Heart for a Heart by R'soriginalusername
Dedicated to : CuteTyHil
Chapter 1 : The Boy Who Stayed The Same
Hillary turned the wreath in her hand; the compact light pink blossoms were bunched together. She had taken a generous amount of time to choose these flowers. Gladiolus, it was a perfect choice for her father. She held it close to her chest.
The cemetery was devoid of people save for the guards at the gate. She noticed flowers and candles in front of some headstones. Her feet retraced the memorized steps, which was a result of her repeated visits in the last three years.
There was a gangly boy with black hair walking in front of her; his hands were full of bouquets that were ready to fall. They were walking in the same direction and stopped in front of a long row all made in the same year 2015.
The one she was visiting said-
'Katsutoshi Tachibana, 1970-2015, A loving father and friend.
'
She knew how horrible it was to lose one person, she couldn't imagine losing so many people at once and glanced at the boy.
He caught her gaze, his left eye had a monocle. "I didn't knew all of them."
"Oh,"
He chuckled, "I mean they weren't related, except one. My brother. Others, never knew them."
"Then, why bring them flowers?"
"They died in the same ac;cident." His voice cracked at the end.
"I'm Sorry."
All of his flowers were black roses except one, it had similar compact blooms like gladiolus but the appearance was misty like violet sea foam.
"So am I, but I had accepted the fate." He pulled out a black rose and placed it carefully in front of her father's headstone.
She stared at the black rose, it felt so wrong there. No matter how many times she visits here, it always seemed like yesterday. He told her, he was coming home but then he didn't.
She quietly sat down. From the corner of her eyes she waited for the boy to walk away.
He placed the bouquets as he passed each grave. They were seven in numbers.
A plant had been grown in front of the headstone where he had left the violet bunch. The plant had yellow flowers that looked like little slippers clustered in every branch.
When she was alone, she dropped her head in her shaking hands. The wreath tumbled from her lap on the ground.
"It's not that bad," Kenny corrected his glasses, as he followed her gaze.
Hillary shrugged, "I don't know, Kenny. It's weird, there was a time we could barely found a space to put a foot on and now it's empty."
They were watching a beybattle, the audience present was barely over fifty people. Nonetheless, she could still hear the same enthusiasm coming from the dish below and the commentators were chattering obnoxiously as usual.
"I believe there will be an increase in viewers soon."
"Sure." She stretched her hands over her head and stifled a yawn, earning glares from the diehard fans.
"WBA is launching a new-"
Both of them screamed in surprise.
A two headed bit beast that was fighting Dragoon had emerged from the ground just a seat below them. The floor shook causing many to stumble out of their and fall in unflattering positions. The angry beast had dug a hole on the stadium and sent rubble flying in all directions. Some people cried for help, other hollered in excitement. Until, the security personals told them to maintain their distance.
The beast roared and charged back on the dish pouncing on Dragoon, causing another crater to be created by the impact of their collision. The dish was in a state of array but even as the dust settled, two figures stood tall and their Beyblades spun steadily.
"Griffilyon finish him!"
"Dragoon! Attack!"
The Beyblades collided again creating a full blown explosion.
The screen showed Tyson apologizing to some man in suit, as Enrique kept blabbering that he could pay to build another stadium like that. The video paused, and reversed again. Back to when the match started and sometime later the screen was switched off.
Tyson slouched back on his seat as much as the space would permit; he pocketed the phone and let out a long suffering sigh.
"I really miss the old days. Beybattles then were so thrilling and they even sent some cash prizes, here and there. Now we're the one doing charity."
"It's for the tournament."
"Yeah, but I'm an unemployed seventeen year old."
Hillary rolled her eyes before turning in her seat to look outside. "Are you sure? Because you talk like you're ten."
"Ha Ha," Tyson didn't had the energy to argue and he was sure if he closed his eyes, sleep will embrace him like a long lost child. Through his drooping eyes he couldn't tell if the van was moving or just standing in a place as the trees run by.
It had been a few days since the battle, the last of the season which means that next tournament was already overhead. He wouldn't be so down about it, if didn't had to complete his winter semester projects in a haste. His brain was begging to be put out of its misery.
So, the sudden call from the WBA about a boring meeting wasn't helping him in any way.
"It was a good battle." Kenny said from his perch in the front seat of the bus, where he occasionally made small talks with driver regarding their destination and doing whatever he did with the laptop.
"Uhuh," Tyson humoured him, leaning his head against the window pane and falling asleep.
The loud honk of the bus made Tyson jump out of his skin, causing him to stand on his legs which didn't wanted to respond quickly after the nap. He stumbled a little grabbing at anything that would support him. After a minute of vertigo he came back to the real world and became aware of the situation. He grinned nervously at the glare directed at him from two pair of eyes. "Did we missed it?"
