Happy surprise update everyone! This chapter will be focused largely on Hikaru's trauma and the life she had to settle with now that she can't do what she enjoyed the most. Again, I have very mixed feelings about the way the writers of MFB handled her destiny. I understand and appreciate the whole idea to portray PTSD and the fact that there is a life outside beyblade and that if you quit it, it's not the end of the world. Also, something that I once again read on Tumblr, that it was her mother's dream, essentially not hers. That one, I understand and am way more fond of, though if this was indeed their train of thought, and they wanted to teach the viewers that you have to chase your own dream, not your parent's (bc believe me, there still are parents who impose their unfulfilled dreams onto their kids), they never stated it clearly and focused solely on the PTSD as a reason she quit. Therefore, Hikaru was quite invested in the sport. It wasn't just her mother's motivation, but her own, too. So while her story ending in helping other bladers is optimistic and sweet, it's also a lacklustre endpoint for this unique person with so much unusual potential to offer the world.

Enough rambling now, in this chapter one of my OCs will be introduced. I promise, he won't show up much, the only reason he exists in the first place is so Hikaru could reconsider whether this is the type of man she really wants in her life.

This chapter's recommended songs: Lana del Rey - This is what makes us girls, and somewhere at the end: Sia - I'm still here

Chapter 4 - Salt Meets Wound

18th June

It was the afternoon after the pair's first night shift and Hikaru was waiting in the queue in the nearby supermarket, contemplating on how to inform her partner, who had the personality of a chainsaw, that she wouldn't be showing up to training because of the bad weather. Choosing to deny Kyoya of something he wanted was like choosing life retirement.

Sighing, Hikaru decided she wanted to get this over with and typed the first thing that came to her mind. Kyoya was going to be pissed either way, no matter how she told him since it still meant the same thing - he wasn't getting a rematch.

[ It's gonna rain, we can't train today ]

[ Let's do it tomorrow ]

After putting the device in her pocket, the bluenette rolled her shoulder in hopes to relieve her sore muscles. Yesterday's sparring had really worn her out.

Hikaru trained in combat whenever she had the opportunity, but it could be very tricky finding partners, or the time between everything else in work and personal life. Of the few people she considered friends, Tsubasa was the only one with fighting experience and was strangely reluctant to punch her, even when she asked him politely. Perhaps especially then.

So sparring with someone who didn't hold back was like a breath of fresh air. Kyoya fought like a neighbourhood dog that wouldn't stop until it went home, with a hunk of Hikaru's arm in its mouth. Just as Hikaru'd expected, Kyoya possessed great strength and stamina in spades. But combat experience? Technique? Those were areas where he lacked, and where she excelled, along with speed. But knowing him, he'd waste no time to catch up. And as perplexing as it may sound, Hikaru was looking forward to it.

Hikaru had finished paying at the counter and left the shop. The sky was gloomy, with a valley of grey clouds reaching out from horizon to horizon in an inverted valley. There was no sign of the sun. Not the bright and sunny day Hikaru'd anticipated, but she was going to make do. Grimacing as a splash of cold rain hit the back of her hand, Hikaru started digging around in her bag for her umbrella - probably the third one she had to buy this year.

" Out of the way, lady! " someone shouted, and Hikaru whipped her head to see a cyclist speeding in her direction. She managed to very narrowly dodged the hit, but stepped off the curb and turned her ankle, losing her footing as a result. For a dazed instant, she lay on the asphalt amid the scattered contents of her shopping bags.

Just when a series of insults were about to spill out of Hikaru's mouth, the sound of hurried footsteps approaching, stopped her.

" Miss, are you alright? " a worried, but polite voice called, one that belonged to an attractive young man that Hikaru peered at, now infinitely glad that she didn't get the chance to swear in front of him. " Let me help you. "

" Ah, thank you. " she smiled coyly as the boy reached down and helped her back onto the pavement. " I never knew cyclists can be so vicious. "

The lad laughed, bent down and started putting the products back in the bags. Hikaru followed suit and took the chance to get a good look at him - a bit taller than her, pale skin, ash blonde hair and big chocolate brown eyes. Not exactly her type, but definitely cute. " Haven't seen you before. You're not from here? "

The bluenette nodded, quickly coming up with a lie. " Yeah, I'm on a vacation. " This could totally count as a holiday if you ignore the part where she was an agent who had to cooperate with a human cannonball in order to illegally infiltrate a laboratory that might be into some shady business.

