Hey guys. You have no idea how happy I was at the reviews I received. Thank you so much.

resplandorrosa626: I'm glad you liked it so much, especially since I'm a big fan of your stories. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this one too.

.paul (Won't show the full name for some reason, so sorry): I'm glad you liked it, although I hadn't read that fanfic until you mentioned it. It is awesome by the way, so thanks. The idea came out of nowhere and I just decided to give it a shot. Maybe I'm reading between the lines too much, but it could also be a reference to his black and white view of the world, especially at the start of the series. Yeah, this place definitely needs some quality Yu fics that are actually finished. Since this chapter is also focused of Yu, please enjoy.

The Stage is Set: Chapter 2: Why You Shouldn't Mess with Yu

It had been a day since Gan Gan Galaxy had reached Japan from China, taking a break from the tournament now that their first round was over. The round had been the first of the tournament as a whole, so they had a lot of time before they'd battle.

The team had been ecstatic at being back. Gingka couldn't wait to share his time with Kenta, Masamune was looking forward to eating the triple beef burger of his favorite shop, Madoka really missed her dad's shop and Tsubasa missed his eagle, who couldn't go with them due to the "no pets out of their cages" policy of the airport and its own unwillingness to go into one.

The only one who didn't seem very excited, contrary to the popular opinion, was Yu.

Meeting Kenta again had lifted his mood a lot, who had explained Benkei's disappearance with his own confusion. Unfortunately, Kenta had been grounded the next day for staying out so late the night before.

Madoka would have done the same to the rest, but for the fear of her sanity and the shop, she let it slide for once. Well, not completely. She did ground their beys.

Hence, Tsubasa was no where to be found that day, probably "on a date with his eagle" as the other three bladers had put it, Gingka had gone to see his dad and Masamune and Yu had said that they were taking a walk around the city.

Said would be the keyword in the latter case.

Yu had walked past the crowded areas of the city, having left Masamune behind a while ago, and entered the warehouses near the ocean. Every part of his body, except for a small, irrational fear, screamed at him to run away, but his brain contradicted.

Reiji would find him sooner or later, and if he didn't show up on time, he'd be in worse trouble. It had happened before, and it hadn't been pretty.

A part of him liked to think that it was natural to be afraid of the person, or more specifically, the bey, that destroyed his partner and made him feel nothing but pure despair, but another part said that it was punishment. Punishment for following Doji blindly, punishment for letting himself be used, punishment for helping nearly cause the destruction of the world.

But there was one thing he didn't regret from that time.

Ryuga.

Heaving a sigh which was lost in the crash of the nearby waves and the rustling of water in the wind, Yu stepped inside. It was dark and a small fear of the dark, long forgotten ever since he moved in with Tsubasa, kicked in.

His ears picked up the sound of a bey spinning and, from the dark, two eyes stared at him intently, a small smirk visible from the small and only ray of light.

Yu froze, his blood running cold as the familiar green snakes charged towards him, baring their fangs and ready to rip him to shreds.

Madoka sighed, running a last scan on Eagle and Pegasus. Repairing the damage they'd taken from the training and the 'friendly' battles from the day before had gotten to their beys. She placed the two beys in her toolbox, where the two green beys lay unmoving.

Glancing around, her eyes fell on the clock. It was getting late and no one had returned. Well, it wasn't like she minded the silence.

Before she could enjoy it though, the sound of feet stamping on the ground reach her ears and broke the peace. Sighing, she turned to the door, where Gingka and Masamune stood.

"I got here first, so I won," Masamune said.

"What? I was here first, buddy!"

Madoka cleared her throat, making the two turn to her. "You guys are already a week without your beys. Do you want to make it two?"

The two shook their heads rapidly as Tsubasa stepped in. As the rest turned to greet him, he focused on Masamune. "Where's Yu?"

Madoka and Gingka shared a look as the former came into step with them, while Masamune questioned, "He said he was going to find you or something."

Come to think of it, it was kind of hard to remember, but the rest didn't need to know that. He valued his life very much.

Tsubasa frowned. "I haven't seen him all day."