"No, thanks to Kenny." Hillary said with her hands fisted on her hips.
"Let's not waste any more time," Kenny
"But we're just here for pics." He grinned and got out with Hillary following after him.
They noticed Max who was already standing at the building entrance beckoning them frantically, "What's up with him?"
The answer she got wasn't pleasant. In a flash they were surrounded by a hungry mob of reporters. Their voices were loud, incoherent mess as they blend together.
Hillary found herself squished between bodies and pushed in all directions like a rag doll. She was scared she would fall.
Then she caught eyes of the monocle guy from before, he had microphone in his hand. He turned his back to her and shoved his it on a random guys face, "Mr. Granger is it true that your ex teammate Kai Hiwatari is retiring permanently?"
"Is he?" Tyson said dumbly earning a smack from Hillary.
"Wait he is there?"
"What is your take on the drastic steps taken for the preservation of WBBA?"
The confused crowd moved away from Tyson, taking him for an imposter. "Wait, I'm the real one."
Hillary grabbed the back of Tyson's collar and pulled him out of the crowd.
They ran at full speed, somewhere in between their fingers intertwined with each other tightly.
"Safe!" Hillary cheered letting go of his hand, as they crossed the threshold and the door clicked behind.
"Why'd you do that?" Tyson whirled at her, his lips turned into a scowl.
"I don't know if you've noticed but we have a conference to attend." Hillary glared at him, brushing away invisible dust from her clothes.
"I know that." He sputtered.
Max slapped his forehead.
"Do you now?" She wagged her index finger at him.
"No fair, you were the one who kept stopping the van at places!"
"It was one time."
"No it wasn't!"
"It was!"
"Yeah, we get it. You both wasted a lot of time." Kenny sweat dropped.
"Shut up!" They both said together.
Kenny went to an emo corner, "But I was right."
Max sighed. Some things never change. He found it comforting after all that had happened to them. Someone cleared their throat loudly. It was an official giving them disapproving stare; they sheepishly stopped and went to their original destination. They found other familiar beybladers present, along with unfamiliar ones and officials.
Mr. Dickinson stood on the stage and said, "before presenting the model of the new governing association of 'International Beyblade Sport'. We would like to honor and thank some of our strongest leading Beybladers who are retiring form professional Beyblade forever. Now if the Chairperson of WBBA will give our bladers his blessing."
A blonde, blue eyed Italian man came to the stage and gave some speech. One by one they called the names of the retiring bladers to be awarded.
"Kenushuke Shishi, Ian Papov, Steven Jones, Oliver Polanski, Tala Valkov, Ashllene Reynolds, Mathilda Alster, Claude Tavares, RirI Kotaka and Kai Hiwatari."
The hall was filled with a modest applause, soon the new rules were explained.
The purpose of the meeting was simple: WBA was allowed to held international events again; The only drawback were, increased monitoring and strict rules; The bladers were also required to be in public favor.
While there were a lot of complaints about the rules, there's little to be done about that. Most of their friends had decided it was the correct time to retire and establish life outside of the sport. As heartbreaking it was, they respected the descisions.
That's what they did no one noticed the unusually quite boy with pursed lips and paled face. His world is trying to slip through his fingers. He won't let that happen.
After what felt like eternity, it was finally over with Dickinson leaving to address the press. When they were ready to board Taro's car, they fondly watched other bladers and took their farewell.
"It's weird." Kenny said, "it's like I'm loosing something I'll never get back."
"You're gaining something too." Hillary said.
"What is that?"
"It's a surprise, chief."
"A whole new world~" Tyson chortled mirthlessly at his own joke, recieving a collective set of eye-rolls.
In his opinion, he had handled it pretty maturely. But Tyson was not happy about the series of retirements that they got hit with. It came out of nowhere. This was their time to raise the tide, for one final grand competition. Just like the old days.
But no, their new life was more important. So much more important than the sole sport that gave them relevance. It was their time to return it. Part of his heart was scared witless that Beyblade will get forgotten easily and cease existing. But he won't let that happen. Not without a fight at least.
So he walked on the sidewalk, heading to the destination, no the person. Yes, the person who needed to answer. He was owed those. Not as a friend but as his rival.
He stood in front of the expensive looking building, feeling out of place just by looking at it. He entered and asked for him.
"You missed him by a few minutes." The receptionist said giving a polite smile. He thanked her and went to a nearby alley. It was a no-brainier, where he went.
Tyson found him feeding a stray cat in a nearby alley.
"You're not going to change my mind." Kai said without looking back at him.
"You can't walk away like this." Tyson bunched his hands in his jeans pockets.
