KayloCreschendo0825 and Bride of beetlejuice asked for this one. :) Here you go, Amigas! :) Enjoy! :)

Balan Wonderworld belongs to Square Enix. I only own Malika.


The Heart Of A True Winner

He wasn't sure what to do.

Cal sighed as he sat at the local cafe, drinking some tea and staring at nothing. He had recently lost his winning streak in chess, which hurt him, but what tore him up the most was losing his wife, his queen.

They had been married for almost ten years, but she had gotten sick sometime ago. And though she had been sick, she had always been there to support him in his chess matches and cheer him on. He hadn't even known how badly sick she was until she had collapsed in their home when he had arrived after losing his winning streak. He had been upset, but when he saw his wife fall and collapse, nothing else mattered but getting her to the hospital.

Sadly, her sickness had overtaken her body, though the doctors had done everything they could. Cal still remembered holding her hand and her final words to him before she smiled at him before closing her eyes and falling into eternal sleep.

He didn't know how long he had sat there in shock and in tears, but the nurses had been so kind and gently led him away from the room as they did what they needed to do for the upcoming funeral. He had bought a white rose and rested it on her gravestone after she had been buried and he remembered crying so much that he hadn't seen it was getting dark out until the groundskeeper had found him and gently guided him to Cal's car, offering his condolences.

Cal felt like he had lost everything and he saw the chess board at another table where the hostess of the cafe had set it up, but it didn't appeal to him anymore. Seeing it just made his heart hurt more, not just because of losing the chess match, but moreso because of the loss of his wife. He gazed at his wedding band that he hadn't removed and he didn't feel like he should remove it. It was a reminder of her and he wanted to keep that forever.

The bell on the cafe door caught his attention and he turned to see a man with neon green dreads, golden eyes, and a simple outfit of a white dress shirt with black slacks and black shoes walk into the cafe. He smiled at the hostess before turning and his gaze met Cal's own.

The former chess champion blinked in surprise before turning away, not wanting to seem rude by staring. He heard footsteps coming in his direction and a moment later, the golden-eyed man appeared beside Cal. "Pardon me," he said, his voice deep, yet had a gentle quality to it. "I apologize for intruding, but I couldn't help noticing you look rather sad. What is wrong that is making you frown?"

The purple-haired man looked up at him warily. "It's nothing," he said, not really wanting to talk about it and hoping his response would make the man leave him alone, though he did wonder why a total stranger would be so concerned about him.

But the man didn't move away. "Perhaps I can help," he suggested gently before holding out his right hand for a handshake. "First off, introductions. My name is Balan. What shall I call you, my friend?"

Seeing the man wouldn't go away, Cal decided to humor him a bit. Plus it would have been rude not to reply to the man's question after he had introduced himself. "My name is Cal Suresh," he said.

Balan's eyes widened. "Cal Suresh, the chess champion?" He asked in surprise.

Cal winced at that. "Um, former chess champion," he corrected him.

A sad look crossed Balan's face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to open an old wound," he said. "May I have a seat?"

The purple-haired man nodded and Balan sat down in the seat across from Cal. "I had gone to a few of the tournaments and had watched you. I must say, you really made the tournaments interesting."

The former chess champion was a bit surprised, but also a bit touched that someone had at least thought he had done well. "Thank you," he said softly.

Balan saw that his new friend was still a bit down and glanced to the side to see the chess board and he smiled, getting an idea. "Cal, how about a little bet over a game of chess?" He asked.

Cal lifted up his head. "A bet?" He asked curiously. Though he didn't feel like playing chess, he had to admit, this person was different and that piqued his curiosity.

The green-haired man grinned. "If you win, I will leave you alone. However, if I win, you have to go with me somewhere."

"Where to?" The purple-haired man asked.

"Oh, somewhere I have in mind," Balan said mysteriously.

Though confused by the request, Cal gave it some thought before sighing. "Alright," he reluctantly obliged. He supposed he could at least have a friendly game with a fan and he had already lost his winning streak, so he really had nothing to lose.

"Splendid!" The green-haired man said. "Hope you don't mind I brought my own chess set."

"Not at all," Cal said with a shrug.

Balan took out a chess set. "White or black pieces?" He asked.

"White pieces, please."

The board was soon set up and Cal picked up one of the pieces, noticing that the white pieces were made with maple that was a pure-white color. "Maple," he said in surprise before looking at the black pieces. "May I see one of the black pieces?"

Balan obliged and the former chess champion looked at it closely. "Ebony," he said.

"You have a good eye," his companion said admiringly.