The blonde gave her a comical, unbelieving look. " Vacation? In the middle of nowhere? "

It was her turn to giggle and give him a shrug. " What can I say. I like the mountains and the quietness of the countryside. " Hikaru noticed he wore a uniform shirt. " And you work here? " she asked, gesturing towards the supermarket.

" Yup. " he said, standing up as they were finished with the packing. " Makoto Nakamura, nice to meet you. " he held out his hand, and she shook it.

Her doe-eyed blink was rehearsed and timed to perfection. " Hikaru Hasama, likewise. "

The distant rumble of thunder pulled them out of the unexpected, but pleasant conversation, along with the increased number of raindrops falling from the sky. If Hikaru wanted to return to the hotel dry and not like a wet duckling, she'd have to go now.

" I better get going, " she bowed and hurried ahead while carefully balancing the shopping bags. " Bye! "

It was only when Hikaru was halfway down the street that Nakamura found his voice. " Wait! " he called out hesitantly after her and scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks infused with pink. " See you around? "

She turned back towards the boy with a shy, calculated quirk of her lips and gave a nod. " Yeah. "

With that, Hikaru skipped ahead, heels clicking sharply as her skirt flapped slightly with her feisty steps. She tried and failed to fight down a smile because she knew he was still looking.

Despite the storm that was raging outside, Hikaru was at the top of her spirits due to the new acquaintance she'd made. Who knows, maybe she'd just met her new leading man, and even if it wasn't him, he could still be a good time. This had bolstered her mood to the point she was willing to experiment in cooking. Right now, the bluenette was chopping beef and vegetables on the kitchen counter while the TV's weather forecast ran as background noise.

| A typhoon is headed towards Japan. Everyone is advised to beware of the heavy rain, strong winds and high waves. A flood warning will be issued in parts of the metropolitan area and Kansai this evening. The metropolitan area is expecting 20 mm of rainfall per hour. Please take special precautions in the maintenance of facilities. As for the surrounding regions… |

Hikaru furrowed her brow, a pout tugging her lips forward. There was no way in hell the two would be able to carry out a shift in these conditions, as it turned out.

Another uneventful day…

Deciding that the news wasn't quite cutting it and that she needed to keep up her good mood somehow, Hikaru put on her headphones and played one of her party playlists.

That's more like it.

Hikaru bobbed her head to the rhythm and mouthed the words every once in a while as she placed the big pan on the gas stove and waited until it heated up. Once it was ready, she put a slice of butter, just so the products wouldn't stick, and added them all inside. She had long given up on fried foods with that sensitive stomach of hers.

" Pepa y agua pa la seca, " Hikaru sang her own version of the lyrics since she didn't speak the language. Chopsticks in one hand and her other on her hip, the bluenette shifted from one leg to the other in an impromptu dance move. She stirred the food around for the last time before placing a lid on top.

The best part of the song was coming, and Hikaru started bouncing up and down in a circle, humming to herself. Several jumps later, she opened her eyes to make sure she wouldn't bump into the table or the counter.

Imagine Hikaru's surprise when she realized she wasn't alone in the room and the small shriek she let out. Shortly after registering the sight, her hand flew to her mouth, though it hardly prevented the amused snort.

Standing in front of her was her soaked to the bone, seething partner, who appeared to be putting all his concentration into not exploding. Unlike her lucky and well-prepared self, Kyoya hadn't managed to evade the downpour. His basil green hair that usually defied gravity was now plastered on his face and even in this state managed to put Hikaru's to shame with its volume. With that a legendary frown on his face, he resembled a grizzly bear awakened in the dead of winter by a death-metal band.

" Something funny? " Kyoya looked like he was ready to bite her head off if her answer was anything other than a definitive 'no'.

Hikaru's self-preservation instincts kicked in, and she waved her hands like an attempt to calm down the temper of a lion with a leg of lamb. " No, no! " she affirmed nervously, opting to change the subject. " I'd just put some music on and didn't hear you coming, that's all. "

But by doing this, Hikaru had unwilling brought the attention back to what she was doing before he'd interrupted her. The thought that Kyoya had witnessed the unforgettable show she was putting up so shamelessly caused a flush to spread across her cheeks, wishing the ground would swallow her whole just to she wouldn't be there to endure this embarrassment.