"Watch me."
Tyson kicked a rock, it startled the cat and it ran away.
Kai scowled at him, "do you ever stop being childish."
Tyson stared at the ground, it was more of rhetorical question. "I just want to know, why?"
A wind blew by them, making Kai's scarf and Tyson's jacket flutter. "You will know, when it's your time." He walked passed the bluenette without hesitation. "In the mean time, keep your head in the next battle."
Tyson wanted to throw a rock at him, but in all honesty. He never expected Kai to answer. He just wanted to see him.
The ceiling fan creaked, pleading for its death as it was forced to work in its last days. Of all the indecent places they could find for him, they got him this. He swear that he smelled dead rats in the corridors. As if it wasn't enough. He had to visit here on regular intervals, the rehabilitation wards were way well kept than it.
They were almost homely.
The papers flapped restlessly from the cool breeze confined by the round weight placed on it. It wasn't most interesting thing ever but he didn't want to stare anywhere else. And the last thing he wanted to look at was the doctor.
"How are you feeling?"
He wasn't feeling anything at that moment but he had perfected this routine,
"Good, what about you?"
The doctor shook his head at the robotic response, "I'm tired." He had fuzzy brown hair and his tanned skin was wrinkled and loose. "How was your day?"
"It was boring. I read a book."
"That's wonderful. What was it about?"
"A society where books were banned."
"Try something cheerful."
"I will."
When the doctor sighed, he cheerfully thought time was almost over. But the doctor pushed a white sheet and pen toward him. "Let's draw something."
He moved his hand to pick up the pen when it was caught by other, he instantly looked up. The doctor was eyeing Brooklyn's hand, his shoulders were hunched up.
A small black lizard sat there. He poked it, it moved. His shoulders sagged. "It's alive."
"He is."
"Is he your friend?"
"Yeah, he reads books with me."
"That he does," the doctor smiled, "did you name him?"
"No."
"Let's find a name for him."
Brooklyn stared at the lizard and smiled slightly. Later, he was told. He won't have to visit the doctor, again. He was moving to Japan under the care of WBBA. He made sure to remember the doctors name before leaving.
'Dr. Albatross Phoenix, Dept. Of Psychiatry'
Brooklyn was staring ruefully at the concrete structure in front of him, still undecided whether he felt defeated, tired or plainly exasperated. Oldman Dickinson had outdone himself, on his personal agenda of establishing 'the normal life' for Brooklyn. He shook his head fondly at the man's pure but misplaced efforts for him, the golden loop in his ear lobe and the orange locks followed the to-and-fro motion.
That was the day, when he first saw her.
Their gazes crossed.
No dramatic pause or dialogue exchange, just curiosity. Plain, simple and innocent.
That's how it started, maybe, at least that's what he think.
And, he also told himself, that this curiosity is the reason he missed the world champ beside her at first sight.
Note : violet flower is 'Statice', the yellow slipper one is 'bird's foot trefoil' and book that Brooklyn read is 'Fahrenheit'(not for the faint of the hearts XD). Missed here means failed to notice.
A/N: Hey there, it's me. The weirdo who keeps rewriting. It's a dear hobby for an overthinker. Also, don't worry I'm only revising the beginning. I like the previous one but along the way, the story changed in my head, so it ain't fitting. *cough* Also I have a confession, I wanted to write a good story for Simy especially before I ran out of imagination. I reread the stuff I wrote it gave me weird vibes. Idk if it'll be any better. So I want you to kniw that I tried. You are my best sister on ffn.
PLOT : In this story the BEGA incident, more specifically the last battle of season three was fatal, resulting in a few casualties. Causing the beybladers to deal with the repercussion. It damaged the love for Beyblade as a sport because everyone is scared of overpowered spinning tops and kids who play with them. Cause I said so.
Tyson deals with fear being alone, being famous and change. This affects his relationship with Hillary as he develops romatic crush on her but do not want things between them to change. He also struggles with the commercialization beyblade and the distance that had been created between him and his loved one.
Hillary had not been able to deal with her father's death, unfortunately for her her mother might not share the rose tinted view of her husband. She faces the expectation of being a girl and an individual which ultimately challenges her loyalties and self-respect.
Brooklyn, now a reformed version of himself faces the reality of his actions and the consequences that follows it. Afraid that it will ruin his present he will do whatever it takes to erase the past. He had to learn what is important(it is kuro XP) for him before it gets lost.
TIME LINE : We're pretending season three happened in 2015. And HfH takes place in 2018. Yay!
GENRE : Drama, friendship, romance, angst, action.
RATED T (is meant for mature teens)
Thanks for reading it and bearing with me. Stay safe and healthy. Bye. Me will return soon B-)
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