..."
"Our Kaleido Star, Sora Robbins-Naegino..."
The place literally erupted. It was the first time most had seen Sora in person since the victory of the Paris Festival now over one year before.
Sora was radiant, in a very simple outfit, while the entire light system was essentially shut off, except for one light on the Kaleido Star...
Sora only did some very simple cartwheels and flips. It was more a "floor exercise" you would see in a gymnastics competition than a Kaleido Stage performance.
But that didn't matter. It was Sora. As Leon said in the past, every moment with Sora on that stage was magic, even if it was only a minute fraction of what Sora used to be capable of.
It was as if the Virgin Mary was right there in front of the audience...
And then, another small light – one from the top of the stage – shone down...
"And on this day a Savior is born..."
Ken Robbins brought his daughter onto the stage, and held her aloft in the soft light which was to represent the Star of Bethlehem.
"... Christ the Lord."
Ken then laid Hope Robbins-Naegino into the appointed spot on the live manger scene. The ushers dissuaded any pictures being taken (more than enough pictures of the family in the live manger scene would be provided upon departure – the family knew people would want to have that as a keepsake of the event), as the entire cast, crew, and support staff of Kaleido Stage walked onto the set, singing...
"O Come, all ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come, let us adore Him.
O come, let us adore Him.
O come, let us adore Him.
Christ the Lord"
At that moment, every church bell in Cape Mercy began to ring, as Hope was taken from the stage as the lights began to shine anew. A whole new spate of caroling had begun, with star and prospect alike embracing each other and fan alike in a Christmas spirit unique to Kaleido Stage.
After the show
Rosetta's Room
It was nearly dawn on Christmas morning by the time the cast and crew had separated and went back to their living quarters on the set. There would be no show Christmas evening, but amended shows the remaining evenings until New Year's Eve, when another show built around midnight would ring in the New Year.
So, after embracing May, Sora, Ken, Anna, Mia, etc. for what seemed like the billionth time (with only May giving some resistance after the first few, and Sora and Ken leaving to put their child to bed...), Rosetta settled into peaceful slumber.
That is, until another dream:
Fool: "You know that the time will have to come, sooner or later..."