"Thanks," Cal said before the game began.

It was going rather well at first, but then the former champion began to notice some odd things happening. One thing was the white king piece gaining a face and winking at him. He blinked, thinking he was just seeing things, but he began to notice how Balan was moving his own black pieces at an unreal speed and a few times, his hand detached from his arm before reattaching itself. "Balan, what are you trying to pull?" He asked, looking up at his rival, only to see that Balan's look had drastically changed into something that wasn't human. He now had a hat that was pulled down half-way over his face with his golden eyes appearing in the red hatband, he had a wide-toothed grin on his face, which had gone from pale to black, and his clothing had changed to a sparkling suit of white, gold, and red.

"What the...?" Cal asked in shock, inadvertently moving his rook piece away from his king piece, leaving it open.

Balan grinned and moved his black queen piece into position. "Checkmate," he said calmly.

The former champion looked at the board and sure enough, the black queen piece, one black rook, one black bishop, and the two black knight pieces had trapped his own white king piece. He sighed and nodded. "Not sure how you pulled that off, but...I concede," he said before glancing at the clock and getting up. "Excuse me, I really should be going."

He turned to leave, but Balan snapped his fingers, transporting both him and Cal to the theater. The purple-haired man saw his surroundings change in an instant and he grew more confused. "Wait. How...?" He trailed off. "Where am I?"

"At my theater, my friend," the maestro said with a smile. "Welcome."

Now getting a bit worried, Cal decided to try to bid a polite farewell to this unusual person. "Thanks, Balan, but I really should be heading back home," he said as politely as he could, heading for the doors.

Just as he touched the door handles, he felt something grab him and lift him up off his feet. "Whoa!" He said in shock at seeing he was floating in mid air.

Balan chuckled as he used his magic to make the former chess champion float before gently pulling him back towards him. "Do forgive me, Cal. Here you are in my home and I haven't even offered you a seat or refreshments," he said, his voice taking a rather apologetic tone before he pulled out a chair. "Please, do have a seat."

Cal felt himself being lowered into a plush chair that was very comfy, but as soon as he felt the magic let him go, he tried to get up, only to find out he couldn't. It felt like he was stuck to the chair. He looked up to see Balan was grinning at him and he had a feeling that the maestro had done something to keep him from leaving the theater.

"What's going on, Balan?" He asked.

"Well, my good friend, I believe I won our bet," the maestro said. "Therefore, you have to tell me what happened prior to us meeting."

Cal looked pensive before sighing and looking away. "Why do you want to know so much?" He asked.

"Because I want to help you," Balan said truthfully, placing a gentle hand on Cal's shoulder. "But I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened that made you so sad."

The purple-haired man was about to try and brush it off, but he stopped himself, seeing the man was looking at him with a pleading look and he had lost the bet, so he should honor the deal. He sighed again. "True, and...you did win our bet, though I think you might have had the upper hand all along."

The maestro chuckled. "I suppose being magical did give me somewhat of an unfair advantage," he admitted.

Cal couldn't help the light chuckle that escaped him before he sobered and took a deep breath. "Well...it's not a happy story," he said. "But if you're willing to listen, then I'll tell it."

Balan nodded. "Go ahead while I make us some tea," he said, moving to go make the refreshments.

The former chess champion gazed at his wedding band and smiled. "I met my wife at one of my chess tournaments," he said. "She was an amazing lady, always supporting me and cheering me on, even when I got so caught up in the matches that I didn't notice I was losing her."

He paused and the maestro paused in making the tea. "Losing her?" He prompted gently, curious.

Cal felt tears sting his eyes and he cleared his throat. "She got really sick," he explained. "But...I didn't know it...until she collapsed one day."

Balan was quiet as he felt sorrow and he heard his friend take another deep breath. "I...I had just lost a match and it caused me to lose my winning streak," the purple-haired man continued. "I was upset and when I came home, I saw my wife come to greet me, but as she was walking towards me, she collapsed. I felt my whole world fall apart as I saw she was in pain. The doctors tried to save her, but...,"

He trailed off and the maestro knew at once that Cal's wife had not made it. "I'm so sorry for your loss," he said gently. "I can't imagine the pain of losing your spouse."

"I miss her awful," Cal admitted softly. "The day I lost her...I lost everything. I...I lost my winning streak, but worse than that, I lost the love of my life."

Balan came over with their tea and he sat down, setting the tea tray on a table that appeared in front of them and he looked at Cal, who looked so forlorn. "Cal," he said, reaching over and gently touching his shoulder, making the purple-haired man look up at him. "While it is true that you lost your winning streak, that doesn't mean you should shut yourself away. You can find something new, something that helps you keep your passion for chess and also honors your wife."

