Setting: 2 years after 5Ds ending.
Pairing: Breo X OC
Genre: Friendship with a subtle hint of romance.
[Breo's POV]
"Do I deserve a second chance?"
It has been a few years since I was in a relationship. The last woman I dated was a gorgeous redhead. She was my number one supporter during my street dueling days. That was until I met Andore and Jean. Losing that street duel against Jean, my reputation went down the drain, and I lost the woman he loved. At the same time, I became a member of one of the hottest riding duel teams in Western Europe.
Since I became a member of Team Unicorn, I wasn't too interested in dating anyone. Occasionally, I would have a one-night stand. It was always a one and done job. Some of the ladies I met gave me e-mails or phone numbers to keep in touch. I had no intention of calling back or replying to any of them. Some people casually mistake me for a playboy. When in reality, I'm not. Love and dating aren't for me, and I can accept that.
Tonight was a special occasion. The 32 riding duel teams that partook in the Riveria Cup have reunited for the final party. For the past few days, our team's main focus was to win the tournament and have a good time. Team Unicorn put up a solid game from start to finish. The Riveria Cup was our first major tournament win since the Atlantis Tournament over a year ago. Even though we lost early on during the WRGP, everyone took their time reevaluating our individual and team strategies.
That also meant changing up lineups and dueling more frequently. It was rare to see Jean or I duel since we solely relied on Andore when we competed. But it's nice to have an opportunity to be in the rider's seat and duel. Now, I was celebrating with my teammates on a well-deserved victory.
Because we won the Riveria Cup, the Monégasque media has put us in the spotlight. I was finishing up an interview with a local news reporter. Other reporters were doing their interviews with either Andore or Jean. In most cases, Andore and I were the ones who would do most of the talking.
A Monégasque reporter asked, "Amongst the riding duel teams Team Unicorn has faced in the tournament, which team caught you off guard the most?"
"Team Anima caught us off guard during the final round of the Riveria Cup. We never expected to duel against a newly rising team this far in the tournament," I stated.
The reporter asked, "Which riding duelist would you want to have a one-on-one riding duel against Breo?"
Up to this point, I answered all questions the Monégasque reporter asked. This next question made me think longer. There were many riding duelists I've dueled against during the tournament. I won nearly all of them. But I wanted to have a friendly rematch against a riding duelist who defeated me in a riding duel during the finals.
"I rather have a rematch against Tuyet from Team Anima just to settle the score," I responded.
They said, "Thank you very much for doing this small interview with me. I hope you have a great night."
I watched the Monegasque reporter leave and moved on to interviewing another riding duel team. Despite being an easy interview, I was relieved that it was over. After a long day of riding duels and doing press stuff, I needed to get a drink or two at the bar. I knew that Andore and Jean wouldn't mind if I moved around a bit.
[Tuyet's Point of View]
"Will I have a second chance?"
Honestly, I wouldn't have come to this party if it wasn't for my teammates. We recently participated in the Riveria Cup, a renowned riding duel tournament that happens every three years in Monte Carlo. Compared to the majority of the Southwestern European teams that were part of the lineup, Team Anima wasn't a top team in any way. Despite the odds, we made it to the finals. It was a feat worth celebrating despite losing against Team Unicorn in a close match.
While Matteo and Renzo were chatting it up with other duelists, I decided to grab a drink at the bar. Donning a fancy strapless dress and heels, I made an effort to dress up and look pretty for everyone. The bartender looked up at me, and a smile formed on his face. He cleaned a glass left by his previous customer.
"You must be Ms. Pham of Team Anima," said the bartender, "your team's duel against Team Unicorn was remarkably entertaining."
I replied, "Yes, that is me. I'm glad you had a great time watching our match."
"Because of this, your first drink will be free of charge for tonight," he responded.
I smiled and spoke, "If that is the case, I would like a Boulevardier."
The bartender nodded, and he began working on my complimentary cocktail. While I was waiting for my drink, my eyes focused on the crowd. I never thought I would be meeting and partying with other riding duelists so soon. Even though I loved being a member of Team Si Xiang, I couldn't give up on an offer like this. The entire team had similar offers that were hard to refuse.