Kyoya sent her the most disbelieving expression yet and snorted, before starting to untie and take off his boots. " You're such a weirdo. "

Hikaru propped her hands on her hips, fast becoming the standard pose when debating with Kyoya. " Well, this weirdo is cooking the dinner for tonight, so you better not get on her bad side. " Hikaru would've pondered what on earth she was thinking if she'd had more time to consider this line of reasoning, but for the time being, it seemed like an undisputed victory by merit of the provable truth that there was a very slim possibility that Kyoya would've liked to cook instead.

The lad gave a prominent 'You've gotta be kidding me' scowl-glare, along with another of his trademarked 'tch' sounds but didn't offer further comment, preferring to go take a proper, hot shower.

Hikaru threw one last look at the dish, before also going back to her room. In the recipe online, it said it took about twenty minutes for the meat and vegetables to be ready. The bluenette decided to put that time into use by trying to solve one of the equations she had ditched yesterday. Not that she was keen on cracking it. If one of the universities' entrance exams wasn't in mathematics, she would've never picked up a textbook on the subject. It would be a blatant lie if Hikaru said she hadn't wished bad luck to whoever chose the material for the exams. She saw no logic whatsoever for having to take an exam in mathematics when she was applying for law. Her profession required her to have a way with words, not numbers.

Hikaru struggled and struggled with the equation for a while, almost squashing the paper out of anger at one point, when she smelled the faintest scent of smoke in the air.

Oh no.

The bluenette dashed for the kitchen at such speed, she nearly slipped on the hardwood floor. There was a decent amount of smoke in the air in the living room and kitchen, and Hikaru quickly turned on the exhaust hood above the cooktop to remove the fumes, hoping that the smoke detector wouldn't activate.

" What the fuck, " Kyoya yelled from his room, several decibels louder than necessary, having sensed the smell himself and stormed out of his bedroom. " Are you trying to burn the place down? "

Hikaru was way too busy trying to save their food and dismissed this with a wave, as she stirred the vegetables and flipped the meat. They were a bit over-roasted but surely edible.

It was no surprise to Hikaru when Kyoya came to interfere since this was going to be his meal too. " Move your ass, " he pushed the girl aside and took her spot, " That's not how you do it. "

Before Hikaru had the chance to stop her partner, he reached over and poured oil into the pan. The heat that was already present combined with the oil produced a sudden burst of flames, causing both of them to jump back and Hikaru to let out an almighty scream. Kyoya, being the one with faster reflexes, immediately set the lid over the pan, swiftly putting out the fire.

The teens carefully inched closer to the stove, peering through the glass lid and eyeing the remains of meat and vegetables that were now black as coal and probably as hard as a brick.

Bitter by the fact that her masterpiece would've had a decent chance of survival had Kyoya not butted in, Hikaru went off on one. " This is not how you do it, either! Why did you add oil?! "

" To fry them, obviously! " Kyoya fired back.

" But I didn't want to fry them, I wanted to roast them! "

" You can't roast them in a pan! " Kyoya scolded like the know-it-all, professional chef he was.

Hikaru huffed and held up the warm lid. " I know, but this was supposed to be an improvised oven." she pointed out.

She received a very Kyoya-like response, always adamant about having the last word. " Improvised my ass, " the greenhead grumbled and crossed his arms. " Now we're gonna starve. "

The secretary sighed and shook her head, starting to rummage through the top cupboards. She was hoping that they wouldn't get to this point, but drastic times call for drastic measures and pulled out two packings of instant noodles.

Over the next four-and-a-half hours, they discussed strategy after strategy, only to reach a dead-end. One of the distinguishing features that set aside Vitabey from other laboratories in this field was that it was built in less than three months and all the expenses were covered by offshore accounts that the WBBA wasn't able to track. What's more, the level of security dispatched was suspiciously high, so high that they practically couldn't sneak in without making their presence known. Under different circumstances, getting noticed and engaging in combat would've been a tolerable alternative, since as long as their identities and the company they were working under stayed unrevealed, it was alright. In this instance, however, the guards weren't armed with beyblades, but firearms. The chances of getting shot and maybe even killed were very real, and very frightening.

Once while her partner was presenting another option he'd thought of, Hikaru realized just because Kyoya hated working with others, that didn't mean he couldn't. Though he would stay away or make teamwork unpleasant if forced upon him against his will, this instant wasn't like that. Kyoya wanted to work on this with Hikaru because the sooner they figured out a way to get inside the facilities, the sooner they'd be back to their normal lives. It was essentially making him cooperative.

