I felt soooo bad!!! I seriously thought that I had posted this in like, July. O.o

But yeah, this one is almost 5000 words, and has lotsa events, so be happy! :D

Also, there is no lemon. The rating stays (T) k thnx. v.v

There's just lotsa innuendoes. .

But circus fun! :D YAYZ!

It really really really made me wanna go to the circus. o.o

Also, I don't own Hana Kimi.

Although, I'd totally be a freakin' sweet owner of Hana Kimi. .

Regardless, IT BEGINS!

I stared out the tiny plane window, watching the once imposing buildings grow smaller and smaller. The cooling system on the plane was outstanding, and I could feel shivers run up my spine. I shuddered suddenly, the cold a complete contrast from my hot sunbathed skin. I began to lightly tremble, and I could feel Taiki watching me from the corner of his eye. He was biding his time, waiting for the plane to settle before he pressured the stewardess to present him with a cup of hot tea. I suddenly wished I had brought my heliotrope colored blazer in my carryon bag.

Taiki directed his attention to Nakatsu, as Taiki was sitting between the frenzied male and I. Nakatsu dug his fingers into the arm rest of the chair, and I feared he might tear the leather. He bit down on his lip with excessive force, causing it to bleed. I doubted he enjoyed plane rides.

I stared down at my feet, wanting desperately to kick off my Mary Janes. I rather disliked shoes, but unfortunately I had resolved to wear my completely impractical rainbow stockings. This meant I couldn't wear flip-flops, as I insisted on ridiculing those who wore socks with sandals. I fiddled uncomfortably in my seat, feeling the uninvited cold air drift up my skirt. The aircraft finally obtained stability, and Taiki took the immediate opportunity to gingerly ask for tea.

Rio and Mizuki could be heard chatting behind us, and I turned around to see Ginny fast asleep with the aid of a mask covering her eyes. I giggled as her mouth hung open and a soft snore began. Sano sat in the row in front of us, as he had traded tickets with Mizuki to prevent her from having to sit with strangers. I noticed also that the two strangers he was positioned next to happened to be attractive teenage boys who kept looking behind them towards Mizuki. Sano's grip tightened on his arm rest. I doubt it was for the same reasons Nakatsu was asphyxiating his chair. I smiled, happy that Mizuki had someone who cared for her so much.

A few strands of hair fell in my face, and before I could brush them back, a familiar hand had already completed the action. Taiki hadn't even seemed to look up from his tea. I suddenly felt self-conscious, unaware that he could watch me without making it notably visible. Ginny's snoring grew louder.

"Wow! New York's so big!" Nakatsu said in wonder as he gaped at the sight of the city.

"What time do we have to be at the hotel?" Taiki asked calmly. I tried to walk closer to him, but my insecurities returned as he gave me a cautious look, causing me to stumble and nearly trip.

"Fifteen minutes, but it'll only take us five minutes to get there if we take the subway." Ginny responded.

She spotted an staircase winding down into darkness, and quickly grabbed my hand, leading the way. I was dragged lifelessly behind, feeling particularly rag dollish. Our train was to leave in three minutes, and Ginny wasted no time shoving our motley group into the packed subway car. We all held tightly onto the sticky metal bar, all of which except my mother, who insisted on placing a hand wipe on the bar before letting her slender fingers grip it.

I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach, and turned to see a pair of unfamiliar eyes staring at me. A disheveled male who looked to be around nineteen or twenty sitting in the far corner of the car was staring intensely in my direction. Feeling my face flush, I looked down at my colorful ankles timidly. I watched Taiki shuffle his feet to look in the direction of what caused me to become downcast. I looked towards Taiki's face to catch a glimpse of his reaction to the strange man staring. It wasn't happy. I watched as the two males' eyes shot daggers at each other, a frown deeply embedded into Taiki's features. The train suddenly stopped, jarring the two out of their staring contest. The environment around me seemed to be thick with hostility, and I was thankful when Ginny latched onto my wrist once again to drag me like a puppy behind her and out of the car. I turned to look behind me one last time, only to see the young male stop and stare at me as I left.

We arrived at the hotel on time, and I was relieved to know that there were no surprises this time: Mizuki, Rio, Ginny, and I would share one room, while Taiki, Nakatsu, and Sano would allocate another. We quickly got settled in our rooms, discussing what to do next.

