Circus patrons passed by the duo on the bench, as a loud, trumpeting fanfare resounded, signaling that the show was about to begin. Judai rose from his resting spot and threw his arms above his head, stretching, as Kisaro also got to her high-heeled feet.

“We should probably get going if we want good seats, huh?” He asked, grinning.

“Yeah.” She nodded, as she held out her hand to take Judai’s dango skewer for him.

As she passed by a garbage-can along the path to the Big-Top, Kisaro politely tossed them in, rather than casting them lazily on the ground.

“Yes!” A patron whispered to his friends excitedly. “I knew the awesome Kisaro Kisaragi wasn’t a litterbug!”

A little girl tugged on her mother’s sleeve as she watched Kisaro get into line with Judai. “M-Mama! It’s Kisaro Kisaragi!”

With the Sing-Star’s appearance acknowledged made obvious, the entire crowd began to react. Whispers began to fly this-way-and-that doggedly, like wildfire, and Kisaro simply closed her eyes placidly, tranquil in expression.

-“K-Kisaro Kisaragi?? What is she doing here at a circus?”

-“Can you believe she just got into line like a regular person? She didn’t even ask to cut to the front! That’s pretty awesome, if you ask me.”

-“Yeah, but who’s that kid with her?”

-“I didn’t know Kisaragi-San had a child…”

-“Maybe he’s her cousin, or something. He looks a little too old to be her son….”

Judai sweat-dropped. As cool as it seemed to be a celebrity, he had forgotten that there were definite drawbacks to being famous, like losing all manner of privacy when you’re just trying to blend into a crowd and be anonymous, but instead you end up having people gossip about you. As overwhelming as it seemed to Judai, he noticed that Kisaro was completely unbothered by the talk behind her back, although her indifference to the matter did make sense; Kisaro lived in the stage-light. She was used to being noticed.

“E….Excuse me…” A teenage-boy asked nervously, as he turned around to face the Sing-Star.

As Judai looked him over, he figured that the other boy was probably around his age. He couldn’t help but wonder, if fate had taken a different path, that nervous boy addressing Kisaro could have easily been him.

“What is it?” Kisaro asked, friendly in demeanor.

“Well….I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go ahead of me, Kisaro-San….?” He offered awkwardly.

“No, no.” Kisaro said, smiling as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “This is your place in line. I’m just here as an Average Joe, okay? I don’t mind waiting my turn.”

“R…Really?” The teenager asked, blushing. “As long as you’re sure.” He smiled. “I didn’t think it was possible, but I have an even higher opinion of you, Kisaro-San!”

“Thank you.” Kisaro said, returning his smile.

-“Di..did you see that?” A whisper shot through the crowd.

-“She actually turned him down??”

-“I told you she wasn’t stuck up!”

-“Ki-Kisaro-San really is awesome….!”

Judai smiled softly. Kisaro’s as popular as ever.

“Attention, everyone!” A voice called from far up ahead in the Big-Top entrance.

From the darkness inside, a person began to emerge, garbed in white trousers, and a red, button-embellished shirt. Different though his clothing was, his face, however, was one that both Judai and Kisaro already knew.

“Mi…Mister T.M?!” Judai exclaimed. “Or is that Mister M?!”

“Welcome, all.” He said, outstretching his arms. “I am the Ring-Master of this circus, Mister T. Step lively then, and please, give to me your admission tickets and present your armbands.”

The line began to move forward as one after another, the circus patrons provided their proof of admittance, and entered into the Big-Top.

Judai looked to Kisaro, puzzled, but even she couldn’t make heads or tails of the oddity of it all. Including the appearance of this “Mister T,” it totaled three people who were exactly identical to each other. Even though they went by different names, Kisaro couldn’t help but feel she really was looking at the same person, as impossible as that should have been.

As they approached, Mister T gave a courteous nod to Kisaro, who once again felt a wave of unease. Judai cheerily jogged forward to show the Ring-Master his armband, who granted him admission without question.

“Are you excited, Kisaro??” Judai asked, grinning.

“Yeah.” She replied, stern in expression, as she extended her own arm to show Mister T her admission band.

“You may enter, Miss Kisaragi.” He smiled, with noticeable darkness. “We had never thought that you would come to see our humble performance, I must say, but we are pleased to have you here with us.”

“….And I thank you for having me.” She replied, unblinking.