At around the third-hour mark, Hikaru'd already had a second beer. The two might've not thought of a plan at this point, but at least they've managed to do a list of gadgets they'd need and sent the request to HQ for approval. Hopefully, the delivery wouldn't take long.

By the time they finished the meeting, Hikaru's head was spinning, and she felt the need to take a well-earned break.

" Wanna call it quits? " the bluenette asked and looked up from her laptop's screen, blinking like a nocturnal animal disturbed from its sleep.

Kyoya also seemed to have had it with this mind straining discussion as he gave a curt nod and leaned back to stretch his arms over his head, flexing his impressive biceps in the process.

Not that Hikaru noticed.

The amiable effect of the alcohol combined with the muggy and unventilated air in the room made the girl feel hot, so she went to open the large window. A refreshing, cold breeze blew through her cerulean hair, and she leaned over the window sill to look out at the rain; not as heavy as before but not showing any sign of stopping anytime soon. The low hum of crickets and the sound of distant cars passing on the highway could also be heard. Hikaru allowed her eyes to roam over the sight. Among the mountains and thick forests in the distance, she caught a glimpse of a bright light. Hikaru examined it carefully and put two and two together.

" We have a view of the laboratory from here. " she observed a loud, not expecting an answer or any kind of acknowledgement from her partner.

So when her partner made his way over to the window next to her with a beer in hand, Hikaru couldn't conceal her shock. He'd wanted a breath of fresh air too, Hikaru reasoned." Like I haven't seen enough of that shithole. " Kyoya delivered automatically in a bored tone of voice.

Neither of them said anything for a while, only the patter of rain on the building.

" Hey, " Kyoya began as if he didn't need to know Hikaru's name, even if he did. " Don't tell anyone about our training. " Hikaru's impulse to believe she'd misheard Kyoya was shattered by his dead-serious face.

" Uh, really? Why? "Hikaru questioned straight, not bothering to hide her confusion.

" I don't want those nosy morons poking about while we're still... working things out. " Kyoya responded calmly with remarks that might've been interpreted in a very strange way if taken out of context. Not that it appeared to worry him." Especially not the little twerp– "

" You mean Yu? " Hikaru rushed in before Kyoya could finish his sentence, and he seemed pissed that she had so brazenly taken the gratification from his lips. " How is it an issue if others are aware of our... um, sparring? "

Hikaru was puzzled as to why she was expected to keep secrets, but Kyoya was no longer interested in explanations. " Just keep your mouth shut. "

" In case you forgot, " Hikaru began with a barrage of vengeful energy, earning herself a full Yoyo-frown in the process. " This training will take a big portion of our free time." Hikaru placed her fists on her hips and fixed a beady gaze on Kyoya. " What do you expect me to say when I get asked about it? "

" I don't kn– whatever you want, " Kyoya snarled. " Just don't spill. "

Hikaru considered Kyoya's demand for a moment and recognized what an accomplishment it was for Kyoya to semi-admit to someone that he needed something from them that he couldn't provide for himself. Although fessing up to using her techniques was a relatively simple matter, Hikaru was confident that a year ago, or even six months ago, Kyoya would've rather bitten off his tongue.

And sure, actual combat training for missions was rather infrequent, because, well, why bother risking hurting yourself when you can just send the guards flying with your beyblade. But again, this was no typical mission. Kyoya had been mostly putting effort into beyblade training and still had to improve in combat. If word got out that he'd lost and chatterboxes like Yu, Masamune and Gingka caught wind of it, Kyoya's ego would suffer immense damage and there would be hell to pay.

The bluenette also realized what a rare opportunity this was, to be around Kyoya while he was in a non-hostile state, and opted for keeping the semi-harmony. " Alright. " Hikaru complied with a put-upon sigh, just to make sure Kyoya understood she was doing what he had been doing recently - compromising. " If it means that much to you. "

Kyoya liked that much better and a thin smile shadowed his face, at which Hikaru felt something flutter in her gut. It's not like she hadn't seen him smile before. She had, but it was so long ago, it felt like an eternity had passed since she last saw the legendary blader of spring lift the corners of his mouth in a genuine, sincere smile and not his typical arrogant, battle-hungry smirk.