"The first show is tonight." Ginny said while making coffee. "It'll be at seven. It's four now, and it'll take a half an hour to get there, so we'd better leave at six so we can obtain good seats."

"As you wish." Taiki said while calmly sipping his tea. I watched him unsurely from across the room. He knew something that we didn't, and I could tell.

It was soon time to leave, and this time, no unusual individuals stared at me on the ride there. The queue lines weren't too long, and we all waited anxiously for our tickets. I bit my lip, feeling that same unnerving chill that grew inside me whenever Gabriel was readying himself for an episode. I shivered and felt like vomiting. I wanted the ghostly entity out of me immediately. Taiki looked at me intensely, knowing already what was running through my mind. I quivered beneath the might of his gaze, feeling smaller somehow. I needed to know the information he was hiding from me immediately. Before I could ask, however, I noticed a familiar piece of body art on one of the bare backs of the circus workers. My brother had engraved his favorite phrase down his spine on his eighteenth birthday. The worker's face was covered by a whimsical yet eerie mask and wore only jeans, most likely because of the heat. My legs crumbled beneath me, disbelief evident on my features. My companions all rushed to assist me back to my feet, and I watched silently as the one I believed to be my brother seemed to stare directly in my direction. He lingered there for a second before another worker beckoned him to go assist elsewhere.

Taiki grasped my cold hand in his own, leading me to the ticket booth. We purchased our tickets and our party found seats together for the show. The lights dimmed and I searched for any sign of my brother in the opening act. He wasn't there. Gabriel hissed within me, knowing how close we had been to making the contact needed to transfer him out of my body.

The clowns bounded about below in the rings, making fools of each other and performing comical tricks. Two particular jesters, one short and stocky, the other tall and lean, introduced the others. They beamed and picked fights with each other, sending the crowd into a roar of laughter. The rest of the jokers swarmed out and did a clumsy dance, choreographed seamlessly to appear rough and rowdy. A female clown in purple with several flowery prints tap danced out and challenged another male clown, signaling a comical dance off. Children leaned forward in their seats, giggling happily. The female purple clown won, and the comical entertainers all came together to ready themselves for their final number. The spotlights beamed a gleaming light towards them, and each finished up with a finale involving butter cream pies, a halibut, and twenty seven chickens. Don't ask.

The next act was a lovely brunette woman walking across the tight tope. Ginny watched her enviously. The woman's balance was perfect and she made it across the rope with ease. She was followed by three trapeze artists, all male, who completed acrobatic flips and swings with such skill that I doubted if they were human. It was then Taiki's turn to look to the performers with a wondrous expression. His yoga positions seemed tame compared to their flying flexibility.

A petite woman in a gold sequined dress then appeared on stage, and fog flooded the ring. Her skin was paler than any complexion I had ever seen, and her hair was flaxen. She had a thick amount of shimming eye shadow on her dark eyes, but it was strangely flattering to her small features. Her lips pursed into a nervous smile before she opened her mouth to reveal one of the purest voices I had ever heard. As she sang, the males in the huge area all seemed to hang on every word, transfixed by the siren song. However, even the females eyes lit up, as we were all charmed by the tiny woman's modest voice. Just as she finished a particularly impressive high note, her opposite in every way floated down on a swing being lowered by a few clowns.

The newcomer was a man that paralleled the tiny woman. He had noticeably dark skin and jet black hair, and wore a superfluous purple blazer with a black pant, white shirt, and green tie with pink polka dots. He had several body piercings, and had white costume make-up on over his eyes that contrasted strangely against his skin tone. He hopped down from the swing and landed with grace unexpected from someone as lanky as he. A deep baritone flowed from his lips, and the two began a duet. Their song was slow and sweet, and they walked slowly towards each other the entire time, but never seemed to touch.

He made his way steadily towards her, attempting to reach out and take her in his arms, but she would always move slightly, just enough to be out of his reach once again. Just as she stopped avoiding him, and they were about to take each others hands, the music changed to an upbeat jazz piece and the two began a fast paced swing number together. The tap-dancing clowns returned to the ring, and a few fire-breathers appeared as well. Acrobats cart wheeled in, and the excellently coordinated number kept us all smiling. The performance finished with a bang as the tiny woman in gold leaped into the air, being caught by her purple-clad partner.

Several other acts were performed, but I noticed no sign of my brother or my uncle, and figured he might be masked as well as my brother. We exited the extra large tent, only to find that there was a nostalgic 'Freak Show' set up to elaborate on the circuses of an earlier generation.

