Meeting the Freaks

"Why don't you let me show you around and introduce you to a few people," Renji suggested, grabbing her by the hand.

Corbeau resigned herself to just hang on and enjoy the ride as he pulled her along belong him. This man was intense in every way. The way he looked, the way he moved, the way he reacted to things. Everything about him spoke of fervor and passion. Her eyes stared at the brawny muscles of his back as he moved. The muscles rippled underneath the tattoos that ran across his shoulder blades and down both sides of his spine as he walked. The tribal markings going across the lower part of his back were only partially visible above his jeans. Her eyes settled on his amazingly sculpted behind in the very low slung tight jeans. Very nice.

"Hey, hey! Sui Feng! I would tell you to get your ass off your shoulders but I'm sure you've heard it a thousand times before," he joked.

Corbeau gaped at the tiny woman with short black hair and two long braids that were laid over the platform where she was basically sitting on her chin and chest and her behind was literally on her shoulders; a contortionist and a very good one. She was one of the side show performers that was a part of the freak show.

"Nice to meet you," Sui Feng said offering her tiny foot to shake instead of her hand.

Corbeau laughed as the girl winked and smiled at her. It was so nice to meet friendly, accepting people. It was quite a change from the stares of disgust or people shrinking away from her in fear. After all these years, maybe she had found a home and a family. A pretty black cat appeared from nowhere, rubbing against her legs and meowing for attention. "Oh, where did you come from?" she asked bending down to pet the kitty's sleek black head.

"Step back," Renji warned, taking her by the arm.

"What?" Corbeau asked, confused.

A large cloud of white smoke exploded around the cat covering it and blocking it from view. A pretty, petite woman with long purple hair, dark skin and unusual golden eyes stepped out of the cloud of smoke. She was completely naked but didn't seem to notice or care as she boldly strode with her hand out toward the shocked winged woman.

Corbeau squealed with surprised, jumping back into Renji's waiting arms. He had been ready for this reaction.

"I wouldn't expect a girl with wings to be surprised by a woman who transforms from a cat. I'm Yoruichi," she said pleasantly, shaking the newcomer's hand.

"Yoruichi is our resident nudist. You'll get used to it," Renji said, laughing as a shirt flew through the air from somewhere and landed on Yoruichi's head.

Corbeau looked over to see a blond headed man walking their way with a green and white striped bucket hat on his head that hid most of his face. He wore a black coat over his dark green shirt and short pants despite the fact it was a hot summer day.

"Oh, that's where it came from. This is Yoruichi's husband, Kisuke," her red headed tour guide informed her.

"So wonderful to meet you, my dear," he said, kissing the back of Corbeau's hand after he took it in his.

"Watch out for him. He's a real flirt," his wife warned, smacking him across the back of the head.

Corbeau smiled at them and waved a good-bye as she was pulled along by Renji. She wasn't paying attention to where she was walking and collided with someone. Her guide was falling down on his job.

"I'm so…" she began her apology but the rest died on her tongue as she stared up into the face of a wolf that stood on two legs in a body shaped liked a man's. It looked even more strange (as if that were possible) to see him dressed in jeans and combat boots with a button down shirt on that he had left open.

"I'm Sajin Komamura," he said, taking her hand in his fur covered one. "Although I'm a wolf, they bill me as the Dog-Faced Man. Nice to meet you, Angel."

"My name is Corbeau," she corrected, staring into his golden eyes. She didn't flinch or pull away as he touched her face with his hand.

"I know. But you look like an angel to me," he murmured, sliding his hand down her neck.

The fur tickled her neck. "Can I touch you? Do you mind?" she inquired. Curiosity had made her bold and fearless.

"Can you pet me?" he asked, obviously amused and not offended. He pulled off his shirt to reveal his torso to her and to invite her to do what she had asked.

Corbeau reached up to put her hands on his face on either side of his long snout as she examined it. It was real! This was the first freak show she had come to where the freaks were actually real and not regular people with bad prosthetics or pitiful make up jobs. Where did they all come from? Her hands slid down his neck over the soft fur, luxuriating in the feel of it beneath her searching hands. Her fingers disappeared into the copious amounts of silky hair as she moved them down his chest and belly. She heard a low sound like a whine come from him as her hands moved across the top of his jeans and started back up his belly.

"I could do this all day," she murmured under her breath, feeling his fingers in her hair. She smiled when he grunted with satisfaction as she curled her fingers into the fur. "You're so soft."

"Yeah, but I bet one part of him is pretty damn hard right about now," Renji grumbled, snatching Corbeau away by the arm.

Sajin growled at Renji, baring his teeth at the man and his abrupt and very unwelcome appearance.

"Down, doggy," Renji commanded rudely.

"Asshole," Sajin growled at him, baring even more of his teeth. "I'll see you later, Angel."

"Bye, Sajin!" Corbeau called behind her since she was being dragged away. She pulled her hand out of Renji's, halting in her tracks. She crossed her arms over her chest while she stared at him like a defiant child. "Excuse me, but I don't belong to you."

"What is wrong with you? You're so damn naïve. Have you been locked in a cage somewhere?" he asked, regretting it when he saw the hurt come into her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. You weren't...were you?"

"Yeah. Actually I was. My parents sold me to the owner of a circus with a freak show when I was thirteen. The man who bought me even had the audacity to lock in me in a cage that looked like one of those fancy gilded birdcages that old ladies buy. It had a swing and everything," she snorted derisively from painful memory. "I was locked up for seven years until I finally escaped. I've been alone, running scared, for nearly a year."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, sliding his hand down her arm. He wanted to ask more questions but decided against it.

