Chapter Twenty

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Sora tucked her necklace into her leotard top. The metal and stones of her new engagement ring were cold against her chest. Leon also wore his necklace under his leotard. Neither could bear to part from the other's gifts of affection.

"Are you ready?" Leon asked. His hand rested gently upon the small of her back, warm against the thin material.

"I'm more excited about meeting our family and friends afterwards and telling them about our news," Sora whispered back. She peeked past the stage curtains and spied her parents, grandparents, and their friends Fuu and Rick from Japan sitting all in a row. Jacque and Marie saw behind them.

The curtains were drawn to cover the stage and the process of swapping out the previous performers for Leon and Sora's routine began. The stage crew were quick and efficient and the aerial silks were installed perfectly. Slowly the curtains began to draw back revealing the stage. Leon and Sora stood across from one another with the silks high above them, too far to reach. Music began as a soft and mellow sound through the loud speakers and would gradually evolve into a more aggressive and intense melody.

They started on the ground, circling around the silks until they met. Leon picked up Sora and held her over his head with one strong hand at her waist while her hand balanced off his muscular shoulder. They shifted as effortless as mercury sliding over itself so that Leon was kneeling and Sora was balanced across his back, hands-free of one another.

Sora slid off Leon's back and stalked away in rhythm to the increasing pace of the music's beats. The silks fell down toward the stage and Leon stood between the two sheets of material and wrapped each of his arms to draw himself up into the air. He drifted back down, head towards the stage, and Sora climbed onto his back.

They rose up together, stretched horizontally. They moved around one another in perfect symmetry and then floated towards the ground and both stepped back to the stage releasing the silks. Leon backflipped away from the silks while Sora twisted the material around her waist, entwined her legs into it, and spread her arms looking like a butterfly twirling prettily. She continue to climb up after she finished her rotations, freeing up the lower half of the silks for Leon to join her. He grabbed hold of it and ran briefly around the stage gaining momentum and then sending both of them spinning in a rapid circle stretching over the front rows of the audience.

For the duration of the J-Pop song, they alternated doing tricks on the silks, sometimes individually and other times as a seamless team.

By the end of the performance, the audience applauded, cheered, and whistled appreciatively. Sora and Leon stood side by side, bowing to the audience and smiling happily. Leon wrapped his arm around Sora's waist, leaned down, and kissed her in front of the crowd, sparking an even more enthusiastic applause.

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OoO

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Leon observed the set up of the two parallel vertical trapeze bars for his and Sora's performance. The two bars stretched nearly six meters in height, had two levels of platforms on the upper third, and ladders to climb up on either side.

"It's time. Are you ready for out last performance?" He asked, looking down at Sora. She stood at his side wearing a silver and white leotard that matched his own. Her face was covered with silver paint, as was his own. And while her hair was braided in a crown around her head, his was loose about his shoulders. They both looked other-worldly.

Sora smiled up at him, her grin dazzling. "Let's go blow their minds."

Their cue was signaled and they strode side-by-side onto the stage with the spotlight focused on them. Leon climbed one side of the parallel bars while Sora rose on the other. They topped the apparatus simultaneously and did mirror-image handstands.

Leon slipped down first to the stand with one foot balanced on either side of the bars on the upper platforms. He dipped his hands in chalk to keep his palms dry. Sora slid down like liquid silver onto Leon's shoulder and back, their bodies twisting into intricate contortion movements with precarious balance.

Sora moved down the front of Leon's body and faced him before dipping her hands into the chalk.

Leon stared into Sora's bright eyes, twinkling with excitement.

He inclined his head silently to ask if she was ready and she nodded.

The dangerous part of their trapeze act began. For the next two minutes, Leon grasped Sora's hands and forearms and tossed her into the air for repeated somersaults, catching her at the end of each athletic feat. She flew higher into the air each time and increased the number of her rotations.