We wandered through the exhibits, and I watched my friends faces light up with amazement and sometimes flinch with disgust at the displays. I floated behind them, barely taking note of anything. The sickness in my stomach grew worse as I knew Gabriel was getting impatient. Taiki lingered with me behind the rest, eyeing me cautiously, careful to make sure Gabriel didn't try to suffocate me to find escape as he had done the second time Taiki and I had met. Ginny noted my foul mood, and was careful not to tease me. The atmosphere around me seemed thick with disaster as Gabriel came closer still to his goal. We immerged from the line of exhibits to the exit, but Ginny stopped us. She looked frantically about, and I realized she had spent the show the same way I had: Searching. Disgruntled that her ex-husband was nowhere in sight, she turned to leave, but bumped into a masked worker. She said excuse me, but he remained silent, moving only slightly to get out of her way. He turned to walk away and immediately I caught a glimpse of my brother's tattoo drifting away.

The cold feeling inside my stomach grew stronger, and I felt my throat twist, causing the simulation of choking. I began to gag and fell backwards, feeling my body hit the ground with a loud 'thud'. Instantly, Taiki was at my side, lifting me off the ground and into his arms. He swore long and fast in Japanese before everyone began to panic, beckoning for medics. I shut my eyes and tried to sleep, scared of the pain that might remain if I stayed awake. I heard more footsteps and someone shouting for everyone to move aside.

"Everyone! Get out of the way! Where is sh-" The voice was male. "…that's my niece!"

"Isabella? Isabella sweetie it's Uncle Jay. Please open your eyes for me sweetie. You're gonna be okay." A gruff voice called me back into consciousness.

"Mmm… It's cold…" I mumbled incoherently as my eyes fluttered open. There were relieved sighs all throughout the room.

"You gave us quite a scare there." He smiled slightly, and I suddenly noticed a scar across his eye.

"Uncle Jay!" I sat up and hugged him, and he smiled and hugged me back. "What happened to your eye?" I asked, looking at the foreign scar.

"Just a few flesh wounds." He joked dryly, motioning to the scars, scrapes, and burns on several places of his body. "That's what happens when you work in a circus." I hugged him again.

"I missed you so much. We have so much to talk about. We came all the way from Japan to see you!" I said, motioning to my friends.

"Ah, I see, Ginny's cooking that bad? You could've just ordered take-out." He joked. Ginny feigned betrayal and hurt behind him.

"We come all the way to see you, and you insult me!" She said melodramatically.

"Well then, what exactly have you come to see me for?" he asked, a quizzical expression plastered on his gruff face. "Not that I'm not happy to see you."

"We need to know… where my brother is." I blurted the last part out in a whisper.

"Ah, I see." He paused, a serious expression appearing on his face. "You know, he came to my house one night, all scratched up. I asked him if he'd been in a fight, seeing as you know how hot-tempered he can be. He just said that some guy had tried to hurt you, and he'd taken care of it, and that the guy wouldn't bother you anymore. He stayed the night, and the morning after we'd watched the news and figured out what happened. You were pretty brave. I'm proud of you. My little fighter." He nudged me in the arm. "The moment he heard, he started packing up his things to rush over there, but, you see, he couldn't leave the house. Two thugs were spreading lighter fluid all around my house. We assumed it was some friends of the low life that tried to hurt you, out to get revenge. They probably weren't too happy with their buddy gettin' beaten by your big brother." He winked at me.

"So I rushed to the phone and called the police and all that lot, and Tim was rushing about, trying to develop an escape plan. I wouldn't have any of this nonsense about not leaving me behind, so I pushed your brother out the door and told him to run to safety. He argued with me, but I locked him out. To be quite honest, it was six in the morning and I wasn't really ready to deal with that type of shit that early in the day. So Tim went out the back door, and the two morons with the lighter fluid didn't see him, so I ran upstairs, trying to find my gun- I promise I wasn't gonna shoot them, just scare them a little. Well, I found it, but the punks had already lit the stuff up, and the house had caught to burning. I watched the punks leave from the bedroom window. Anyways, the fire department showed up and kicked down my door. They saw the gun and I guess they decided that I was apparently suicidal. They practically tackled the gun out of my hands and dragged me outside. I kept trying to tell them that they needed to go track down those kids, but they wouldn't listen. They pulled me out and told me I was delusional- My nephew was nowhere to be seen in the house and there were no signs of any delinquents outside. They shipped me out to the hospital to check me out, and then suggested that I check into a mental hospital. Doctors- We're all quacks." He grinned.

