The Dark Woods Circus

Dark Woods Circus

A young boy, not even over the age of ten, wandered around town with a happy smile. His name is Shuichi Saihara, and he was born into a lower class family. Recently though, his parents didn't seem to care about him much, but he didn't mind. That meant he could play with friends.

Speaking of friends, he had one. Or two? He wasn't sure what to call them. They were apart of some kind of circus, but the male, Rantaro, has repeatedly stated not to go. He never understood why, circuses were fun!

So, when he went over to his friends, he heard the female half shout cheerfully, "Come one, come all! To see the Dark Woods Circus!" Her purple eyes spotted the child. Her smile widen as she waved.

Shuichi returned the wave and went to walk over before some grown-up knocked him over.

"Get out of my way, kid," the gruff voice responded. The male stuttered out an apology before he was helped up by Rantaro and Kaede.

"You should be more careful, Shuichi," the green haired male said in a rather calming voice. Kaede nodded in agreement as the male started to scold the man.

Kaede handed Shuichi the flyer with a wink, "make sure Rantaro doesn't see, or else he'll be upset. Our little secret, right?"

"Y-Yeah! Our little secret. Bye, Kaede, Rantaro!" He waved his little hand before disappearing into the growing crowd. Looks like the combined duo attracted a few people.

As the night grew up, Shuichi walked through the dense forest. He was scared, yes, but he had to show up to support his friends. He simply followed the others who looked like they knew where they were heading.

And sure enough, there he was, looking at the bright red tent. He clutched onto the flyer and looked around before a looming shadow fell over him. His heart picked up as he saw- a giant. Two, to be precise.

"Hey there, little guy! Aren't you past your bedtime or somethin'? Hah! You're a rascal aren't ya? Well, this isn't a show for little kids to watch."

"I-I'm not little! I'm only six years old! And I have my friends performing. So... please let me in, sir."

"Hmm... ya know, I like ya! I'm Kaito Momota. And that scary lady is Maki Harukawa. What's your name, kid?"

"Shuichi! Shuichi Saihara." He stuck his hand out, only for the abnormally tall teen to shake; to which he certainly did, but he also picked the child up.

Maki narrowed her eyes slightly, crossing her arms. "Kaito, put him back down. Master will target him next."

"You think so? We'll have to protect the little guy!"

"And risk us getting caught? I rather not."

Kaito flinched slightly and slowly placed the confused child down. Maki looked down at him before pointing at the entrance. "Shows about to start."

Shuichi smiled softly and uttered a thank you, heading into the red tent. He didn't have money, so he couldn't just walk in there. Looking around, he found a hole in the side of the performance tent. Going over and looking inside, he watched eagerly.

A woman with pigtails came out, waving at the crowd. "Who's excited to see these freaks tonight?! We have your favorites coming up! Now introducing, the one with two heads!"

The spotlight focused on Rantaro and Kaede. Rantaro didn't look happy, in fact he looked scared. He scanned the crowd before sighing in relief when he couldn't see Shuichi. Kaede on the other hand, looked excited. She knew Shuichi was watching somewhere. The young boy would always ask where they worked. Now he could actually see. Rantaro glanced at the ringmaster before forcing on a smile as him and Kaede started their clown routine. The crowd were already laughing at the deformed duo. They knew the tortures they went through, but none of that mattered to them. All that did was the entertainment.