That's how Hikaru found herself reminiscing on the person that Kyoya'd been when she'd first met him and the one he was now. Physically, he'd obviously grown taller, and it sometimes pissed Hikaru sometimes because whenever they were arguing, he was literally looking down on her. From Hikaru's perspective, his jaw was particularly pronounced due to the shadows, with the rest of his face largely lacking roughness. His azure eyes were ostensibly uninterested on the view. He now looked less like a boy and more like a man. Personality-wise, though, Kyoya had changed much more. Aside from his unyielding determination to finally beat Gingka that was as present as ever, his openness to social interaction had absolutely vanished, having no interest to maintain a friendship with anyone.

Hikaru'd been unknowingly studying the King of Beasts for a while, so when he glanced sideways and caught her stare, his nose wrinkled, blue eyes shuttered until they were almost slits. "What?"

The alcohol had given her more of a buzz than Hikaru thought because she ignored the red sirens that were blaring in her head, going all sincere on her partner " Nothing, it's just that you've changed a lot since we first met. It's like you've had a complete mental makeover. " she muttered, absentmindedly eyeing her hands.

" And what about you? " Kyoya shot directly, with pinpoint accuracy, the centre of the target set somewhere at the end of Hikaru's statement. " You say I'm the one who had a complete mental makeover, but you don't seem to be the same yourself. What happened to the determined blader who would stop at nothing to reach her goal and to continually challenge herself with strong opponents? "

Of all the possible retorts Hikaru'd expected from Kyoya, this one wasn't high on the list. Or on the list at all. Why would he bring that up? For some odd reason, Hikaru felt as though she'd been struck violently in the chest. Her mouth formed a scowl, but she kept her eyes on the view ahead of her. " You of all people should know what happened to her. "

Kyoya seemed less comfortable with this conversation than their usual bickering sessions, arms crossed tightly and a resolute scowl that didn't match the tone that came out of his mouth. " Yeah, I do know. It happened to me, too. I also battled Ryuga and was heavily injured, but this never made me quit beyblading. I never made up excuses to give up on my goal. "

Now that made Hikaru flip her lid. Kyoya was clearly insinuating that she had been too weak-willed and that's the reason why she stopped beyblading. On top of that, he was also belittling the trauma that she had acquired from the whole ordeal. He knew nothing of what she had gone through, yet was ready to pounce on her accusingly without an ounce of understanding. Who did he think he is?

Hikaru gritted her teeth and whipped around to face him. " Well, maybe you had the wrong impression of her. Maybe she wasn't as strong and as determined as you thought she was. And honestly, Kyoya… " Hikaru trailed off and blew like a fuse, breaking the connection between her rational mind and mouth for good. " I'm glad you succeeded in recovering both physically and mentally from what happened, but not everyone is like you. Every person has their own limits and that was mine. The only thing I could do was to be adaptable and change my priority. I'm happy with what I do. I have no problem living like this." She didn't miss a single beat, instead took a step closer to him, jabbing an accusing finger at his chest while holding his gaze with a furious glare of her own. " The only person who seems to have a problem with that is you. And if you're just going to say I'm weak and hold that up against me, then fuck you! "

A stunned silence descended over the room, the rain louder and more intense than before.

No words followed after either because Hikaru stomped back into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

The audacity. The ego. He's just so...UGH!

She threw herself face down on the bed and started to hit it.

I hate him! I hate him! I hate him! What was Ryo even thinking, sending me to this godforsaken place with Mr. Egomaniac?! He wanted me to take a rest. How can I possibly do that when Kyoya keeps getting under my skin?!

The girl flipped herself over and stared at the ceiling while replaying their whole conversation in her head.

Unbelievable! I've never acted so unprofessionally before. How did he manage to get me so worked up?

A sigh left her lips.

Resignation and hopelessness had been intertwined with her soul since the moment Hikaru'd woken up in a hospital bed after Battle Bladers. It had been a humiliating, agonizing experience, with the physical agony surpassed only by the chilling reality of what followed afterwards. Since then, Hikaru'd been unable to do a lot for herself. It had been a struggle, one that weighed on her emotionally and physically, that she lacked any sort of freedom to do the things she used to.

