Author: Snow Tigra
Rating: unrated…
Pairing: 3x4x3
Warnings: AU, Trowa's Point of View
Spoilers: none
Archive: Fanfiction.net
Author's Note: This is definitely not the circus from the series, trust me!
The Circus Part 1
If you were to ask me today I probably still wouldn't be able to explain why I joined the circus. I'm still not sure what exactly led me there, perhaps I was bored and wanted something new. Perhaps fate placed her hand on my shoulder and pushed me in that direction. Perhaps it was just chance. Or perhaps he called to me.
Whatever the reason I found myself, on that stormy evening, standing inside the large tent with my duffel bag slung over my shoulder as I faced the manager. The manager, who was currently holding my poor excuse for a resume, was a large man dressed in bright red show clothes. His thick brown hair curled tightly around his face and a thick mustache climbed up from his nose. His dark brown eyes glanced from the yellowed paper full of my neat scrawlings to my face, scrutinizing my blank and emotionless expression. I remained silent as he fiddled with his mustache, waiting.
"Very impressive range of skills, but this paper shows me nothing." He shoved the paper back into my hands and placed his own on his hips, in an attempt to look intimidating. "Prove to me why I should hire you."
A different person would have frowned or stopped to think but I had expected this, and already had an idea of what to do. Without a pause I set down my duffel bag and the paper under it so it wouldn't blow away, then walked past the manager to the lion's cage against the other end of the tent. The huge cat growled at me and padded around the cage, staking out its territory visibly. Taking a deep yet silent breath I stopped next to the cage and slid my arm through the bars.
"You stupid boy!" The manager raced toward my side to pull me back, but I held up a hand, causing him to stop a few feet away.
My eyes still on the pacing cat I knelt down slowly and turned my hand so the palm faced up. I fixed my eyes on the lion and just watched him carefully. Animals don't listen to words; they watch one's eyes, just like me. So I knew how to communicate with them, at least to an extent. Widening my eyes slightly I concentrated on placing my feelings in my eyes for him to see.
I won't hurt you, I promise. Trust me.
That's the expression I tried to let into my eyes. I've never practiced this in the mirror but it usually works when I want to, so I just knelt there, my hand outstretched and waiting patiently. Beyond me the lion stopped pacing and just regarded me quietly for a moment. Then it seemed to make up its mind and began to approach me. It walked all the way to my side of the cage but didn't touch my hand. Instead it dropped onto the ground and rolled onto its back, showing me its stomach. Ah, the true sign of a cat seeing if you are worthy of its trust.
Slowly and carefully I moved my hand through the bars, ignoring the large cat's stomach. Instead I moved my hand to his ears and dug my fingers into the thick fur, scratching him under his mane. Immediately the cat's eyes slid shut and it began a low purr. I'd passed the test by not trying to pet its stomach right away; I'd earned its friendship.
"Amazing… Catherine come look at this."
The manager knelt down beside me and watched with wide eyes as I stroked my fingers through the thick mane, all the while the lion purring like the friendliest little kitten.
From the corner of my eyes I could see a young girl step into the tent dressed in a sparkling performance outfit. The outfit was designed just right to show off her mature figure yet also give you the impression of innocence, making her seem like she was still a child. The single golden star hanging from her left ear sparkled in the tent's lamplight as she paused at the doorway, her mouth dropping open.
"He doesn't even let the feeder touch him like that," she whispered in wonder as she approached us. Her voice rang out like soft bells, truly the voice of trained innocence. She approached us and looked down at me, her hands on her hips. "Just who are you?"
I pulled my hands from the cage and stood up, averting my eyes from her face after one quick glance. "Trowa Barton."
Beside me the manager stood up and flashed a broad grin. "No need to be shy now. This is Catherine Bloom, our resident knife thrower and acrobat. Catherine, this is Trowa, our new animal caretaker."
I resisted the urge to smile. I'd been hired. Instead I glanced at Catherine and nodded a greeting to her.
"You don't talk much do you Trowa?"
I shook my head, no.
She smiled. "Well, that'll probably change as you know us better. No worries."
"Catherine, do you mind showing him around the tents?"
"No trouble at all. He can share my trailer until we get another free one. Come on Trowa, this way."
Catherine led me out of the tent and the manager followed us for a while until we came to the small clusters of trailers behind the tents, at which point he stopped and headed off toward his own trailer. I paused and let Catherine walk on chattering about nothing in particular. The manager approached his trailer and the door opened for him, the figure of a small boy standing in the little doorway.
I couldn't help but stare as the boy moved to the side and let the manager into the trailer. Even though I only saw him for a second the image managed to burn itself in my mind. The boy was young, or at least he looked young. Unlike Catherine the innocence that showed in his body and manner was not practiced, it was natural. Golden blond hair glimmered in the dim trailer light while deep blue eyes sparkled with smiles all their own. He glanced at me for a mere second then quickly shut the door, leaving me to stare at the cheap artificial wood.
Who was he?
Behind me I felt Catherine grab my shoulder and yank me toward the trailer. Pulling me in quickly she pushed the door shut and regarded me with a serious expression.
"Trowa, if you're going to travel with us there is something you need to learn. Rule number one, that boy does not exist. You can't talk to him, even if he talks to you, understand?"
I opened my mouth to protest but pause. This wasn't the time to ask, I was a new person in their group and I had no right. "Understood," I mutter quietly and dismiss all my questions for later. Better not to jeopardize my position, since they could dismiss me at any time.
Her expression lightened and she dropped down onto the couch against the wall of the long trailer. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. You just need to understand that we don't speak to him, no matter what. Speaking to him is a surefire way of disappearing."
I raised an eyebrow. "Disappearing?"
She laughed. "No, not like murder or death or anything, silly. No, you just get kicked out, that's all. It's hard to explain and I barely know anything about it, don't even know the kid's name really." She shrugged. "But we aren't allowed to talk to him, no matter what. I wouldn't suggest breaking that rule."
I nodded and set my duffel bag down on the floor near the couch. "I won't."
"Good, you can have the couch for right now since it's the only place to sleep at the moment, unless you want to share the bed." I could see the hopefulness in her face but I shook my head.
"I won't intrude."
She stood up and shrugged. "Suit yourself." With that she walked toward the back of the trailer and pulled the thin pink curtain to cover the room. "Night Trowa."
"Night."
But I didn't sleep well that night. Every time I closed my eyes I could see his form standing in that lit doorway. The entire image was surreal, making him look like some glowing angel amidst a sea of normalcy. He was beautiful, the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen and I didn't understand it. Rolling over in the couch I sighed and tried to sleep once more. But still the image haunted me.
Who was he?
TBC…