AN: It's been a while! Sorry, things were getting hectic!
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The days in his home country passed with Leon in a state of numbness.
He and May were staying at the hotel with the Circus Festival competitors—separate rooms, of course. He didn't think he could stand it if they had the same room.
When they had first walked into the hotel lobby, whispers surrounded them, every performer in France recognizing the long, silver hair of the 'God of Death.' Leon had gone off without May to ask for his room key, though he found that it had been pulled up and placed on the counter for him already.
As he had walked to the elevators, he heard many people asking to switch floors if they were on the same one as him.
He blankly stared at the dying sunset through his bay window as his mind thought back on their stay here thus far.
Nothing's changed.
There wasn't anything comforting in that, though it did mean that people would be less likely to bother him. When his hotel phone rang, he let out a tired sigh.
Except for May.
Ever since they've arrived, the Chinese acrobat has been calling him almost twice a day to go and practice. He really didn't see the need for it, not caring if they won or not. He just wanted it to be over. His sleep had been off since the reintroduction of the Circus Festival back at the Kaleido Stage.
Now that they were actually there, phantoms came with a stronger force, even in the daytime.
He let the phone ring for a while more and then picked it up, May's voice immediately telling him when she'd like to practice. He gave a curt response back and then hung up.
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The next day, the committee sent out the official competitors listing.
May perused it as she ate her breakfast, curtsey of room service. She had a pen in hand as she dismissed competitors and circled ones to look out for. When she came across hers and Leon's name, she had a smug look on her face.
She put stars next to them.
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Leon had been up very early, seeing as he could not get much sleep as of late.
His sweat towel was around his neck as he walked back from the weight room and idly looked at the windows of other workout rooms. Up ahead and around the right corner were the trapeze rooms; Leon was beginning to walk by them when one of the doors suddenly opened, making him pause.
His eyes widened a bit at the figure in front of him.
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May continued to cross out names, snickering at a few at them when her pen hovered over a familiar name. Her blue eyes widened, her jaw dropped in shock. She didn't notice that the scrambled egg in her mouth was slipping out in a very uncouth manner.
"What in all the blazes is this?!" she shrieked.
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Before him stood a very familiar blonde and brunette couple in their training gear.
"Alice," Leon murmured, and then turned to the man, "Mute."
Alice's hand tightened around the strap of her gym bag. "You have a lot of nerve coming back to France."
A hand on her shoulder prevented her from stepping forward towards Leon. Mute did not speak, but made sure that talking was all Alice did. It wouldn't do if they got in a fight with another contestant. Though, Mute was upset with Leon having injured a member of their troupe nearly two years ago; however, nothing good would come from physical fighting.
"It was not my intention," was all Leon said and then walked off.
"Tssh. 'Not my intention,'" Leon heard Alice say, "Of course it was, why else would the Kaleido Stage send two performing teams?"
Leon continued to walk back to his room, however, Alice's words rolled around in his head.
Whatever is she talking about?
He lightly frowned in confusion.
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Once showering, Leon decided to eat his breakfast in the dining area, having tired of staying in his hotel room for nearly a week now.
He settled himself down by a window seat and opened up the hotel menu.
Before long, a server came to his table, asking him for his order. Leon looked up, began to answer the man when something gave him pause.
For the second time that morning, his eyes widened as Sora sat down at a table near the front of the dining area. He felt a mixture of elation and heartache, though the emotion quickly plunged into overwhelming disbelief.
A blonde haired man slipped into the seat across from Sora with practiced ease.
Yuri Killian.
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