Blood On His Hands
Chapter One: Setting The Plan Into Motion

	Paris.

	It was known as the “City of Light,” but Yuri would have to wait 
until later that night to see the city in all its illuminated glory, for he 
and his trapeze partner Layla had arrived in the early afternoon. Though 
their manager had suggested they sleep off their jet lag at the hotel, they 
decided to head straight to the site of the International Circus Festival 
from the airport. Layla wanted to practice their routine, and Yuri had very 
little say in the matter. Whatever Layla wanted, she tended to get, so he 
held back his yawns as best he could, coffee in hand as they rode in the 
taxi to the arena.

	“How about checking out the competition before practice?” Yuri 
suggested after they had finished registering.

	“You mean ‘spy’ on the competition? I don’t think so,” she replied, 
blue eyes peering at him over the rims of her stylish sunglasses. “It’s not 
my style.”

	“It doesn’t hurt to know what we’re up against.”

	“I’m confident that our Golden Phoenix is good enough to beat any 
maneuver. All we have to do is focus on performing it perfectly, and we will 
win.”

	“Maybe so, but I’m still interested in what the other pairs are 
doing.”

	Layla shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’m going to start practicing,” she 
said, walking off.

	On his own, Yuri began a tour of the practice rooms, which were 
available for contestants to use to train. As Layla suspected, none of the 
other teams posed any real threat to them. Layla was the undisputed best in 
the world, and nobody else could touch her. Winning the competition would 
only confirm what everybody already knew. Yuri decided to check out one last 
team before joining Layla at practice.   

	The pair was one Yuri had never seen before. Most likely they were 
newcomers to the competition, and it showed. Watching them, Yuri wasn’t very 
impressed by their act. The maneuver wasn’t flashy in the least -- almost 
bordering on the comically simple -- and the girl couldn’t even seem to hold 
the final pose correctly. The two of them looked like total amateurs, yet 
the man had to have extraordinary strength in order to push his partner 
straight up in the air like that. Though the maneuver looked simple to an 
untrained eye, he could tell it was actually quite difficult to pull off.

	Yuri frowned. With a better partner, the man had the potential to 
become an incredible trapeze artist -- perhaps even surpassing Yuri himself. 
If Kalos became aware of such a talent, he might be tempted to ask the man 
to join Kaleido Stage and replace Yuri as Layla’s partner. That couldn’t 
happen. Not yet. Yuri was only beginning to put his long-planned revenge 
against Kalos into action. He couldn’t afford to lose his spot as the number 
one male star at Kaleido Stage.

	“Yuri? Yuri Killian?”

	The French-accented voice startled Yuri from his thoughts. Though he 
had done his best to remain hidden from the pair, watching them through a 
small crack in the door, it appeared his presence had been discovered. The 
female member of the pair ran over.

	“It is you!” she exclaimed in English, opening the door. Rather than 
being angry at Yuri for spying on her and her partner, she seemed excited to 
meet him. She turned back to the man on the trapeze and yelled, “Leon, come 
over here.”

	“Excuse me, but have we met before?” Yuri asked politely.

	The girl shook her head. “No, but I am a big fan of yours, Monsieur 
Killian. I’ve seen videos of your shows on the Internet. You were 
wonderful!”

	Yuri smiled at the compliment. Even if she was technically 
competition, it was always nice to meet a fan. “Thank you.”

	Her partner Leon, having climbed down from the trapeze, joined them. 
He was not as friendly as the girl. Gray eyes narrowed with suspicion at 
Yuri. “Who are you, and why were you spying on us?” he demanded to know, 
arms crossed over his chest. 

	“Leon, don’t be so rude! This is Yuri Killian from Kaleido Stage. 
He’s Layla Hamilton’s partner,” she said. Turning back to Yuri, she 
apologized. “Please forgive my brother’s rudeness.”

	“No, I’m the one who should apologize,” Yuri said, turning on his 
well-practiced charm. “I didn’t man to interrupt you practice, 
Mademoiselle…”

	“Oswald. I’m Sophie Oswald.” She extended out her hand. “It’s very 
nice to meet you.”

	Instead of a handshake, Yuri kissed the back of her hand. “The 
pleasure is all mine, Sophie.”

	Sophie giggled and blushed. Girls like her were so easy to flatter. 
A few compliments and pretty words tossed their way, and they were his for 
the taking. Leon, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to punch Yuri in 
the face. 

	Yuri held out his hand to him. “And you are?”

	After a brief moment of hesitation, Leon took the offered hand. Yuri 
could sense just how strong he was by the firmness of his grip. “Leon 
Oswald, Sophie’s brother.”

	“Nice to meet you, Leon.”

	Releasing Yuri’s hand, Leon remarked, “I’m sorry I can’t say the 
same about you, Monsieur Killian.”