By the end of the performance, they were both drenched in perspiration, only a thin layer of chalk, Leon's determination, and Sora's absolute confidence in him kept Sora from slipping and falling to the hard stage below.

The audience went wild throughout the performance and their applause was deafening as they concluded their act.

Twenty minutes later, they waited behind stage for the scoreboard to display May and her partner's final performance. "It's going to be close," Leon murmured.

Sora leaned her head against Leon's shoulder. "I'm already the winner," Sora said. She held up her ring under his nose. "I've got the best prize."

Leon smiled then kissed the crown of her head. "The monetary prize won't hurt though."

"I wouldn't turn it down," Sora said with a chuckle.

The numbers began to flash across the screen and Leon sucked in a breath sharply. They'd proved victorious. The competition had been better than he'd anticipated and yet, they'd won by a large margin.

"We have a lot to celebrate tonight," Leon said, standing up, and pulling Sora up with him. He braced his hands on either side of her waist and lifted her high into the air with his heart warming at the sound of her laughter.

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OoO

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A week after their victory and multiple celebrations with family and friends, Sora and Leon finally traveled back to California. The trip was easier than Sora thought it would be. She'd been worried that she'd feel depressed about missing the next season of Kaleido Stage, but honestly, it didn't feel like home anymore. It felt more akin to visiting her old high school campus. There were many great memories, some old friends, but really it was a stage of life she'd moved past.

"You okay?" Leon asked, his hand warm and reassuring as it held hers, their fingers entwined.

"I'm good," Sora said, smiling and looking up at him. "I thought I'd feel sad, but I'm really just excited to visit and then get on with our own lives."

Leon grinned faintly.

"Ah! The prodigal pair returns!" Kalos exclaimed, walking towards them with his arms outstretched and an amused look upon his face. "Have you come to beg me to re-sign your contracts? Or are you here to gloat about your success in the European Showcase?"

"Neither," Sora said with a giggle. She slipped away from Leon and ran towards Kalos, tackling him with a hug. "Layla and Yuri invited us to watch their practice performance of Through the Looking Glass."

Kalos extracted himself from Sora's embrace and looked down at the watch on his wrist. "You have an hour."

Sora looked back over her shoulder at Leon as he strode towards them with an easy grace. "We'd like to wander about the premises if you don't mind," she said, directing her gaze back towards Kalos.

"Yuri said to give you free reign," Kalos said with a shrug. "Since he owns Kaleido Stage, what he says goes." He checked his cell phone and frowned. "I've got to go. I'm running late for a meeting with May." He glanced back down at Sora with narrowed eyes. "She's renewing her contract."

"Don't let us interfere with business," Leon said calmly, slipping his arm possessively around Sora's shoulders. "Though, if you're open to the idea, we would be honored to return to Kaleido Stage on occasion for a few months per year. We even have a few ideas for future shows."

Kalos eyes widened and he grinned broadly. "That will certainly be a welcome conversation in my office after the afternoon practice performance." He winked at them and then hurried off for his meeting.

"Sora!" Fool materialized before Sora and Leon, his green hair fanned out behind him as he floated in front of the air conditioner vent. He looked between the two of them. "I can see your stars glowing bright."

"There is a little man flying in front of us," Leon stated, his voice flat in his shock.

"You can see him!" Sora cried, looking between Leon and the Fool.

"Of course, he can see me," Fool complained bitterly. "Pretty May can't see me, but the arrogant Frenchman can see me just fine." He crossed his right leg over his left knee and sat primly in the air. "You're both stars of the stage." He sniffed. "Though, it's been a long time since a male has been able to see me. Not since Yuri's father."

"How is Rosetta doing?" Sora asked. She knew that Fool had a soft spot in his heart for the red-haired beauty.

Fool sighed longingly. "She improves daily in both skill and beauty."

"And Layla?" Sora reached out and ruffled Fool's hair.

He shook his head in irritation. "She finally remembers the joy of performance," Fool answered.