"You didn't know. How could you know? I just got here right?" she sniffed, looking into his sad brown eyes with her teary black ones. "I'm sure everyone here has a tragic story to tell. I can't be the only one."

"No, you're not. But not all of us have a sad tale of unfortunate circumstances or a terrible past. Some of us are freaks by choice. Like me. I chose to get all of these tattoos," he admitted, holding her hands between his as he looked at her. "There are all kinds of people here. There are people like Kenpachi and Yachiri whose size can be explained by science. Then there are people like me who chose to be different. And there are people here like Yoruichi, Sajin, and you. You are the real deal. There's no explanation for you. You are the true freaks."

"Thanks. I think," she said, lowering her gaze from his. "We can only be explained by science fiction. Not science."

"I don't mean that as a bad thing, Raven," he murmured, touching her face.

Corbeau liked that he called her Raven, the meaning of her name. Sajin had made her heart skip a beat when he called her Angel. He had been a very nice surprise for her. She had been called blackbird, crow, jackdaw, even buzzard a time or two. Never a complimentary nickname.

"Come on. There's a lot more people to meet. Your new family is quite large and extensive," he informed her. He pulled her into his arms, brushing lips across hers with the lightest touch. "Welcome home. I'm glad you came."

By nightfall, Corbeau was exhausted and her head was swimming from all of the names and faces of the people she had met. They were strolling across the big vacant lot between the show tents and the parking lot filled with the motor homes, pop up campers, other various vehicles that the performers and workers of the huge freak show and side show were staying in. She was so weary and exhausted. Her feet and legs were sore from all of the walking.

"Do you want to stay with me?" he inquired, staring straight ahead as they walked.

"That would be great. I was just wondering what I was going to do," she said, breathing a deep sigh of relief. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all," he rejoined, taking her by the hand to lead her to his brand new red and white motor coach. Everyone fussed at him for wasting money on something so big for one person. He argued that he did not want to be alone all his life. Hopefully his future had arrived and it had a black pair of wings.

"Nice," Corbeau commented when she noticed that there was a pin stripe detailing around the top and bottom edges of the whole RV just like his tattoos. She walked up the two metal steps into the house on wheels.

"Can you fly?" he inquired with the consuming curiosity like that of a child.

Corbeau smiled. She loved that about him. He was so open and so sweet. "They are more decorative than functional," she admitted, turning to look at him when he entered the RV behind her.

"Do you want to take a shower?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound like a horny pervert.

"That would be great. Damn it," she muttered. "I don't have any clothes."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you," Renji assured her. "Just go take a shower. I'll find something for you to put on."

Corbeau did as he suggested, keeping her wings tucked in tightly in the small space that served as a shower while the hot water beat down on her. It felt so good to her tired, sore body. She had felt so grimy and dirty between the sweat and the fine dusting of dirt that had gathered on her skin. When she got out, she wrapped one towel around her waist and held another one across her front. She found a tank top that he cut the straps on so they were long enough to tie behind her neck to hold it up. She almost giggled at the black silk boxers with the red flames running up the legs. To think he would wear something like that was beyond funny. She dried off and dressed in a hurry to get out of the cramped space.

"Thank you," she told him when she found him lying on the bed.

"You're welcome. Come lay down while I get a shower. I know you're tired," he said.

Corbeau lay down on the bed groaning loudly because the soft bed felt so good. "Oh, this feels so wonderful!" she cried out as if she were in ecstasy, wiggling around on the bed like a dog trying to find its sweet spot to lie down in.

"Oh, dear god," he muttered under his breath as he watched her. He decided a cold shower would be in order.

Corbeau finally found a comfortable position on her side with one of the big thick pillows held between her legs. She grabbed the other pillow to hug and snuggle into. She wondered what it would feel like to do this to Renji. With a hint of a smile on her lips and the pillow grasped tightly in her fingers, she fell asleep.

Renji got out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist and leaving his hair to drip down his naked chest and back. He smiled at the woman passed out in his bed. Since she was dead asleep he did not bother going anywhere else to dry off and get dressed. Too bad he didn't know she was a light sleeper.

Corbeau cracked open one eye to see a nicely shaped tanned backside with tattoos on it filling her vision. She was immediately wide awake and staring. His dripping wet hair was plastered to his back. For the first time, she was able to see the tattoos covering his lower half. She watched him dry off then wrap the towel around his soaking wet hair. Her eyes snapped shut when he suddenly turned to face her. She pretended to be asleep, and it was so hard not to open her eyes because she wanted to see him. Her heart skipped a beat as the bed shifted when he sat down right beside her. He was so close the warmth from his body radiated into her skin. She held her breath as he lay down behind her putting an arm around her waist to hold her close. A giggle almost bubbled out of her when he unceremoniously snatched the pillow from between her legs. It was suddenly very unfunny and rather arousing when he nudged his leg between hers, pressing his thigh firmly between hers to replace the pillow. This situation was quite disconcerting in its intimate and arousing nature. Her body began to tremble.

"Are you awake?" Renji whispered, his breath tickling her neck.

"No," she whispered back, making him snort when he attempted to stifle a chuckle.

"Do you want me to move?"

"No."

Renji snuggled against her and despite their decidedly compromising and somewhat stimulating position, they fell asleep that way.