It was strange how people take the small, everyday occurrences for granted. Hikaru looked back fondly at the times when she was able to enjoy delicious food such as fried chicken, spicy curry and takoyaki without having to take painkillers afterwards. Her match with Ryuga had left her with severe internal injuries, more specifically erosive gastritis. Up until then, Hikaru'd never heard of it, but her doctor tried to put it in the mildest way she could. Like that was possible. Basically - an inflammation of the stomach lining, a condition that could not be cured and was only going to worsen over time. The only way for Hikaru to prevent this was to follow a strict diet - avoiding acidic, fatty, fried, spicy and high sugar foods, processed meat, alcohol, coffee etc. After that, Hikaru spent more time reading the nutrition facts on the back of packing than ever, oftentimes resulting in giving up on the said product because the range of food she could eat was so minimized. Naturally, Hikaru didn't always stick to the diet. There were meals and drinks she simply couldn't give up on, like coffee and beer.

But if that wasn't bad enough, the matter on beyblade was even worse. Whenever Hikaru would try to beyblade, even merely holding the launcher and getting into a ready stance would cause memories and visions of the accident to resurface in her mind; her muscles would freeze, her chest would feel tight to the point she could hardly breathe, her stomach would retaliate vigorously, almost inducing nausea, and no matter how much Hikaru forced herself to focus and tell herself that everything was alright, that this was not happening again, her body wouldn't act in accordance with her brain.

And Hikaru'd tried so much, spending her whole summer attempting to get herself out of the slump. But at some point, she began feeling overwhelmed by experiencing the same tragedy again and again and again. That was also when she had come to the hard realization - ambition can't solve everything. Goals and grit can ensure many successes, but in an unpredictable world dictated by random events, some things simply are not in our hands. And serious trauma can't be overcome through sheer willpower alone. So, Hikaru had no choice but to accept it. The sooner she accepted it, the quicker can she get back on her feet and move on with her life. So Hikaru had landed herself a job at the WBBA in order to help other bladers accomplish their dreams, and she was content with being useful to others. That was enough for her. She was perfectly satisfied living like this.

Hikaru had told herself that, day in and day out. She'd told herself that, watching fellow bladers battle at the tournaments. She'd told herself that, overhearing Gingka and gang telling stories of their adventures with amazing opponents. She'd told herself that, and she could almost, almost get herself to believe, except–

The mental emptiness and impotent rage Hikaru felt never left. Along with the nightmare. The damn nightmare. Each time, Hikaru would wake up, gasping, and looking around frantically before realizing that yes, she'd been in her bed all alone, and yes, the digital clock on her nightstand had been showing that she'd have two more hours until it was time to go to work—and she'd exhale loudly, the sound strained, strangled, wrenched violently from her lungs—and then she'd start to cry.

Because it wasn't fair. Because Hikaru wasn't supposed to be there, not in the Director's office dressed in business attire—because she didn't belong there, surrounded by adult strangers, who judged everything she did as she was 'still a kid'. She didn't deserve this. It wasn't fair. She'd done everything right, her entire life. It wasn't fucking fair. She wanted to sob her heart out. But mostly, she wanted to throw a tantrum. At a person, or at her fate, and tell them, ' Stop it. Haven't you done enough? Please, just spare me. '

In spite of her suffering, Hikaru still had a very hard time opening up to others about it. She just wasn't used to expressing her emotions and being vulnerable around someone. One thing Hikaru could be grateful for, though, was the Director's ability to discern her state of mind, even with the expressionless face she kept up most of the time. Something Hikaru was even more thankful for, was his understanding of the way she dealt with feelings. Ryo didn't try urging her into sharing her thoughts, to let it all go as most people would say. He gave her space, allowed her to process it on her own because he knew that's all she needed and wanted.

Alas, kindness doesn't sink as deep into your skin as the damage does. The damage stains your soul so bad, you can't scrub it off. It stays there forever, and Hikaru felt like other people could see all her damage just by looking at her. She absolutely despised the way everyone treated her after Battle Bladers. As if she was a porcelain doll that could break from the slightest touch or mention of the event. Why couldn't they understand that she was still the self-sufficient and determined person she'd always been? Sure, Hikaru's priorities had shifted, but fundamentally, she was still the same person. Hikaru wanted to be treated like before, before the stupid tournament that ended her career as a blader, to feel normal again.

Still, to be fully content with the way you've chosen to lead your life, you have to accept that others might not get it. So it's not like people haven't asked Hikaru if she was sure about quitting beyblading. She'd even had more serious arguments than this one on the topic, and still, she never reacted like this. So, why? Hikaru never cared whether other people thought that she was weak, she knew she wasn't. Nobody's opinion ever mattered to her.

Hikaru hugged the pillow and closed her eyes.

Yes, he's just a nobody to me, just like the rest…

And because Hikaru's own brain seemed to plot against her, a memory of their last battle flashed in her mind.

