After Popee gently pushed me away, he walked off. I looked down, biting my lip. I closed my eyes and sighed, deciding that I should walk off as well. I looked towards Popee and saw him walk towards Kedamono. I sat down in the warm sand, watching them from the distance.

Popee pulled six knives from the bag over his shoulder. I watched as he handed three the Kedamono. Popee began to do the infamous knife juggle that started everything that's happening now. Kedamono looked over at him in awe and I couldn't help but do the same. He then threw them all up, catching them in his right hand. I stood.

I began to walk towards Popee, smiling and clapping. He smirked slightly and whispered a slight, 'Thank you'. Popee set the knives down on the ground beside him. He fixed Kedamono's arms and told him to start. Popee stood in front of him as I stood near Popee's old spot. I watched Kedamono juggle almost as smoothly as Popee. I couldn't help but smile at him. 

Kedamono's tail began to wag as he juggled, making me slightly giggle. Popee glanced over at me, then back at Kedamono. "Can you walk while juggling?" I asked. "I haven't tried it before," Kedamono replied, keeping his head forward, tail still shaking. "I'll try, though." He said. He began to walk forward. He remained juggling smoothly until his mask fell the reveal a new emotion.

Kedamono tripped on the mask, falling forward and accidentally throwing one of the knives in my direction. It slid by my leg, cutting in just deep enough to bleed and burn. I fell onto my other leg, holding the freshly cut on. I closed my eyes and huffed, a shiver going through my spine. I felt small tears roll down my face as I tried to remain silent. "(Y/N)!" Both Popee and Kedamono called out. I heard fast footsteps grow closer to me.

"Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay. I shouldn't have let you get this close to us." I Popee say as I opened my eyes, releasing more tears, and saw Popee on one knee in front of me. "Popee, I'm fine," I whispered, pulling the cut leg closer to me and biting my bottom lip. Popee closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. He quickly stood up.

"This is all your fault!" He yelled looking at Kedamono who was pacing back and forth with a worried expression on his mask. "Why would you even attempt that with her near? I can't believe you would do something like that. Do you want to hurt her? Tell me. Tell me you do so I can do what you want to do to her on yourself." Kedamono paused, looking at Popee, frightened. "Popee...I..." Kedamono began, holding his paws together, visibly shaking. "SPIT IT OUT!" Popee yelled, making both me and Kedamono jump.

"Popee, please stop," I said, forcing myself to stand and slowly limp to him. "Please. I don't want to see you two like this." I whimpered. I felt more tears flow down my face as I saw Kedamono's nervous appearance. Popee slowly turned towards me, looking straight into my eyes. His usual protective appearance was twisted. His eyes were dull. He looked like he was ready to slap me at any minute. 

"You are going to defend him. Are you that stupid? To think I expected you to side with me." His eyes grew more dull with every venom laced word. My throat began to burn as I held back tears. "I can't believe you. If you don't agree with me do you even care? Did he hurt you? Yes, yes he did. Now you are going to defend him and trust him?" 

My hands folded into fists and I closed my eyes tightly before looking back up at him. "Yes, I am! He hurt me by accident. I'm not going to hate someone for that! He didn't mean to, Popee! If I hated him after that small cut, how much would I hate you? You could have killed me Popee! Now, he cuts me and you tell me to hate him! Now, you've hurt me two times. The only person I hate now is you!" Tears flooded down my face. 

I looked at Kedamono and Popee. They both were staring at me. I slightly shivered. I stood up straight. "Thank you for everything, but..." I looked down and shook my head, walking off. I couldn't keep up with thoughts rushing through my head. "(Y/N)...wait." Popee called out. I looked down and shook my head as more tears fell down my face slowly. I continued forward, hearing no footsteps dare to follow behind. 

~~~

"You want to be a circus performer?!" Mom said, one hand on her mouth, other at her heart. "You should hate the circus after what it's done!" Dad said sternly. "It's my dream! I loved it! Accidents happen! Just please let me dream."

Dad shook his head. "No. After you leave this hospital, there will be no talk of a circus ever again. Do you understand me?" I looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Please..." I whispered. "There will be no talk! I will not allow you to love what hurt you!" I shook my head. "The circus didn't hurt me! The boy did and it's not his fault. None of this should be happening." I felt tears roll down my face as I pleaded for the right to dream. "You are going to defend him now! I can't believe my own daughter would be this foolish." Dad sighed. "Let's go," Dad said, grabbing Mom's hand and pulling her out of the room.

I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. Heavy tears trailed down my face. I needed to stop. The stoping grew to me coughing as the tears cleared away slowly. My breathing studdered as I pulled myself over to the small table beside the hospital bed. On the table rested a notebook and pen. I smiled sadly, flipping to a new page.

This notebook was a list of things I plan to tell the circus and the boy when we meet. Every time my mom and dad walk in, I silently beg that they don't grab the notebook. I lifted the cap off the pen that was rested on the table beside the notebook. I began to write.

'Tears remind me of waterfalls. When your tear begins to fall, it's warm like the sun beating down on the top of the waterfall. Then, as the tear falls, it gets colder, like the bottom of a shaded waterfall. But, even if they are different things, the tears that fall on this hospital bed are as fast and dangerous as a real waterfall.'