Liqiu accepted an offer to join the Color Queen League, an all-female riding duel league in North America. Hayun was dueling in the Golden Blossom riding duel league in Asia. Rather than returning to Sao Paulo, Koharu was now a professional riding duelist in Northern Europe. It sucked that we went our separate ways, but we still kept in contact after the WRGP. I missed them dearly, but I knew that they were doing much better things on their own.
Victor, the kind bartender, handed me a reddish-brown drink. I took the first sip, and I felt the sweet and smooth flavor run across my tastebuds. I watched people come and leave the bar while I was sitting. From where I sat, about 4 or 5 people are sitting there, having drinks. They all left shortly after while they left those hefty tips. Victor and I had a short conversation before going back to work. He had one more customer to deal with during the party.
Not long after that, I finished my Boulevardier of the night. Rather than leave the bar, I contemplated the reason why I was here. It wasn't my doubts about being in a new riding duel team in a foreign country. I was in the middle of a personal issue, and I didn't know how to cope with it. The real reason why I let Matteo and Renzo talk to reporters was so I could avoid them.
During the entire tournament, some reporters hounded me with questions about my previous relationship. Lanh, my boyfriend, broke up with me before the Riveria Cup. My mother told me that she saw him with another woman while she had lunch with a friend. Lanh confirmed that he cheated on me and said it was over through video chat. So yeah, I'm drinking because I went through a horrible breakup. It's not the best idea, but I needed to blow some steam.
"What will it take for a second chance?"
Breo signaled the bartender to come over to where he sat. Victor saw that he had a new customer. Shortly after the Team Unicorn duelist arrived, one customer left the bar, which left him and the person sitting right next to him. Victor moved swiftly to serve his newest customer. Throughout the entire night, the young bartender served dozens of drinks to riding duelists and sponsors. It was a pain in the ass for him, but he knew how much he could make because of the Riveria Cup.
Victor said, "Since I enjoyed watching your duel against Team Anima today, I'll serve you a complimentary drink of your choice."
"Thank you, and I'll take a cognac VSOP on the rocks," replied Breo.
The bartender responded, "I'll get to it right away."
As Victor left, Tuyet moved her stool to the left to see Victor's newest customer. Her light brown eyes turned big while her mouth gaped a bit once she got a view of him. It's the blonde-haired riding duelist from Team Unicorn she dueled against during the finals. Donning a formal suit, Breo noticed the dark-haired beauty wearing the bright dress and heels.
The atmosphere changed from relaxed to awkward in seconds. It's the 3rd time in a day that the two duelists have met face to face. The first two times were during their riding duel and right after Team Unicorn won. The only time they spoke was during their riding duel. Most of it was smack talk with a few compliments here and there.
Breo broke the silence and wondered, "You must be Tuyet, right?"
"Yes, that's me," similarly answered Tuyet, "and you're Breo, right?"
He responded, "The one and only."
Victor returned to the front with the cognac VSOP on the rocks Breo ordered. It wasn't long when she finished her first drink, and she had no intention of leaving anytime soon. One more drink couldn't hurt even though she would have to pay for it.
"Can I have another Boulevardier, please?" asked Tuyet.
Victor responds, "Sure thing."
He started to work on his female customer's drink. Breo took a sip of his cognac and thought about the woman's choice. It's been a while since he saw someone who ordered a fruity cocktail. At the same time, the Team Unicorn duelist realized what she did.
"You realize what you did, right?" he wondered.
She responded, "I ordered another drink, knowing that I have to pay for it."
"Yes, but no. You ordered a drink because I just ordered one not long ago," pointed out Breo.
Tuyet bluntly replied, "I'm aware of that because I don't want to go into a drunken rampage and rant about my problems."
Breo's expression went from calm and relaxed to dumbfounded in seconds. This woman gave him a candid response, but she was right. It's weird and awkward to be alone. He could've talked to Victor, but then he may end up talking about his worries and woes. Then again, he saw Tuyet sitting alone in the bar before he arrived. Of course, having someone to talk to wouldn't hurt, but Breo never expected his opponent to be that person.
He asked, "Are you always this straightforward?"
"Not all of the time, but I'm not wrong about it, Breo," she chuckled lightly.
Breo admitted, "You're not, Tuyet, but having a little company makes things easier."
"It does, and I'm glad that it's you," replied Tuyet.