"Sora! Leon!" Anna Heart called out, running down the hall towards them. Mia Gullem was right beside her, both breathless with excitement. "Sara thought she saw you two. Come on! I want to show you some of the new children's sections before the performance."

Fool vanished as soon as Anna and Mia arrived. Sora flashed Leon a sad smile, grateful that he'd understand her stories about Fool now.

"And I hear you have something to show us," Mia said. She grabbed Sora's left hand and stared at her engagement ring. "Wow!"

"So it's true!" Anna gasped. She grinned at Leon. "I always thought you weren't as terrible as you seemed!"

"Anna!" Sora scolded.

Leon laughed. "It's okay, Sora. You know it's true. I was a terror when I first joined Kaleido Stage."

"Of course, Sora has a tendency to bring out the best of people. Including a tyrant like you!" Mia said, poking a sharp finger into Leon's upper arm.

"That she does," Leon agreed.

"We don't have much time before the performance. You two better hurry and give us the tour," Sora said.

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OoO

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"Are you ready?" Yuri asked. He stretched his right leg on the ballet bar in the warmup room.

"Yes," Layla said with a nervous laugh. "I just wish my mother could be here to see us."

"She's watching, love. You know she's watching and she's proud." Yuri dropped his right leg and started to stretch his left one. "Your dad on the other hand, there is no pleasing that man. I'm glad you've realized that and decided to stop trying."

"I'll never stop trying, Yuri. But, I know there is more to life than his approval." Layla took a deep breath. "Kalos did stop by to tell us we've two critics in the audience for his afternoon's performance."

"Ah, Sora and Leon have arrived?" Yuri brought his leg down and stretched his arms behind his back. "So, the Royal Couple of Acrobatics have decided to grace us with their divine presence."

Layla snorted. "If I didn't know better, Yuri, I'd think you were jealous."

"Let's just say, if we'd been at the European Showcase the competition would have been a bit stiffer," Yuri answered. "You did well helping Sora achieve greatness, but there's no way Leon could compare to me."

"You, Yuri Killian, are an arrogant fool." Layla reached up and cupped her hand behind Yuri's head, threading her fingers through his golden hair. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his full lips.

"I'm your arrogant fool," Yuri said, smirking.

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Epilogue:

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It was a crisp, autumn day, and a little over a year had passed since their victory at the European Showcase. Leon took a deep breath and felt his heart warm with a sense of contentment that had grown more frequent over the past two years. He and Sora stood on a bridge overlooking the French Seine River. He had just scattered Sophie's ashes.

"How do you feel?" Sora asked, her pale green dress fluttering in the breeze. She had a dark blue nylon baby carrier strapped over her shoulders and their cooing daughter in front of her chest.

"I feel just fine," Leon answered. He tossed the plastic ziplock bag he used into a trash receptacle and then stood behind Sora, his arms behind her, and his hands over hers over their child. "Is Sophie awake again?"

"She's feisty," Sora murmured.

"Just like her mother," Leon teased. "We should start heading back. Your grandparents should be arriving at our condo soon."

Sora smiled. "I'm looking forward to their visit," she said. "I love Sophie, but it will be nice for Mom and Dad to have a night out just the two of us."

Leon hugged both Sora and their silver-haired daughter. "Here, I'll take the carrier." Together, they slipped the contraption off Sora's shoulders and Leon took it over. "Let's walk back instead of taking a taxi."

"As long as you're the one carrying Sophie, I'm okay with that," Sora said. She took a deep breath. "It's a perfect afternoon for a walk."

"That it is," Leon agreed, taking Sora's hand and threading their fingers together. It was a nice life they were sharing. "I love you, Sora. I'm a very happy man."

Sora smiled up at him. "I love you too, Leon."

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FIN

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A/N: It's been fun plotting out and writing this story. Kaleido Star isn't my typical anime, but it's one of my favorites and I loved the dynamic between Sora and Leon. Thanks for reading this tale with me and thanks Liz for beta-ing!