Disclaimer: I don't own Battle B-Daman
Second chapter to be um, like – redone over. Hopefully gunna get all done in the next three weeks and keep going. But like, I just actually can't see anything happening for Beginning to Love/Learn so this is probably the only thing that will get re-worked on. The scenes are mostly the same, some stuff has been changed tho and the order is a bit more sense making.
Diamond in the Rough
--
o1: Chance.
"Your skills are very impressive, Gray."
"You think so?" A slight blush crept up his cheeks at the compliment, something Gray was definitely not used to.
"Certainly," Joshua says, leaning forward as he stirs his coffee and he can't help think that there is something vaguely hypnotic about the way Joshua talks, the way he drawls- no, softly dragged out certain syllables.
" Have you ever gotten any formal training?"
Gray shook his head, "No." Inwardly he hit himself, man – he really, really needed to work on this talking thing. Or was he meant to be working on the not talking thing?
"That really is something then – I thought you were in town for the IBA preliminaries."
"IBA?"
"The International B-damon Associations. I just saw the poncho and assumed that you, well – clearly don't look like a local-"
"I look like a country bumpkin." The blond mutters darkly.
The green-haired boy immediately draws back. "Oh, forgive me if I offended you-"
Gray raised a hand, causing the other teen to stop. "It's fine."
Joshua takes another sip of coffee then sets it back down. "I didn't mean that – I meant, that I thought you were a professional. Especially the way you handled yourself back there and a lot of b-da players from out of town come in costume, to represent so to speak."
There was an awkward silence, and finally Gray managed to gather enough dignity to look up at Joshua.
"…I'm not in costume."
-
Several spluttering apologies, and Joshua turning the exact same shade as a tomato the conversation had thankfully moved away from Gray's fashion sense.
Unfortunately, it'd moved onto why Gray was in town.
"So, how did it go?"
Gray stares down at the remaining quarter of sandwich. "Not good." He swallows hard, "really, really bad."
Joshua didn't say anything for a minute, he just sat there with this look on his face. "Sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to."
"It's not that," Gray snaps, and then realises that his voice has gotten louder. He sinks back into his seat as nearby people stare. "I, I just don't want to disappoint her. That's all."
This time, Joshua doesn't stare. This time, Gray stares as something flickers across the older boy's face, and then Joshua nods. "I understand."
And just like that, with two words everything came undone.
Just broken fragments at first, like HELP WANTED signs and park benches, and then full sentences about doctors and fees and wanting to help, but ending up just hurting instead.
Through it all, Joshua just sat there – eyes locked onto Gray, just existing.
-
"That's why I'm here." The blonde finished, now feeling slightly stupid at having blurted everything out.
"Money." Joshua leans back, arms folded across his chest, "That's all you really need."
Gray nods, then shakes his head. "Even if I had it – there's still a waiting list."
"But if you could – if you somehow had this money, this opportunity; everything would all go ahead?"
"Of course!" Gray swallows, "It sounds unrealistic, but I'm still going to try."
Pale hands brush green hair out of eyes, and then Joshua locks onto Gray. "If you are serious, a hundred percent sure that getting this for your sister is what you want – I might be able to help you."
-
"I work for Cain McDonnell, you might have heard of him – the McDonnell name is quite prominent globally."
Gray has no idea what he's talking about, but nods his head and tries to look like he understands everything.
"Recently, we've had a vacated spot within his personal staff. One of our bodyguards was recently injured under unfortunate circumstances."
The thump-thump-thump of his heart threatened to burst through skin and muscle as Gray leant forward with renewed hope.
"I understand that you do not have the expected qualifications – but you seem to have talent, and good self-instincts." Joshua folds his hands under his chin. "Most importantly, I feel that you are trustworthy."
"I am," and then Gray realises how stupid that comment is. "I mean-"
Joshua unsuccessfully hides a snicker. "I can see that. If you really are serious about this, then I may have a proposition for you."
-
"One year of employment as a personal staff member, and all medical expenses will be taken care of."
-
Joshua sighed as his headache increased by the minute. Cain was especially stubborn and trying to reason with him was like convincing a five-year-old that Santa wasn't real. Which explained why Joshua had been stuck in this study for the past three hours.
"I don't see why we have to hire someone new you know! Jou's perfectly fine – a couple of days and he'll be back before anyone even remembers that he's gone!"
"Cain," Joshua says, massaging his temple, "Jou is in hospital, and right now he's paralysed from the waist down."
"So, he's still got two arms right?"
"He can't move right now." Cain rolls his eyes, "Can't we get him like a scooter or something?"
"My point is, Master Cain that you need a new bodyguard and this option is as good as it's going to get under these circumstances."
"No, I don't. I mean, Asado's there right?"