Judai again found himself looking worriedly from Kisaro to Mister T. She was doing it again; staring off profoundly at some stranger. Was it something he couldn’t pick up on? Or was she going all dark again?

Swallowing, the brunette reached forward and gently took the Sing-Star’s hand again, and gave a soft, urging tug, in an effort to get her to come with him. She was still bothered by Mister T, but she couldn’t deny the way that those big, sepia-toned eyes were begging of her. Even though she felt that something was amiss, Kisaro once again was reminded that she was here to cheer Judai up, not worry him further. Feeling a bit like a child, she allowed herself to be led inside of the Big-Top by the Osiris-Red.

The inside was grand, with rows upon rows of seats that were quickly filling in by the moment, all arranged circularly about the Center-Stage, where the performance would eventually be taking place. It hadn’t been sunny outside, but it was so incredibly dark inside the Big-Top, with the only light being the Stage-Light, that it took a moment for collective eyes to adjust.

Again, Kisaro felt an endearing tug upon her arm as Judai spied the seats for the two of them that he deemed “perfect,” and directed her as he pleased, which she allowed, of course. They were two front-row seats on the third tier up, smack-dab in the center, and Kisaro couldn’t help but smile softly to herself, as it just seemed so “him” that he would pick such seats. As they sat down, getting themselves situated, Kisaro felt Judai tap softly on her shoulder.

“Hey, Kisaro?” He asked, finally.

“What?”

“Is everything….okay?” Judai wondered.

“Yeah.”  Kisaro replied without a moment of thought.

“Are you sure?”He paused. “It seems like something’s really been bugging you, so…..”

Once again masking her unease, she smiled pleasantly. “Don’t mind me. I’m just being paranoid, Ju-Chan.”

She had said it to him, certainly, but she meant it more towards herself as a method of reassurance. After all, there was no way that Mister T could really be-

-“Ladies and Gentlemen!” Mister T’s voice echoed about the canopy-esque walls of the Big-Top. “Welcome to Savior’s Circus!”

The spot-light upon the crowd began to dim even further to darkness, as it narrowed to focus solely upon the stage. Out of the corner of her eye, Kisaro saw something leap through the air, past the tiers of seats, and go somersaulting perfectly onto the stage. From under the brim of a large, feather-plumed hat, a performer dressed as Peten, the Dark Clown rose from his dismount, and gave a spirited wave to the crowd.

“Whoa!” Judai exclaimed. “That was so cool! It was like, out of a movie, or something!”

“Yeah.” Kisaro laughed. “Except this isn’t fake, Ju-Chan.”

The brunette nodded, agreeing, and in a split second, yet another silhouette went streaking through the darkness of the crowd, gracefully cart-wheeling down the stairs to the stage; an incredulous feat. The performer taking a stand next to his partner was dressed up as Saggi, the Dark Clown.

Judai rubbed his eyes, disbelieving. “I…I can’t get over how awesome those cosplays are! You’d think they were real Duel Monsters!”

“You really would…” Kisaro remarked, considerably taken aback as well. Inwardly, she couldn’t help but think that their costumes were just a little too perfect.

The Peten cosplay was incredible in it’s own right, but to be able to mimic Saggi’s asymmetrical, Picasso-like face- design with only make-up was nothing less than remarkable.

On stage, Saggi nudged Peten, and gestured subtly to Judai, who, like the rest of the crowd, was cheering loudly.

“That’s the one, Peten.” Saggi  whispered.

“But…he’s.... just a child, Saggi….” The long-haired clown whispered back.

“Nonsense!” Saggi’s tone became sharp. “It doesn’t matter. He’s the one we need.”

“I suppose….” Peten paused. “It will be for everyone’s own good, after all….”

“There you go. You have to think of the long-run, Peten.” The asymmetrical clown said, and then raised his head to address the crowd. “We sincerely thank you all for coming to see our performance….” He paused, before grinning maliciously. “But the show’s over!”

The crowd was a bit baffled by Saggi’s statement. Was he joking?

In unison, both Peten and Saggi’s eyes began to glow a malevolent looking crimson; a psychic signal to initiate the end. At once, the people in the crowd began to feel faint, as the admission bands activated and started to drain their energy. Kisaro, feeling light-headed herself, snapped into action, as she turned to Judai who was doubled over in pain. The Sing-Star, as people all about her began collapsing and falling unconscious, snatched her hand out hurriedly, and grasped Judai’s wrist. In one proficient movement, she tore the band off, sparing the brunette before any real damage could be done to him.