"What do you mean?" The former chess champion asked.

Balan smiled gently. "Your wife sounds like someone who would have wanted you to keep your passion for chess alive even in her passing," he said. "To support you and be there for you during those tournaments. I can tell she truly loved you as much as you loved her. She wasn't just your wife. She was your queen. Your other half that made you feel like a king."

Cal got tears in his eyes again at Balan's words because they were spot on. "But...what does a king do when his queen is no longer by his side?" He asked.

"The king carries on in the queen's memory, holding dear to her and doing what they love the most for her in her honor."

He then picked up a teacup and offered it to his friend, who accepted it, giving him a grateful look before looking pensive. "How...How do I continue my passion for chess in her honor?" He asked. "To be honest, I've kind of lost my taste for tournaments."

Balan nodded understandingly. "Just as there is more than one way to get to checkmate in a game of chess, there is more than one way to enjoy the game as well," he said.

Cal gave the maestro's words some thought as he drank the tea, enjoying it and Balan smiled at him before chuckling. "I must admit, I'm surprised you caught on to my tricks so fast. I must be losing my touch if you noticed my powers so quickly."

"Or you did it on purpose so that I would see it and be shocked to the point that I would make a mistake and you would win," the purple-haired man said with a knowing smile.

Balan laughed warmly and Cal joined him as they continued to enjoy their tea before the former chess champion noticed he began to feel very sleepy as he finished the last of his tea and his head began to nod. Noticing this, the maestro smiled and gently squeezed his friend's shoulder. "Sleep well, my friend," he said softly.

Cal drifted off, waking up what seemed like a few moments later inside his own home. "What?" He asked. "How'd I get home?"

He got up and went to the door of his home, looking down to see a white chess piece on the stoop. It looked familiar and he picked it up as he walked down the pathway to the sidewalk outside his gate and he looked around before looking back at the chess piece. He noticed a piece of paper attached to it and he carefully removed the paper, unfolding it to find a note.

Dear Cal,

First off, thank you for such a thrilling chess match. It was an honor to play against the great chess champion. Whenever you want another chess match, come to my theater and I'll be more than happy to oblige.

And thank you for allowing me to help you. I know it hasn't been easy for you and I'm glad I could lend my ear for you. Do me a favor and keep your passion for chess alive, not just for you, but for your wife who I know is watching over you wherever she is.

Take care, my friend. I hope to see you again soon.

Balan

Cal chuckled and nodded. "Oh, you definitely owe me a rematch, you mischievous maestro," he said to himself.

"Um, excuse me, mister?"

Hearing a young voice behind him, Cal turned to find a your boy about ten years old looking up at him hopefully. "Is that a chess piece in your hand?" The boy asked.

The man smiled. "It is," he said. "Given to me by a dear friend."

The boy's face lit up. "Do you play chess?" He asked. "I know a bit about it. Would you play a quick game with me?"

Cal gave it some thought and smiled. "Sure, kiddo," he said.

As the game went on, the champion could see that the boy did have some knowledge, but was still learning. Smiling, he made a move with one of his pawns, hoping the boy would see the opening he had just given him to win.

The boy did notice and moved his queen piece into position. "Checkmate?" He asked.

Cal looked and chuckled, nodding. "You won, kiddo," he said.

The boy looked delighted that he had won and a couple of other kids came over, looking curious. "Can we play too?" A young girl asked.

"I'd like to learn," an older boy said.

The purple-haired man smiled. "Sure," he said as the kids gathered around him.

As Cal began explaining the game and teaching the children, he was unaware that Balan was watching him from nearby, smiling as he saw the former chess champion find a new way to keep his passion for chess alive. He then felt a hand gently tap his arm and he looked down at his lap to see his five-year-old daughter, Malika, looking up at him as she was sitting on his lap. "Daddy, Uncle Lance made his move. It's your turn now," she said.

"Oh?" He asked before turning his attention back to the chess game he and Lance were playing.

The tendriled being gave him a look. "If you pay more attention to the game, you might not find yourself nearly stuck," he said.

Balan chuckled before moving one of his pieces to avoid being caught in checkmate. "You were saying, brother?" He asked teasingly.

Malika giggled and Lance rolled his eyes, but a smile crossed his face as the two magical being continued their chess game with the young girl watching while Balan glanced over periodically at Cal, smiling proudly as he could see the heart of a true winner in his new friend.


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GoldGuardian2418