	“Leon!” Sophie exclaimed. “Quit it, you’re embarrassing me in front 
of Yuri.”

	“We don’t have the time nor the luxury to be making friends right 
now, Sophie. We only have a short time to perfect the Angel’s Maneuver 
before the competition begins.”

	“The Angel’s Maneuver?” Yuri repeated. “Is that what that move is 
called.”

	“Yes!” Sophie clasped her hands over her heart, her face beaming. 
“The Angel’s Maneuver is the way to becoming a true star. We hope to be able 
to awaken the Angel Hearts in every person who sees it.”

	“Really?” Yuri struggled hard not to laugh, hiding his mouth behind 
his hand under the guise of a cough. A trapeze maneuver that awakened 
something called an Angel Heart? He had never heard anything so ridiculous 
in his entire life! It sounded like something out of a fairy tale.

	Even Leon seemed embarrassed by her childish words. “Sophie, what we 
hope to do is win the competition, but that won’t happen unless you learn to 
hold that final pose. Now bid your farewell to Monsieur Killian, and let’s 
get back to work.” He pivoted on his heel and headed back to the trapeze 
without even a word of goodbye to Yuri. 

	“He’s a bit of a slave-driver, isn’t he?” Yuri commented once Leon 
was out of earshot.

	“No, it‘s not like that,” Sophie said, shaking her head. “Actually, 
I was the one who asked him to be harsher toward me in training. He was 
against it, but I insisted because I wanted to perfect the Angel‘s Maneuver 
for the festival. Though he may seem gruff when you first meet him, Leon 
really is a kind and gentle person underneath it all.”

	“I’ll take your word for it.” He looked over at Leon. As if trying 
to show off in front of Yuri, Leon jumped from one trapeze to the other, 
performing a series of complicated acrobatic spins and twists that even Yuri 
was unsure he could replicate. Yes, Leon Oswald would definitely be a threat 
if he didn‘t do something about it. “Look, I better go,” Yuri said, glancing 
back over at Sophie. “Layla is waiting for me.”

	“Sophie!” Leon yelled from the trapeze.

	“I’m coming!” she shouted back. Sophie smiled at Yuri, twisting a 
strand of her long white-blonde hair around her finger. “It really was 
wonderful meeting you. I hope we can see each other again.”

	After stealing another look at Leon to make sure he was watching, 
Yuri brought his mouth next to Sophie’s ear and whispered, “I’ll be looking 
forward to it.”

	Her cheeks flushed a bright pink, Sophie rushed off to join Leon on 
the trapeze. Yuri waved to a furious-looking Leon before leaving, a smirk 
dancing on his lips. He rather enjoyed messing with Leon’s head, he had to 
admit.

	But it would take more than flirting with his little sister to 
distract Leon from the competition. As he searched for Layla, Yuri thought 
about what he could do to get rid of the threat that Leon posed to his 
revenge. It wouldn’t be easy. From their short meeting, Yuri could tell that 
Leon wasn’t the type to be fooled easily. Leon was too sharp and paranoid; 
he would see through any scheme Yuri tried against him.

	Sophie, on the other hand… Leon’s sister could prove to be useful to 
him. Sophie seemed to be quite naïve and idealistic, and she obviously had a 
bit of a crush on him. He might be able to use that to his advantage. Though 
Sophie wasn’t Yuri’s normal type at all, it wouldn’t be difficult to fool 
her into believing he was actually interested in her. And then…

	A plan began to form in the back of his mind as he finally found the 
practice room Layla had reserved for them. “Finished playing spy games, 
Yuri?” Layla asked the moment he entered the room.

	Yuri glanced up at his partner on the trapeze. “As you suspected, 
there’s nobody here who can touch our Golden Phoenix. Winning the 
competition will be a walk in the park.”

	“I told you we had nothing to worry about,” she said, flipping her 
blonde hair over her shoulder. “Now, let’s get to work. Even if we don’t 
have any major competitors, I won’t settle for less than perfection.”

*****

	The next day, Yuri decided to put his plan into action. As he and 
Layla were on their way to the practice stage, he kept an eye out for the 
sibling pair, spotting them near a water fountain where Sophie was getting a 
drink. Yuri waved and called out to them.

	“Sophie! Leon!”

	At the sound of her name, Sophie straightened up and turned around. 
“Yuri!” Grabbing Leon’s hand, she dragged him with her over to Yuri and 
Layla. “Bonjour! I was hoping to run into you before practice.”

	Layla raised an eyebrow at Yuri. “Yuri, who are these people? 
Friends of yours?”

	“I suppose you could say that,” he said, noting how Leon seemed to 
bristle at the idea that the two of them were anything other than enemies. 
Yuri wasn’t exactly thrilled with the label either, but if he wanted to get 
anywhere with Sophie, he had to at least make a show of being friendly 
toward her brother. “Layla, I’d like you to meet Sophie and Leon Oswald. 
They’re in the trapeze competition as well.”