...right?

With the heel of her hand pressed to her forehead, doing her best to tune out what was promising to be another exhausting overthinking, Hikaru sat upright and sighed for what felt like the hundredth time this night. She looked out the window with a tired look. The rain had moved and was now pattering right on her bedroom's window, bending and distorting the street lights outside.

Who am I kidding? Of course, he's not a nobody to me…

Hikaru had always been a master in governing her emotions. What'd just happened was so unusual and made her heart miss a beat. Something about him awfully fazed Hikaru to an extent that she couldn't comprehend, let alone explain.

The first time Hikaru ever set her eyes on Kyoya Tategami, she thought he was downright unhinged. It'd been a match between him and Gingka, and Hikaru'd been part of the audience. The greenhead's maniacal laugh had left a very staggering first impression on Hikaru as she'd thought: What a nutjob.

Little had Hikaru known at the time that she'd end up getting real close and personal with said nutjob later at the Survival Battle. And that it would completely upend the way Hikaru would perceive him from then. Their first meeting had been nothing short of electric. Kyoya's been proud just like the first time Hikaru'd seen him, yes, but also calm and clever. Suddenly, he didn't seem so bad. Especially by giving her a run for her money.

The second and last time the pair had fought had been just as exciting and got Hikaru's blood pumping. And yes, she did lose against him, but for some reason, she didn't feel as bad as she thought she would've. Especially not after the little flattering remark Kyoya'd given her. Hikaru might've given it more thought than she was able to admit.

So by then, Hikaru's overall opinion of Kyoya had been more positive than negative. Yet at one point, perhaps shorty after becoming a legendary blader, Kyoya's personality had deteriorated. From selfish and standoffish he'd suddenly become completely self-centred and antisocial. Hikaru couldn't put her finger on what could've been the reason for this abrupt shift in his nature. She only knew she wasn't fond of it.

But even after that change, Hikaru couldn't deny that Kyoya was an undeniably outstanding blader. He was ready to move heaven and earth just to fulfil his goal. It was a trait Hikaru admired. Therefore, she looked up to him, too. Is this the reason why Hikaru overreacted? Because the thought of Kyoya looking down on her made her want to curl up and die?

He was amazing, but…

Hikaru fell back once again, buried her head into the pillow and barely withheld an enraged screech.

Why'd he have to be such an asshole!?

Kyoya wasn't fond of Hikaru by any stretch of the imagination. His current regard for her seemed to be along the lines of finding her to be a nuisance he was obliged to tolerate. She was aware of that. And it kind of sucked, having someone you look up to have no respect for you. But that didn't mean Hikaru was about to let him walk all over her. She might've not had his respect, but she had self-respect.

Hikaru curled up in a fetal position and closed her eyes tightly, compelling herself to drift off into a restless slumber.

I can't be bothered with this. Good riddance to the jerk.

Dun dun duuuun. Little by little, Kyoya will start figuring out that Hikaru had very valid reasons to give up on beyblade. As expected, he's first going to be an asshole about it XD My goal for this story is to make both of them grow through each other. Hikaru will challenge Kyoya, in a healthy way of course, to evolve and push himself into new territories aka emotional vulnerability, communicating in a decent manner, patience, caring for others. Kyoya, on the other hand, will help Hikaru embrace her true self and stop conforming to society's expectations as to how she should behave and let go of the superficial ideas about who she thinks she should be with.

The gastritis part is a full-on headcanon. It wasn't ever revealed whether Hikaru had suffered physically in any ways after her match with Ryuga, but I figured it would make her PSTD even more understandable if she had suffered not only mentally but physically too.

Btw, the only reason why I decided to write them as 18 and 19 year-olds was because they had to be of legal age in order to drink alcohol. Otherwise, I would've totally loved to write them as even more emotional and dramatic 15 year-olds right after Fury. 😂

Also, I'm ready to argue that it's canon Kyoya has respect for Hikaru and vice versa. First, when does Kyoya compliment anyone? It's such a rare occurrence, that when he does do it, he really means it. And it's not like he's the type of person to feel obligated to be nice to someone. We know that he doesn't bother with such social norms. On top of that, he and Hikaru are pretty similar personality-wise. Both are proud, determined and stubborn. What's more, during their battles, it's constantly shown that they think alike ("My thoughts exactly", "You read my mind")

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter,

Cheers!