"Asado already has a job. He can't be two places at once," Joshua says, and Cain purposely avoids eye-contact.
"Whatever. You're the one always going on about how we should keep people around and now you wanna stick some one I don't even know with us for a year?"
Inside, a little part of Joshua dies at having to argue with someone like Cain. "I didn't say that – look," he pauses as the world's greatest idea hits him. "Look," Joshua says again, slower, "maybe you have a point."
Cain looks up in surprise. "I do?"
"Yes, actually – I think you may have a very good argument there. I mean, it is true – we really should get someone who you are more familiar with."
"Exactly," Cain smirks like that's been his great plan all along, "I mean – why the hell would we hire some bumpkin from losertoon when we've got all these other options right here?"
Inside Joshua kills himself laughing, outside Joshua nods understandingly. "Precisely – we'll just ask Enjyu."
"Exac-WHAT?"
Cain's voice rises up into a near shriek, and all Joshua can think of is how much like a little girl he sounds right now.
"ENJYU? Out of everyone else – FUCKING ENJYU?!"
With violet eyes bugging out and gloved hands clutching onto the table, Cain's doing a very good impression of insanity.
Joshua loves how much Cain hates Enjyu and how much Enjyu hates him back. Joshua also loves (at certain times) Cain's amazingly versatile mood swings.
"Well, you've spent a lot of time together and he is well qualified," Joshua continues on, as if this is the ideal solution, "-of course, you'll have to spend even more time together."
From the look on Cain's face to the idea of so much Enjyu, Joshua has to wonder if it is actually possible for a person's face to turn purple.
"He'd have to move into the room next to yours and at public events he'd have to be ghosting your every move and-"
BANG.
The door slams shut as Cain bolts out of the door.
Joshua lets out a satisfied smirk as he watches Cain retreat down the corridor, "Master Cain – where are you going? We have to set up a meeting with Enjyu and sort out room arrangeme-"
The white trench coat swishes as Cain turns around, mouth pulled into a line. "No Enjyu."
"But Master Cain – then who are we going to hire?"
"I DON'T KNOW," Cain says, arms flailing wildly – "AND I DON'T CARE AS LONG AS IT'S NOT ENJYU!"
"Alright, we'll go over the resumes," Joshua says in his best patronizing tone, "We can sit down together and look over each one an-"
"I said, I DON'T CARE," Cain hisses, adding in some rapid finger-pointing for dramatic effect, "You can go look at your fucking paperwork and find me a fucking bodyguard, find me anyone that is not fucking Enjyu."
"Oh but-"
"I'm going out." And with that, Cain strides off down the hallway, boots scraping against the floor.
-
Back in the study, Joshua smirked, satisfied at his work. Mission Complete.
Cain McDonnell never lost an argument (out of sheer pig-headed-ness), until you brought out the magic word. And as Joshua dialled in the numbers written next to VINCENT in black marker, he silently thanked the day they had met Enjyu.
-
[w i n d t o o n ]
He sat on the front porch, legs dangling over the edge surrounded by a single suitcase.
It felt like, no – it was a good bye.
It was a good-bye to this place; to everything he had ever known – for the most amazing, most miraculous thing that had ever happened to him. And for some reason, that made him want to throw up, and gave him happy butterflies that danced up his spine all at once.
Windtoon wasn't a bad place, he reflected.
Not good, but not bad. It had given him what he'd needed – what they'd needed and even though the majority of the townsfolk gave the two of them a wide berth, there were some people that Gray would never, ever forget.
"Gray?"
Leanne crept up behind him, and then plopped down next to him. "You look like you're thinking way too hard," she says, nudging him with her elbow.
"I just thought – that this might-"
"-that we're gonna see this place?"
Leanne finishes the sentence for him, and she smiles, snuggling herself against Gray.
"I'm scared," she whispers into his ear. "Seems too unreal, doesn't it?"
Gray looks down at Leanne's hand clutching onto his poncho. "I'm scared too," he admits, "but sometimes – you gotta take a risk." His words sound hollow to his ears, but it reassures Leanne.
"I'll believe if you believe," she says, holding out her pinky finger.
The puzzled expression across Gray's face to the raised finger makes Leanne giggle. "Pinky promise, 'member?"
"I'll start," Leanne says.
-
"I promise that things will be okay."
Two pinkies connect, and lock around each other in tight embrace.
"Me too."
-
"Can't break a promise, right Gray?"
"Never ever," he says back and then she reaches forward to hug him. He lets her, and she doesn't let go. "I'mma miss you, know that?"
"I know L," he says and disentangles himself from her. "But only for a year – and then…"
Liena smiles at him, eyes sparkling in the dark, "Yeah, only one year and then everything's going to be ok."
-
complete with new changes/ rearranging parts of the story.
