(A/n Hey guys! This probably will only be a few chapters, each chapter will be a oneshot about Mana and Allen and their daily lives and whatnot. Since this is a side project I just started working on I apologize if there's some really late updates. Hope you enjoy!)

Most people see the sky as blue. But for me, it's always been a pale grey. That is of course, until the fateful day when Mana Walker came into my life.

For as long as I could remember I've been with a circus. My parents had abandoned me when I was an infant due to my abnormal arm. I had never known love therefor I couldn't show it, I had grown up to be a cold-hearted child. At the circus there was a clown by the name of Cosimov [1], he often beat me blaming me for his misfortune. But it was really him who was the problem, his jokes were lame and acts boring. Of course I didn't dare say that less I was outright asking for a beating.

One day, another clown joined the circus. When the time for his first act came I watched from behind the curtains as he performed tricks with his dog. The audience had roared with laughter. I myself couldn't help let a smirk grow on my face. This guy's tricks made Cosimov seem like an amateur. But I hadn't anticipated what would follow.

It happened in the storeroom. The new clown's act had just ended and Cosimov full of anger had dragged me off and began throwing punches. The man was furious that someone outshined him. I took the beating silently, I'd grown used to not fighting back. Slowly Cosimov's hits began to lose their power and a final shove was given. I stumbled back, hitting the wall and sliding down against it.

"Damn clown…" Cosimov muttered.

My dark eyes watched as the man left. I clenched a fist, his back had been facing me moments ago. It was the perfect time to attack. But if I did, that bastard would tell the Ring Leader [2] and I'd get kicked out. At least here I get scraps; on the streets my chance of survival plummet.

I massaged a sore cheek, a bruise would form soon. The soft sound of an animal walking on wood caused me to look forward. The new clown's dog stood there, his tongue hanging from his mouth. Interested, I held out my deformed arm. The dog whined and placed his head in it. My eyes widened, he wasn't afraid.

"If you're looking for food you're out of luck." I said. The dog didn't move, where was his master?

"Are you lonely?" This time I asked a different question. The dog tilted his head and looked up at me through sad eyes.

I chuckled bitterly. "Me too."

Soon after the dog left. And once again I was left alone in the storeroom, pain being the only thing to comfort me.

In the following weeks the new clown and his dog performed. The more rowdy the crowd was the more powerful Cosimov's punches were.

Today was fairly quiet. I was outside peeling potatoes when a figure stumbled past. I recognized the person right away to be Cosimov. The clown was drunk, a bottle of liquor in a hand as he headed towards his tent. Thankfully he didn't spot me. With that potato peeler in my hand I couldn't guarantee he'd make it out unscathed if he decided to beat me.

With my chore done, I gripped the handle of the potato filled bucket and brought it inside. Leaving it on a table so the chef could cook supper. I found myself back outside. Winter was nearly here and the weather called for heavier clothing. Thankfully clothing was one of the things the Ring Leader supplied me with. Thick, grey clouds hung in the sky. Snow would fall later tonight.

Since my chores were completed and I didn't have to worry about Cosimov I decided to go watch the final act's of the night. As I was about to make my way to the stage I spotted the new clown kneeling in the grass. His back was facing me so I couldn't tell was he was doing. I stood there watching him, he didn't move for a good five minutes. With a tsk I called out,

"What are you doing? It's going to snow soon, you better-"

Sorrowful, golden eyes met mine. The clown had twisted to look at me and I saw what he was kneeling before. It was the beaten body of his dog. Something in me snapped seeing the bruises scattered around the animal's body. My feet dragged me forward and I sunk to the earth beside the man.

This dog, was dead. Beaten to death. And I knew who did it. It was that drunken bastard; Cosimov.

"Mister," I began, "I know who killed your dog."

"Hm?"

I gritted my teeth. Didn't he care about his animal? I spoke again more forcefully, "I said, I know. Who. Killed. Your. Dog. Now if you're not going to get revenge I-"

A hand suddenly gripped my arm and I snapped my head sideways. The clown was looking at me with sympathetic eyes that made me sick. "That man beat you too didn't he?" I grimaced shaking free of his hold.

"So what? Aren't you going after him for what he did to your dog? Are you even sad about it? Cosimov beat him to death and you're concerning yourself with other people's problems!" I blinked. The clown had disappeared. "H-Hey...where'd you go?"

"I'm so said I could die." I turned my attention to a nearby tree where I found that the clown had taken a rope and made-believe that he was hanging himself.

My brows furrowed in irritation and I shouted, "Stop that!" The clown chuckled, letting the rope drop to the ground and came back over to take a seat. Even though that was an act, it still unnerved me. Something like that shouldn't be used for entertainment.

The clown held a hand up to touch his eyes and said, "It's always been like this. No matter how sad I get, no tears will fall. Even now that I see the dead body of my companion, my tears remain dry."

"What was his name?"

"Excuse me?"

"His name. The dog."

"Oh. Allen...his name was Allen."

My heart suddenly felt heavy. I was experiencing feelings I hadn't felt in a long time because of some damn dog. "Allen-huh? What a strange name, for a dog." My lips trembled and I pressed them together to make them stop. I didn't want to, I couldn't. After all I barely knew the dog, so why?

Why was I crying?!

Hot tears streamed down my face. I furiously wiped them away but as soon as I did my face was covered in them again. I sniffled loudly. This was pathetic; I was the one crying over someone else's dog.

"Were you friends with Allen?" The clown asked.

Friends?

"N-no! I barely knew the dog!" I protested. But, even if I wouldn't admit it, that dog was something you would call a friend. After shows he'd visit me, sometimes he'd curl up next to me after I'd taken a beating from Cosimov, and most of all he didn't run away at the sight of my demonic arm. Just thinking of this caused me to cry harder.

"It's alright." The clown attempted to calm me by rubbing my back. I didn't even have the energy to yell at him. "Say, would you like to leave the circus with me?"

Those words immediately silenced my cries. I stared at the clown my watery eyes wide in question, "Leave? The circus? But why?"

The clown smiled, "I was planning on leaving after Christmas Day. I travel from circus to circus you see…"

As the man rambled on a weak smile found it's way onto my face. In that one moment my life didn't appear so bleak. The sky didn't seem gray anymore, this clown somehow changed that. He'd become my sun.

"What's your name?" The clown suddenly inquired.

I blinked surprised at the question. "Red. Just Red."

"Well Red, you can call me Mana. What do you say we dig a grave?"

[1] I'm not sure if I'm spelling Cosimov's name right, when I read the Reverse Novel 3 it was spelled like that-at least in the one I read. Other spelling you guys might be familiar with is Cosmos.

[2] Also I'm pretty sure Cosimov's is just a clown but I read somewhere that he was the Ring Leader so I apologize if that's incorrect. I made it so that he wasn't the Ring Leader in here.

Thanks for reading! Until next time!