Unexpected

Counterattack kiss

The only thing really holding him back was his fear. The fear of falling, the fear that he would be ridiculed… the fear that he'd fail. He thought back to when Sora first arrived at the stage. How she missed the auditions but didn't let that stop her. She was beheld with disdain by the stage's prima donna but still had the nerve to challenge her to a move the prima invented, on a medium she never used. Sora challenged Layla to perform the Golden Phoenix on the trapeze, when she had never even used a swing of the type, and she succeeded. If Sora could do it without any previous knowledge of the swings, why couldn't he when he knew exactly what to do?

Ken returned to his feet and unhooked the swing, grasping the bar firmly in his hands as adrenaline began to pump through his veins in a very nostalgic manner. He tested his grip and swallowed loudly, his throat suddenly dry. His breathing grew shallow until it stopped. His concentration was solely on the opposite trapeze swing, his mind void of all else. His feet left the platform.

The halls of the Kaleido Stage were bustling that morning in a way that could only mean a new show was starting. The stage hands took an inventory of the props needed; Jean and his men did a few last minute inspections and adjustments with his daughter Marion and a now full grown Jonathan in tow.

Marion was now 15 and a part time performer on the Kaleido Stage. She still performed on the children's stage along with her pet seal Jonathan. Along with going to high school, Marion performs as a trampoline artist in the shows featured on the stage, becoming more like her mother all the time. Marion was playing a dancer in the day's production of The Phantom of the Opera and she was having a few pre-show jitters, but not in a bad way.

Her body felt light, and she was feeling anxious and excited at the same time. Her palms were sweating a little and she could hear her heart beating in her ears but she felt good. The butterflies made her feel like she could do anything. She smiled at the thought of flying along with the rest of the performers, of soaring through the air and feeling the magic that can only be experienced on the stage. She looked around to see that everyone was beginning to warm up; keeping loose for the show, for some people, stretching was a way to curb the anxiety of doing a show, to calm the butterflies.

"Daddy I need to go." She called to Jean as he and his men made some adjustments to the swings and platforms.

"Alright," He called back from his perch, "Have fun!"

Marion made her way backstage to dawn her new costume.

The walk from the dorms wasn't too far, that Leon was thankful for as he made his way to the stage. He'd have had an interesting time trying to actually be on time if he'd lived farther, considering he slept in a little later than usual and Annette had his car.

"At least the weather is nice." Leon said aloud to no one. He had pulled his hair back into a loose braid and wore a pair of black slacks and charcoal grey shirt. The summer heat did nothing to deter him from his style. I mean sure, he may be thinking better about wearing dark colors in the sun, but it didn't matter much to him. Leon wasn't one to wear shorts, or sandals, he barely even owned a pair of jeans, let alone light colored t-shirts.

The light of the sun seemed to glare from every surface, making Leon thankful for the sunglasses he was wearing. The beautiful weather was one of the reasons he liked living in Cape Mary, California. But the weather wasn't the only thing that was beautiful. He let his thoughts wander as he walked, and found himself anxious… anxious to be near her.

The medicine helped a bit. Sora's head felt clear and less like it was about to explode and the queasiness subsided a bit, which was a plus considering the amount of movement and spinning she would need to do. Her face was still a little flushed when she looked in her dressing room mirror, but at least that way she wouldn't need to wear blush, and the less makeup the better; Sora didn't like feeling like she was wearing a pliable mask like some people who put on so much make up that their faces could actually peel off if exposed to enough stage light, or maybe just crack in half.