I'm Alive

[Kaitou_Dark_Sama]

It's didn't take me long after that fated day to realize that there was a higher power on my side, one who wanted me to live...though I had no idea who it could be.

' I'm Alive!
I'm Alive, oh yeah.
Between the good and bad is where you'll find me, reaching for heaven.
I will fight!
And I'll sleep when I die.
I'll live, my life.
I'm Alive~ '

Dagger got up like he had for the past ten years of his life, loving the fact that he had actually woken up without a pain in his body or his heart. He sat up and looked around him, he saw Peter and Wendy curled up with one another in one of the corners of the wagon. Joker was sprawled out at Dagger's side, the familiarity of the people here made him smile happily and run a hand through his messy blond hair, the shock of black in the front obscuring his vision in the position it fell. He looked out the small window of the horse drawn carriage and saw they were within a town now, moving towards the grounds where they would be putting up their next tent. He loved travelling with these people he had known for years, with the Noah's Ark Circus.

"Good job everyone! We're almost done!" He called happily as he ran through the newly set up tents that littered the once barren area they had been provided with. They had the main tent up and everything set up inside of it, aside from the tightrope and the trapeze, which they always saved for last. The tents of the First Tier members had also been pitched now and everyone was working on putting up the tents for the other members, the practice tent and the wreck hall. It was a surprise how many people they managed to find to join their circus just from travelling, all children and teens who didn't have a chance at a life where they once lived, children who lived on the street like all the first tier members had once, Dagger himself included.

Practice was always fun, Dagger had to teach a bunch of teens the art of knife throwing today, nothing unusual, something he usually did. He could hear Joker poking fun at some of the newer members who will practicing balance, and Peter and Wendy were demonstrating on the trapeze. The only first tier member who was no longer with them was their animal tamer, Beast, who had died in the fire that was supposed to have killed the rest of them, but a person with brilliant red hair had saved their lives, but that was a completely different story, and one that Dagger didn't ever want to have to trouble himself with ever again. Their first show in the new area would be tonight though, and he couldn't help but be incredibly psyched about it, it was his first show in a long time.

Behind the scenes right before he was to go out, Dagger was finishing up with his outfit, putting on his the thick make-up around his eyes, and making sure his pirate-esque hat was on properly. He smirked at himself in the mirror as he was finally happy with his appearance. He found it necessary to test his left leg a couple times, making sure the prosthetic limb was working properly before he heard Joker call out, "Next, the man who never misses his mark! The bull's eye knife thrower! DAGGER!" Dagger laughed slightly, "Showtime..." he whispered to himself before running on out into the ring to start his show, throwing knives in hand. True to Joker's word, Dagger did exceptionally well this time round and didn't miss anything before his part of the act was done and he went off stage to make way for Doll, the tightrope walker. Dagger walked off through the small ground of the circus, deciding he could waste some time before the encore.

It was a nice night out. The stars were bright above his head, Dagger couldn't help but smile up at them. The place seemed pretty barren right now, which would make sense because a good chunk of the entire city's population was inside the main tent of the circus right now. Dagger went off to the entrance they had set up and sat just beyond that to look up at the sky. His thoughts lingered back to his past and he started to say the little rhyme that popped into his head: "Tom, he was a piper's son, learned to play when he was young. And all the tune that he could play, was 'Over the hills and far away...'" He paused as heard people in the tent within the circus clapping he laughed slightly, "Over the hills and great way off...the wind will blow my top knot off." Not having a top knot on the hat he wore though, he settled with just knocking the hat he had on off into his lap. He let himself laugh for a while and he stared up at the sky for a while longer. He let out a sigh, put his hat back on as he got up and made his way back to the tent for the encore.

After the show Dagger and Joker stood at the gate and said farewell to everyone as they departed, saying thank you as people complimented the two of them, it was something they were used to, and would expect after years of practicing the arts they had come to master. As they watched the last people walk off they turned to one another. Dagger scratched the back of his head, "I think I'm going to head into town for a bit, I'll be back within the hour, alright?" he said. Joker nodded and Dagger walked off, humming the same rhyme he had been saying earlier. In town he had settled with just wandering, it was very late and virtually no one was outside, which was a good thing, because after a short while he realized how he must look like a complete fool still in his outfit from the show. Though in the end the thought just made him laugh. He stopped on a street corner and looked up at the flickering street lamp above. He heard footsteps behind him, but didn't say anything, didn't do anything, he just stood their looking up at the street lamp and the stars past that, though he couldn't help but be very wary all of a sudden.