“Kisaro!” He exclaimed, trying to recover. His head felt fuzzy, and he couldn’t think straight. “What’s happening?!” Judai paused. “Wait! What about your band?! It’s still draining you..!” The Osiris-Red cried, worriedly.

“Forget it!” She said urgently. “I’ll be fine!”

Judai wasn’t convinced, because even though she said she would be all right, Kisaro’s own expression was exhausted and pained. Despite her own condition, however, she was still trying to help him.

-“You…” A voice snarled in Kisaro’s ear.

The Sing-Star whipped around, finding that the performer dressed as Saggi had instantaneously appeared behind her.

“You won’t interfere!” He snarled, raising his hand and shooting a blast of dark energy at Kisaro.

Horrified that Judai would be hit, the Sing-Star stepped in front of the Osiris-Red protectively, and wrapped her arms around him, allowing herself to be struck full force with the scalding hot burst. Down, down they went, and Kisaro continued to shelter the brunette from impact as they hit the stage-floor, determined not to let him be hurt.

When at last they’d stopped crashing, and Judai was able to move, it had dawned on him that Kisaro had used herself as a literal shield to keep him safe, and was mortified by it. Hurriedly, Judai shifted underneath Kisaro, sitting himself up, and steadying the Sing-Star, who was barely conscious.

“Kisaro! Kisaro…!” Judai cried, shaking her by the shoulders. “What were you thinking, huh?!”

He didn’t want to look at her bruises, and the scuffs and cuts she’d willingly taken in his place. What if she’d broken something? What if she had internal damage?

“Saggi!” Peten called, alarmed. “You went too far..!”

The asymmetrical clown bit his lip worriedly, given that his attack had nearly hit Judai as well. “I…I overdid it…” He realized.

“Kisaro! C’mon, Kisaro!!” Judai exclaimed, finding himself becoming hysterical. “Don’t die on me..!!”

“I won’t die, Judai…” She said, struggling to get to her feet. “I’m fine…”

“No, you aren’t!” He argued, getting his arms around the taller young woman to support her. “You shouldn’t have done that! Look at the shape you’re in now!”

She said nothing, however. Gently, she pressed her hand to the side of the brunette’s face, immediately drawing him to a shocked silence.

Kisaro only smiled serenely. “As long as you’re all right.”

The brunette’s eyes widened, for at that moment he realized that all this time, Kisaro hadn’t fully recovered from their journey in the Medieval dimension, after that black Card had exhausted her of her energy, and yet she’d been pushing herself so hard just to cheer him up. Judai trembled, as a great wave of guilt and gratitude overwhelmed him. Kisaro was always there. She thought she was evil, but there wasn’t a single person who cared for him as much as she did.

“K….Kisaro….” He quavered, feeling his eyes begin to tear up. Judai threw himself into the Sing-Star, who wrapped her arms around the brunette, pulling him close. “Kisaro….!”

She found herself revived by his concern for her, and she closed her eyes, giving a soft smile. “Judai, it’s really okay…”

“No it isn’t!” He protested, burying his face into her. “Don’t die…don’t die….”

Kisaro laughed lightly. “I won’t die, Judai.”

A dark chuckle echoed abruptly. ”How amusing….”

The Sing-Star frowned, and Judai looked upwards, trying to discern where the voice had come from. Peten and Saggi knelt down on one knee respectfully, as all three of the look-alikes, Mister T, Mister M and Mister T.M came emerging from the darkness around the stage.

“You three….” Kisaro began, low. “You three plotted this together all along, didn’t you? Why?!”

Mister T quirked a brow. “Did you say, ‘together,’ Miss Kisaragi?”

“That’s not quite right…” Mister M continued.

“After all….” Mister T.M smirked.

At that, the figures of Mister M and Mister T.M became transparent, and they combined with Mister T, fusing, and becoming whole once again. “We are one person.”

Kisaro and Judai blinked in surprise, speechless.

“How….” Judai stuttered. “How….is that….?”

The Sing-Star however, was beginning to get a sick feeling. “You….who are you…?”

Mister T smiled. “You knew all along, Dear Kisaro. I could see it in your eyes, but you doubted yourself because you didn’t want to upset young Judai, isn’t that right?” As he spoke, his Ring-Master uniform began distorting into a spike and strap-embellished, black-leather body bodysuit.

Kisaro’s violet eyes widened with rage as she found her past staring right back at her; the man who had caused everything.

“……Trueman!”