	“It is an honor to meet you, Mademoiselle Hamilton,” Sophie said, 
star-struck. “I was just telling my brother what a huge fan I am of you and 
Yuri.”

	“Thank you, although I can’t help but suspect you are far more a fan 
of Yuri’s than you are of mine,” Layla said with a knowing smile.

	Sophie’s cheeks burned a faint pink, while Leon rolled his eyes in 
exasperation and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Sophie, we should be 
going. It’s time for practice.”

	“Just a minute, Leon. I want to talk a little longer with Yuri…and 
Layla,” Sophie said, adding Layla’s name at the last moment in a useless 
attempt to hide her true objective.

	Leon eyed Yuri with barely-disguised distrust before turning to 
leave. “I’m going ahead to the practice room. Don’t take too long.”

	He walked away without saying good-bye.

	“Actually, we should probably get to work, too, Yuri,” Layla said, 
checking her watch after Leon had left.

	“Give me five minutes.”

	“Five minutes,” she agreed. Layla nodded to Sophie in 
acknowledgement. “Nice to meet you, Sophie. Good luck in the competition,” 
she said before leaving as well.

	“Wow, Layla Hamilton -- she’s even prettier in person,” Sophie 
declared, watching Layla walk away. “So cool and elegant…”

	Finally alone, Yuri could begin his seduction in earnest. “Yes, 
Layla is very beautiful,” he said, moving to cup Sophie’s chin in his hand, 
“but she doesn’t hold a candle to you.”

	Sophie bashfully brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “So she’s 
not your girlfriend?”

	Shaking his head, Yuri released her chin and leaned up against the 
wall behind Sophie, his hand placed to the side of her head. “No, I regret 
to admit I’m single at the moment. You?”

	“N-No, I’m not seeing anyone.”

	“I’m glad to hear that.”

	“You are?” Her voice had a bit of a breathless quality to it, 
indicating to Yuri that his charm was already working its magic on her.

	He almost wished Sophie was more of a challenge. Yuri had no 
attraction to dull, air-headed girls like her, but he reminded himself that 
this was all apart of a larger plan. “What are you doing tonight?” Yuri 
asked, staring straight down into Sophie’s pale eyes. 

	Sophie glanced away, her face flushed. “Nothing special. Leon wants 
us to rest and relax the night before the competition.”

	“Do you think your guard dog would mind if I took you out on the 
town?”

	She looked back up at him, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. 
“Like a date?”

	Yuri cocked a smile. “Yes, like a date.”

	“I’d like that,” Sophie said.

	“Leon won’t mind?”

	“Leon doesn’t own me. I can go out with whomever I please.”

	So she’s not a total doormat after all, Yuri thought, a little 
impressed by her spunk. His opinion of Sophie went up a notch. “Then I’ll 
pick you up at seven-thirty. What’s your room number?”

	“Oh, we’re not staying at the hotel. Since we live here in Paris, 
we’re staying at our apartment. Um…” Sophie turned around and tore the 
corner off one of the flyers advertising the International Circus Festival 
that was hanging on the wall behind her. “Do you have a pen?”

	“I believe so…” Yuri pulled one out of his gym bag and handed it to 
her. He had gotten in the habit of always carrying a pen around in case 
somebody asked for his autograph.

	“Merci.” Sophie pressed the paper up against the wall and jotted 
down her address. “Here’s where we live,” she said, handing him back the pen 
and the piece of paper. “It shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

	“Great. I’ll see you tonight, then.”

	Yuri grinned and turned to leave, but he pivoted back around and 
placed the pen behind Sophie’s ear. “You can keep that,” he told her, 
lightly caressing her cheek as he moved his hand away. “Au revoir, Sophie.”

	He didn’t have to look back to know that Sophie was watching him as 
he walked away. Really, it was almost embarrassing how easy that girl had 
been to win over. Sophie obviously had very little experience dealing with 
the opposite sex, but Yuri supposed he should consider it a blessing. After 
all, the competition was tomorrow. He didn’t have the luxury to mount a slow 
seduction. 

	Yuri caught up with Layla, who was doing her stretches, in the 
practice room. She looked up when he came in.

	“Pretty girl,” Layla said as Yuri set down his bag and took off his 
jacket. “That Sophie Oswald.”

	“Are you jealous?”

	“No, but I am concerned,” she said, meeting his gaze. “Don’t let 
your hormones effect your performance, Yuri. You need to be focused 
tomorrow. Don‘t let the girl distract you from what we have to do.”

	Yuri’s eyes narrowed. “Believe me, Layla, nothing and nobody is 
going to stand in the way of my goals.”



DISCLAIMER: Kaleido Star doesn’t belong to me.

AUTHOR’S NOTES: Any comments and criticisms can be sent to me at 
ElysionDream@aol.com.