Note: So my first post-grad novel to kill the time with is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. To be completely honest, I'm not really in love with it, but I do enjoy its originality, so I do recommend it. Also, in my head, Sasuke is wearing a bowler hat and suspenders here.
Prompt: 007 work
Characters/Pairings: Sasuke, Itachi, Sakura
Warnings: AU; a horrible, HORRIBLE circus name; Itachi smacks Sasuke for being a little bitch
Summary: The Uchiha brothers search for the perfect magician for their circus.

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The circus had been closed for nearly a decade.

It was once a magical thing, eagerly awaited and avidly visited. Children, teenagers, and adults alike found something to love in the Cirque d'Uchiha, marvelling at the twisting figures that bent their bodies as if they lacked bones, the wild animals that seemed to comply with their masters with just a look of the eye, and the strange feats of magic that the Magnificent Madame Mikoto made look effortless. The circus was run by the Uchiha family, save for the few additional performers here and there. Everyone loved the circus, so it was a great tragedy when one day, a number of fires suddenly started, killing the people trapped in the great tents.

The public never knew if this was a result of magic tricks gone awry or if someone planned it, but there were only two survivors: the Uchiha brothers.

For years after their family's demise, they got by with bank accounts spread all over the world and, of course, a touch of magic here and there, because the Uchiha family was different.

They didn't have magic tricks, they had real live magic.

And they were going to use that magic to find out who killed their family.

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The audition line had looped around the block.

Sasuke was quite pleased with this knowledge, taking pride in the way his family's legacy was still so well known. The opportunity to work for the Cirque d'Uchiha was something anyone would want, and that much was clear by the hundreds of auditions he'd seen so far.

They already had a number of performers so far, but one thing they lacked was a good and true illusionist. While it would have been easy for him or Itachi to play the role, they needed to be on the lookout for any odd activity within the circus. If they were lucky, whoever started those fires years ago would reappear, but this time, the boys would be prepared.

But first, a magician.

Tactful as always, Itachi said a few pleasantries before sending Applicant 113 on his way.

Sasuke only grit his teeth, wondering when this would be over. None of the people that had auditioned so far could pull off any truly effortless feats. Their movements were awkward and their illusions obvious – or, at least, they were to Sasuke. He was pretty sure that to an untrained eye, to an innocent spectator, their performances would be flawless. Still, whoever got the role would be essentially replacing the Magnificent Mikoto, the first ever female magician, and Sasuke would not settle for anyone that could ruin her legacy.

"How many more are there?" he asked his brother, idly moving around the cold tea in his cup.

"That was the last." Itachi didn't look up as he wrote some notes down. He'd filled at least two pages thus far on the many magicians they'd watched, so he sent a sideways glance at Sasuke's own empty notepad.

"What?" Sasuke set his teacup down pulled Itachi's paper away to get his brother's attention. "What do you mean? We need a magician!"

Itachi nodded. "Indeed. I thought Number 56 was satisfactory."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We need more than satisfactory."

The Uchiha brothers were about to reopen the Cirque d'Uchiha after more than a decade of it being shut down. Everything had to be perfect.

"Many of these performances today were more than sufficient for the Cirque d'Uchiha," Itachi pointed out. As the more logical and objective one, Itachi could pretend he was a non-magical spectator and see how what these men did today could work for this circus.

"They were crap," Sasuke insisted, slamming down the notepad. He scanned Itachi's notes and scoffed. "'32 has potential.' Really? Have you no respect for our mother—"

He was cut off when Itachi smacked the side of his head, finally fed up. "Sasuke," Itachi began slowly. His voice was soft and calm, but Sasuke could feel his brother's frustration despite his apathetic face. "You're acting like a child. You know as well as I do that a number of these people would be sufficient."

Sasuke scowled at him. No 21-year-old ever really enjoyed being called a child. Eventually he sighed. "Yeah, I know," he admitted glumly.

"Good. Now, we should certainly get in contact with—"

"Oh, are the auditions over already?"

Both brothers looked to the centre of the stage, surprised by the young woman standing there. Itachi was wise enough to be wary of her sudden appearance, but, naturally, Sasuke failed to find anything wrong with her – or, at least, anything wrong that was meaningful. Itachi examined her from head to toe, noting the plain boots on her feet and equally trench plain coat, embellished by nothing but the necessary buttons and belt. He could see the wine red hem of her skirt that was much shorter than those of the dresses women tended to wear. All in all, aside from her odd pink hair, she looked completely unremarkable.

But Itachi knew something was different. He smiled to cover up his concern. "They are over, but we can fit you in," he told her.

The woman grinned back at him. "Thank you so much!" she replied. She sounded much more cheerful than someone with her drab attire would be. "What would you like me to—"

"We're not looking for a magician's assistant," Sasuke snidely interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"We're looking for a magician who can perform on his own," he explained, leaning back with a huff. What was this woman trying to accomplish? He rolled his eyes at her. "We don't need some second-rate magician's assistant to walk around in glittery… dresses…" Sasuke stopped. His eyes widened as the woman dropped her coat, revealing a sleeveless dress with a rather low neckline. The tight corset didn't help either, so Sasuke looked away. He heard his brother snort beside him.

"I assure you, Mr. Uchiha, that I'm no assistant," she said. Her smile remained as she withdrew a black wand from the folds of her skirt. "What would you like to see?" she asked them, although she seemed to be looking mostly at Itachi.

"Whatever you'd like to show us."

But, petulant brat that he was known to be, Sasuke had to be difficult. "Part of your job will be to create your own performances," he explained. "Performances that meet the standards of the Cirque d'Uchiha."

Itachi could see irritation beginning to grace her features before she began her performance.

"Hm." She smiled tightly at Sasuke. "May I borrow your hat?"

"…huh?"

Itachi sighed and pulled the black bowler hat off his brother's head. "Here," he said, throwing it to the woman.

She caught it easily and began her show. She played with the lights and the temperature, dimming the theater and cooling it down before holding out Sasuke's hat. She tapped it once, prompting a murder of crows to fly out and towards the Uchiha brothers. Both of them stayed still, perfectly aware that these birds couldn't be real, but neither could deny the way the birds that came too close managed to create a bit of a breeze.

Something wasn't right.

She held the bowler hat above her head and the birds flew back inside. Satisfied with her show, she curtseyed.

Itachi clapped but Sasuke could only stare.

"That was real magic," Sasuke murmured, utterly confused. He'd never met such a strong female magician before – not since his mother.

Itachi nodded slightly. "Yes," he quietly replied. "I take it she'll be more than satisfactory for the Cirque d'Uchiha?" He saw the woman approach the edge of the stage near their seats, grinning nervously.

Despite his blush, Sasuke shrugged. "I guess," he admitted, embarrassed by how rude he'd been earlier. He sighed and looked at her. "Fine. You're hired."

"I am?!"

"Yes." Sasuke cleared his throat, hoping to regain some composure.

Pitying him, Itachi took over. "Just leave us your contact information," he told her. "We're still in the middle of finding all of our performers."

She nodded. "Yes, of course." She walked to the very edge of the stage and tossed Sasuke's hat in the air, out of which flew a single white dove. As the hat landed on the table, the dove swooped down to join it, crashing into the wood and forming a small white card.

Miss Sakura Haruno
122 Cigam St.

The brothers looked back to the stage and found the magician had disappeared as silently as she had entered.

fin