"Anyways, suggestions to us are more like demands, and your brother had no idea of where to find me, so I was dropped in some mental health facility to make sure that I was alright in the head. There I met a certain pyro- Mathew over here." He gestured to one of the fire breathers, who nodded awkwardly. It was then that I noticed several of the performers were here in the tent with us. "He told me that he had a brother in this circus, who had told him that the moment he checked out of the hospital, he had a job here at the circus waiting for him. Well, with all the dangerous stunts that occur here, I imagined that they might be in need of a doctor, so we made a deal to come here together." Mathew smiled, and I noticed the baritone male singer in purple pat Mathew on the shoulder. I concluded from their dark skin and familiar gestures that the purple baritone was Mathew's mentioned brother.

"But low and behold- who should appear at the damned institution to bust me out but my hot-headed nephew." He said endearingly. "Ole' pyro over here was free to go, but had been waiting on me, so we added Tim to the group. Clown Town or bust, right? So we showed up here, and were greeted with open arms. I'm the medic here, Mathew's a fire breather, and Tim is just a helping pair of arms. You might've seen him already, but he usually wears some corny clown mask- He's so paranoid that the thugs from before might try to harm our friends here that he rarely shows his face. He's such a worrier. I keep telling him-"

"How could you?" Ginny barked accusingly, pointing an angry finger at my uncle.

"Ginny, honey, I know we should have told you where we were, but Tim didn't wanna put Isabella in danger and-"

"No no, not that. How could YOU tell ME that I couldn't be a tight-rope walker and then JOIN A FREAKIN' CIRCUS!?!?" She snarled dramatically.

"Oh. Well. You see, it's all very complicated and-"

I took the liberty of wandering out of the tent before the argument could commence. Everyone seemed to follow my cue as we all cowardly snuck away from the bickering. We stood outside in the darkness as we listened awkwardly to the cricket sounds and faint quarreling. Mathew looked at me timidly from the corner of his eye, and I realized how young he really was. He looked to be around nineteen, but seemed incredibly shy. His brother looked towards him and then back towards me and smiled.

"You already know my little brother Mathew here, but I'm Jacob. Jacob Jacobi. I know, our parents were cruel. But this is my lovely wife Elizabeth Ferruh." He introduced, motioning to the blonde. She smiled and shook my hand.

"My name is-"

"Isabella." Mathew blurted out loudly. He instantly blushed and looked down towards his feet again. Taiki's eyes narrowed. "Your uncle talks about you a lot." He explained. I smiled.

"And these are my friends Rio, Taiki, Mizuki, Nakatsu, and Sano." I chirped happily, motioning to each one as I said their name. They all grinned, (with the exception of Sano's strained smile and Taiki's almost unnoticeable glare towards Mathew), and greeted each of the performers. The other miscellaneous entertainers introduced themselves as well, and we all conversed lightly. Elizabeth pulled me aside, however, and voiced her concerns.

"Forgive me if I seem to pry, but I'm quite the worrier and would feel much more comfortable if you were to lie down and sleep for awhile. You took quite a fall." She voiced with a thick British accent I hadn't noticed in her singing. I smiled, and decided it was best. Taiki hovered nearby, more uneasy than ever with my brother supposedly close by. Elizabeth noticed this and smiled, beckoning him towards us.

"Would you like to stay with her? You two seem rather close, so I assume you are seeing each other?" She made the statement into a question with her tiny timid voice.

"Yes, thank you. That would be quite accommodating." Taiki said politely, and I was very proud of his English.

We followed her to yet another large tent, not too far from the one we were previously staying at. There were a few beds and trunks of personal belongings inside, so I assumed it belonged to Elizabeth and Jacob. I thanked her repeatedly for her kindness, and sat down on the bed. She smiled warmly provided me with a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in before she left the tent, allowing me and Taiki time to be alone. I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my stockings, and Taiki waited outside to allow me time to dress. The shorts were blue plaid print and amazingly comfortable, and the t-shirt had a peace sign on it with the phrase 'Make Love, Not War' written beneath it. I smiled and alerted Taiki that he could reenter. He sat at the edge of my bed and sighed. I leaned forward and placed a slender hand on his arm.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Long day." He muttered, and I frowned.

