Author's Note: This fic bears a little explaining.

A friend of mine on the AnimeSuki forums (his handle here is F91, check his stuff out, it's typically very good) was half-lamenting the fact that his Vivio/Lutecia fic was not contributing anything unique to the fandom; he'd been under the impression that nobody else had made one based on ViVid and that turned out to not be true. So, in the spirit of helpfulness, I suggested a unique premise for him to write about.

"Hey," I said, "How about a fic where Vivio and Lutecia are clowns? They work for rival circuses, and are slowly drawn into a forbidden love by their mutual admiration for the fine art of clowning." At the very least, you couldn't say it wasn't unique, right? Sadly, he wasn't interested, though a small storm of comments rose up expressing a bemused half-interest in such an utterly oddball topic.

Now, if you've read Uninvited Guests, my primary Bleach fic, you know that 'oddball' is sort of a specialty of mine. So I thought to myself, "Hey, I could use a nice side-story to kill my writer's block over Infinity. And if F91 doesn't want to write it, and people are expressing even a joking interest..."

So yes. This is a story about love, despair, betrayal, passion, and clowns, all set against the dark, twisted heart of the circus industry. No Magical Girls were harmed in the making of this production... although odds are good that, by the end, they'll wish they had been, if only so they could use their hospital time as an excuse to get away from me.

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls! Please silence your cellphones and pagers, and please, no smoking, outside food and drink, or flash photography. It's! Showtime!

Chapter One:

The arena was dark. There was light in the stands, mostly from cameras and cellphones slightly illuminating individual members of the audience, but the center was pitch black… until the spotlight shone onto a man in a glittering red suit, tall black boots, and violet hair.

The ringmaster smiled brilliantly, if somewhat unstably, and flipped a top hat onto his head with a flourish. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! My name is Doc Scaglietti, and it is my honor to be both your ringmaster and your greeter for the evening, as you join us here under the Big Top at the world-famous Scaglietti Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus! Welcome, one and all, to the Greatest Show on Earth!"

Blinding light flooded the arena, forcing the audience to briefly snap their eyes shut, and when they opened them again… they were in another world.

The highwire. The trapeze. Off to the side, awaiting their moments to shine, the cannon and door to the animal cages. And, of course, the all-important three rings.

The circus!

Vivio Takamachi smiled, but it lacked the wonder of the others in the crowd. To her, this was all old news; her smile was that of someone encountering something familiar and comforting. Aunt Hayate had always informed her that Doc Scaglietti was an unlikeable prat in person, but Vivio had to admit he put on a good show.

The acts began, and all were suitably dazzling... Cinque, the amazingly skilled knife thrower, sliced in half a sheet of paper laid flat on a volunteer's head without so much as parting their hair.

Wendi and Sein, the daredevil trapeze artists, flying through the air in dazzling acrobatic display.

Nove, the animal tamer, who showed absolutely no fear, nor even really respect, for a cage full of lions and tigers. She demonstrated why when one of them attempted to bite her rather than leap through a ring, and she responded by beating it into unconsciousness.

Quattro, the bitch...and yes, that was her official position. Doc Scaglietti prided himself on being a visionary pioneer on the very fore-front of Circusing, and had concieved of this entirely new act: Quattro would go out onto the floor, and pick someone at random from the audience. She would then follow that person home and ruin their life. She would unplug their alarm clocks, replace their shampoo with glue, cut the brakes in their car, kick their pets, and infect their spouses with swine flu. Nine times out of ten, this situation escalated until ending with the volunteer engaged in a life-or-death duel with their own children. It was a surprisingly popular act, for everyone but the poor sap who Quattro happened to select that night.

Vivio smiled, but this really wasn't what she was here for. The acts were good, but she had something of a bias against them; no matter how good they were, she would always feel that she'd seen better.

But then, as an extremely sad-looking man exited the left ring followed by a grinning Quattro, it happened. The roadies emerged to set up the cannon for Tre the Amazing Human Cannonball, and so they sent in something to hold the audience's attention.

They sent in the clowns. And Vivio saw her angel.

Her long, straight hair was brilliant violet; no wig, that, but the most perfect natural Clowning hair that Vivio had ever known. Her pale makeup only accentuated her beauty, her squeaky nose gleamed like a ruby in the brilliant lighting of the ring. The arc formed by her floppy shoes reminded Vivio of songbirds in flight.

Vivio blushed brilliantly. She knew she had an incredibly goofy smile on her face, and she couldn't have cared less. She's... so perfect...! The enamored youth thought.

But it didn't end there; no, simple perfection of appearance would not have been enough to hold Vivio's attention. But the magnificent young clown gracing the ring, Lutecia Alpine, was far more than beautiful. There were other clowns with her, a large man and some small red-haired... thing... but they faded into the background as the act began.

The skill with which she slipped on a banana peel.

The perfect accuracy of her hurled pies.

The brutal efficiency with which she wielded her squeaky plastic mallet.

Each and every act was accomplished with grace, charm, and perfect comedic timing. Vivio felt as though she were gazing not merely upon a simple performance of excellent clowning, but upon a priceless piece of art, the work of a true and unmatched master. Lutecia was not a clown, she was a goddess among clowns. She was a goddess, and Vivio was in Heaven.

Yet all good things must come to an end, and this included Vivio's stay in paradise. As Lutecia piled back into her tiny car with the other clowns and drove away, Vivio stood and left the big top. There was no need to see the rest of the acts, she'd witnessed what she came for and needed to get home before Mamas or Aunt Hayate noticed she was gone. She had rehearsal in a few hours, after all.

As she walked home, the depression set in. She didn't know why she kept coming back here... getting a glimpse of what she couldn't have only made her feel worse about herself. She couldn't help herself; Lutecia's brilliant Clowning was like a drug to her. The older girl was everything Vivio wanted and everything she wanted to be, all rolled up into one. And yet, coming here and seeing that perfection for herself... only served to remind her that she could never, ever have it.

Even if our families would allow it, and they never would... Vivio thought glumly, looking into her bag and seeing her wig and squeaky red rubber nose, ... An amazing girl like her would never be interested in a simple, ordinary clown like me.

And Vivio Takamachi, clown-in-training of Scaglietti Bros. greatest rival, Circus Force Six, made her way home in a cloud of sadness.