He wondered, "Why?"
"Because you're the strongest duelist that I've dueled during the entire tournament. Before you mention Jean, you did much more to stop me even though I had the upper hand at the last minute," she pointed out.
Throughout the Riveria Cup, Team Anima has faced several dueling teams from start to finish. Most of their opponents were easy to defeat, and she barely dueled until the semifinals. But once she went up against Breo and Team Unicorn in the finals, Tuyet felt the exhilarating thrill of a real challenge. Spectators watched and admired their tactical riding duel from start to finish. Even after she won against him, she never told Breo how much she enjoyed that duel.
Victor returned with the woman's new drink. Even with the alcohol-filled glass in front of her, Tuyet was having a good time. The thoughts about her breakup faded away slowly. She raised her glass slightly, signaling Breo to do the same.
"I also had fun during our duel, and you proved yourself pretty well. There's an interesting story you want to hear," said Breo.
She asked, "What is it?"
"Before I got here, a reporter asked me who I wanted to duel against in a rematch. I mentioned you because I wanted to duel against you in a 1-on-1 riding duel," he said.
Tuyet responded, "Fine, and we can duel whenever that chance happens. Let's cheer for another breathtaking riding duel in the future."
"Salute."
"Santé," replied Breo.
After clinking their glasses, both took a sip of their drinks. For Breo, it was nice to have a normal conversation with a riding duelist. Instead of being lonely in the bar, Tuyet had someone talk to for the time being. There was nothing wrong with having a little company during a time like this. Both of them felt at ease while talking and chatting through the night. At the same time, Breo realized something. He wasn't sure if he was going to see Tuyet any time soon.
He asked, "How long you're going to be here?"
"2 weeks. Matteo and Renzo are going back to their hometowns for vacation tomorrow," said Tuyet.
Breo replied, "Same. I'm going to be here with my team for our vacation."
"I know this is a stupid question, but how are we going to contact each other?" she wondered.
Breo understood that he had no way of communicating with Tuyet once he leaves. He never liked giving women his personal information. Because they're going to have a riding duel during their free time, he can make an exception. The blonde-haired riding duelist signaled the bartender.
Breo asked, "Do you have napkins and pens?"
"Yes," said Victor while he took out some pens and napkins near the cash register.
Both riding duelists took a pen and napkin from the bartender. Breo wrote down his name and number on it while Tuyet did the same. Both of them switched names and numbers right away. The Team Unicorn duelist put the information in his pants pocket. She places the name and number inside her sparkly clutch purse. Shortly after she did that, her eyes shifted to the right. Matteo and Renzo were near the exit. She went through it again and took a credit card out.
"Let me pa _," said Tuyet.
Breo interfered, "I'll pay for it."
"Are you sure about this?" she asked.
He replied, "Yes, and don't worry about paying it back. Have a good night, Tuyet."
"You too, Breo," she softly said to him.
She smiled at her former opponent, and she left the bar. Breo saw that he was the only one in the bar. He smiled to himself and remembered her words. If she had left earlier, the Team Unicorn duelist would've been chatting it up more with Victor. Instead, he had another person, a fellow riding duelist who appreciated his abilities. There was something special about her, but Breo doesn't know what.
"A second chance in love... I don't know about that, but I do want to see her again," he said.
I decided to post this fanfiction for Melan Anime's Jewel Of Love Challenge and also challenge myself with writing a one-shot using focusing on a minor character from the anime. In this case, I went with Team Unicorn's Breo.
I tried my best with making Breo not so OOC with what little is known about his personality (I tried for real). Even though this is a one-shot story, I may do another one that continues where this leaves off.
Plus the first paragraph is a direct reference from Breo's flashback of his life pre-Team Unicorn during episode 100 of the anime. Here is a tiny language class by me below:
Si Xiang= Four Symbols or Four Ideas in Chinese (but I am referring to the first one which talks about the four symbols *Vermilion Bird of the North, Black Tortoise of the South, White Tiger of the West, and the Azure Dragon of the East*)
Salute=Cheers in Italian
Santé=Health in French (I presume that Team Unicorn is a French team even though Andore/Andre spoke a little Spanish in the original version).
For now, read and review.
From,
Starling Cosmos (S.C.)