"You should sleep then." I smiled.

"Too much on my mind right now to sleep." He rubbed his temples. I scooted closer and rested my head on his shoulder. He looked down at me and smiled.

"And now I have to worry about all the American boys here developing crushes on you." He sighed, but I pouted.

"Nonsense." I declared.

"Clearly not. I witnessed the looks you received from Mathew." He said with a tint of irritation.

"He was shy. Clearly nonsense."

"Clearly not."

"Nonsense."

"Not."

"Nonsense."

"Not."

"Non-" Taiki silenced me with a forceful kiss as he placed both hands on either side of my face, pulling me closer. I protested for only a few seconds before accepting the lost cause and participating in the kiss. He slowly pushed me down onto the bed before letting one of his hands grip my waist and the other provide him with balance as he hovered above me on the bed. It was a slow and wavering kiss, as he was noticeably tense from the strain of the day's events. He seemed to fluctuate between possibilities- take it further, or end it now- and I could almost hear the thoughts flooding through his head. He wanted to touch me more- I could tell- but he knew how weak I was, how defenseless- how undoubtedly willing to do whatever I thought would make him happy- and how could he be wrong? He could extract my reaction to see it in his mind almost before it happened- He was psychic.

But Taiki was too nice- too polite- to ask me for such a thing.

He wanted it though.

My eyes fluttered opened as I pulled away, and he looked at me, confused as to why he was undoubtedly reading fear from my aura. I wrap my arms around his neck and pressed my forehead against his, looking into his deep dark eyes that always seemed to hold all the answers, but were never willing to share them. He looked at me with contemplation, and I decided not to try to read his expression, but instead to try and express my own feelings in a way that he could understand. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I made tiny circles with my finger on his chest.

"Don't stop this time." I whispered timidly in his ear. His eyes widened in shock and his grip on my waist loosened. "I belong to you- Make me yours." I continued, resting my head on his shoulder and looking up towards his still astonished face nervously. He looked at me, his eyes analyzing me for any signs of a lack of sureness or any insecurities. He gulped, and pulled me closer.

"Are you sure?" He asked seriously, composure returning.

"Yes. Very." I mumbled into his neck.

He smiled and placed me gently on the bed below him, hovering above me before gingerly taking my lips with his own. He pulled his jacket off and I tugged his shirt over his head, watching him flinch when the cold air hit his skin. He leaned back over me and I wrapped one arm around his neck while the other clumsily massaged his torso. He kissed me more assuredly, exhibiting more forcefulness than he had during any other passionate endeavor. His dark hair hung in his face and I smiled blissfully into the kiss. Taiki's slender spidery hands made a venture to foreign lands as one crept up my stomach and timidly- almost delicately- rested on my breast. I arched my back and mewed. Almost instantly Taiki's hand recoiled, suddenly unsure. I smiled up at him, urging him to continue. He smiled back, confidence renewed.

"Hey. Get your hands off my sister." An angry voice hissed from the entrance of the tent.

My eyes shot wide open in shock as I looked towards the doorway to watch my brother peel off a motley clown mask. The face underneath it was a familiar one, but instead of the kind concern I was used to, I instead saw an enraged glare in Taiki's direction. Taiki went rigid and sat up on the bed, searching for his shirt. He found it and pulled it over his hand before standing and attempting to extend his hand forward to introduce himself. I stopped him however, and placed myself in front of him, signally that this was not the time for introductions. Taiki looked humbly over my shoulder towards my brother, as I withstood my barrier, making sure that my brother could not lunge towards my boyfriend and strangle him. I looked towards my brother with mixed feelings of fear for my loved one and joy for my brother's return. I took a few timid steps towards him before giving in and lunging towards him in a great hug.

His anger dissolved momentarily as he wrapped his arms around me to embrace me, holding me close and thanking God for our reunion. He continued to glare at Taiki over my shoulder, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed, and kissed my forehead.

"I've missed you so much!" I beamed, tears welling up in my eyes.

"I've missed you too." He smiled. "Now…" He said, turning towards Taiki. "Who's your friend?" He hissed, a sadistic smile stretching across his face.

Review and stuff! :D

It makes me happy!

I'm already working on the next chapter, I just didn't know I hadn't posted this. It's been ready for like ever. o_o