"Do you think he could've gotten into some trouble?" Madoka asked.

The rest shared a look. "This is Yu we're talking about," Gingka commented. "Do you think we should go look for him."

Before any further debates could come up, a small groan broke their chatter. They turned to the doorway, their eyes widening on finding the very person they were talking about.

Yu body was covered in bruises and cuts, his face and clothes caked with dirt and the latter torn from some places. His green eyes were barely open as he leaned against the door.

"Yu!" everyone exclaimed, their eyes widening at the state he was in.

The youngest of the team gave them a small smile. "Guys..." His grip failed him and he would have fell forward if Tsubasa hadn't caught him, his eyes closing.

A tense silence had settled itself in the B-Pit. Yu had remained unconscious for the entire night and half a day before he woke up. He had had no choice but to explain.

Masamune's hands clenched as he remembered what he'd been told. He glared at the floor of the room Madoka had assigned him.

"So, who's this Reiji guy anyways?"

Kenta, Gingka, Madoka and Tsubasa shared a look. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Yu stare intently at the bed sheet.

Finally, Gingka spoke. "Masamune, how much attention did you pay to the Battle Bladers, anyway?"

Masamune knew he couldn't classify himself as observant, something Tsubasa repeatedly reminded him. But even so, he couldn't miss the strain in his voice and the tension in his shoulder, as if he was trying to keep his anger under control.

"I just watched the finals," he replied. "Why?"

"The Battle Bladers was organized by an organization called the Dark Nebula." It was Tsubasa who spoke. "Reiji was one of their bladers."

Kenta clenched his hand in front of him, continuing, "He's the type of blader who wants nothing but his opponent to suffer. He only battles to crush his opponent. He won't stop until the person battling him isn't even able to pick up a bey again."

Finally, his frustration got the better of him. Running his hands through his wild hair, Masamune shouted, "That's it!" He got up from the bed and moved towards the door while ranting to himself. "Who does this guy think he is, targeting my friend like that? I'll put him in his place."

He totally wasn't surprised when he saw Gingka and Tsubasa going to do the exact same thing.

Masamune stared at the ceiling, heaving a sigh of relief. They were leaving to watch the match between the Arabian and the EU team and Madoka had been nagging them sine morning to pack up and make sure they had everything.

If he had to check his bag one more time, he'd go insane!

Hearing the door click, he sat up and turned to the source. Yu was standing at the door, staring at him intently.

"What is it, Yu?"

Contrary to what he expected, Japan's sub looked away for a second before walking in. Okay, something was definitely wrong. There was no way Yu would hesitate normally.

But then again, he didn't exactly know him that well.

"It's just that...well...Thanks." Masamune blinked at him. "Y-You know, for dealing with Reiji."

Okay, having Yu thank him instead of fighting was going to take some getting used to.

Masamune gave him a smile. "Don't mention it. 'Sides, that guy was no match for the Number 1 Blader."

Yu just rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Meanwhile, Reiji was lamenting his decision of messing with that impossibly bubbly kid.

Okay, so I tried to make it a bit more serious this time.

And if anyone thinks Yu was OOC, remember that this is an AU. Besides, I like to think that he must have some sort of trauma for what happened. People tend to forget that he's a kid, eight in this story. You terrify an eight year old like that and not have him scared of you. Besides, it makes having them fight their pasts makes bringing them closer.

And as for Reiji taking his revenge on Yu only. Well, he did lose to Gingka and I view him as someone who knows his (and others') limits, the last time he saw the gang Gingka and Kenta were too close for him to attack repeatedly and Hyoma's not exactly around. Besides, seeing as Kenta is slightly older than Yu in this story and not as scared of him as Yu (because he remembers his mistakes and time at the Dark Nebula), Yu's an easier target. And because I see Reiji as someone who can hold grudges. And because I've been wanting to write about the effect of everything on Yu's mind since so many people just make him happy-skippy (is that even a word?) only, which, in my opinion, is a bit one dimensional.

Anyways, as usual, feel free to spot mistakes and give constructive criticism.

See ya next time.