Shu's POV

drip drip

I winced as a droplet of water splattered my hair, temporarily staining it grey. The more I climbed down into the dark, icy abyss, the hotter it got and melted the ice away. Most likely because of an underground pool of lava (y/n) had warned me about. 

At least it warmed me up. Before, I was shivering so much I thought I was going to pass out from the cold and die. Now, my body felt nice and toasty again, almost leading me to believe that I was in New York still, rather than Antarctica. 

The bad news was it melted the ice away. And this rocky hole is surrounded by ice. The heat melted the ice away into water, and then the water ends up falling onto the poor person climbing down the hole.

Me. 

I am the poor person. Giving a frustrated sigh, I continued climbing down into the darkness, a 100m rope secured around my stomach just in case. I could vaguely see where I was going, only a fraction of the winter sun leaking down here.

Fumbling down cautiously, I lowered myself down deeper into the hole.  The heat started to increase, and I knew I was getting closer to the source. I reached out to grab a ledge of rock that was slipping out, and nearly fell when my hands slipped due to the water.

"Shoot," I muttered to myself, frowning in concentration as I lowered myself deeper into the darkness. It felt like I had been climbing down for at least an hour when I reached the cavern the hole led to. 

Light suddenly started pouring in, illuminating the hole. It wasn't from above, but rather underneath. My heart raced at seeing (y/n) again and I started climbing down faster, before I eventually jumped onto the smooth, rock ground. 

Passing through an archway, it led me into a big cavern where light and heat suddenly overwhelmed me. 

In the far right corner was a steady stream of lava gushing out from some rocks. The flowing liquid heat of scarlet and orange lit up the entire room, and provided warmth. It curved throughout the whole room, slicing it in half with a curved line. 

On the upper left corner of the line was a bookshelf decked with all sorts of books; ranging from the Hunger Games series to Dragon Ball manga. In front of the book shelf was a mahogany table neatly pushed against the rock wall, laden with mocha & dango. A TV hung above it. 

On the other side of the room was a bed with scarlet & black embroided pillows and quilt with golden lining. Above the bed was two posters, one of Chungha and the other of the God Blader's tournament announcing her victory. A bedside table was placed on the left side of the bed, and on the other was a display cabinet.

I recognized the 2nd place trophy for the Japan National Tournament from when I lost to Lui. She had five of them. No wonder she used to hate Lui so much... All her previous beys were lined up in there as well, along with a signed BTS and EXO album, as well as many framed photos. 

In spite of myself, I felt my heart flutter when I saw a picture of us two together when we were dating with a golden frame. Shaking my head, I glanced at the trophy that took up the most space.

The God Blader's Cup first place trophy. It was a massive, golden cup with the beyblade symbol engraved on the front. And on the wooden base, on a golden plaque, was her name inscribed in cursive.

My 2nd place trophy looks so small compared to that. 

Anyways, in the middle of the room, positioned above the stream of lava was a stadium. A classic one. At least, that's what I first thought. On closer inspection I saw small lines engraved into the stadium, each one having holes around the rim, as if something was to come out from the holes and fill the lines in the stadium. 

I was surprised that (y/n) had managed to fit so many things in here. How? Then I caught sight of gunshots imprinted on the stone wall. This cave had been a war bunker to the (l/n)'s & Shakadera's, seeing as (y/n) and Xander were both from ancient warrior clans. That made sense now.  

"You done inspecting my place?" a familiar, feminine voice smirked up at me. I glanced up in shock and happiness. 

Her (h/c) was still in tight space buns. Her cheeks still tinged faintly with pink from a mix of training and constant excitement. Her posture told me just how confident she was. Her eyes still holding that spark in them. Same rebellious yet stylish outfit.

She hadn't changed at all. 

"(y/n)."

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Your POV 

Half smirking, half anxiously trembling I watched as Shu Kurenai entered into the cavern. 

His scarlet eyes glided across the room, taking in every detail except for me. Of course he wouldn't see you, I chided to myself. You're standing in a bathroom watching him through a small crack. Besides, the lava is probably very distracting. 

Slowly, I opened the door. It swung open without creaking and the albino still didn't see me. He was gaping at my trophy from the God Blader's Cup. I exhaled shakily, and told myself there was nothing to worry about for the millionth time. 

"You done inspecting my place?" I smirked, trying my best to look confident. His eyes immediately snapped towards me. He stared at me, taking everything in at once. 

"(y/n)."

His hair was still in his shaggy hairdo, only grown longer. His face was relaxed and tender, displaying his understanding and empathy. His body was surrounded by an air of warmth and kindness. His scarlet eyes still managed to pierce me, as if he could stare into my soul. Same vampire-inspired yet professional outfit. 

I grinned. He hadn't changed at all. There really was nothing to worry about. 

"Shu."

Without thinking, I ran towards him, leaping over the stream of lava. I instantly threw my heads around his neck, and buried my head into his shoulder. I felt his body stiffen and then relax, his familiar arms wrapped around my body. I didn't even realize that I was crying until I leaned back and saw the tear stains. 

"I-I've missed you," I hiccupped. It's been so long without human interaction I forgot just how precious it was. In that second of a touch, we were reunited again. 

He smiled back at me, understanding shining in his eyes. "I've missed you too."

"I'm sorry acting so emotional," I sniffled, giggling while wiping my nose. Sheesh, imagine if I was on my period. I would've been swimming in my tears! "I don't know what's up with me."

"It's alright, really," he reached out and squeezed my shoulder gently. I looked away to hide the pink that was growing on my cheeks reluctantly. "To be honest, I would've bawled my eyes out if I was in your position. (y/n), you're strong but it's okay to cry sometimes."

"You sound like Xander," I laughed, the tears already drying. I gestured towards the table with the food. "C'mon let's eat. I bet you're starving."

Right on cue, his stomach grumbled. Shu chuckled. "You're not wrong about that."

We dug into the Japanese delicacies. I swallowed a mouthful of mocha and asked him eagerly, "How's Xander? I talk to him almost weekly and he sends me food, but he hasn't visited since last year. Something about a new apprentice."

"Xander hasn't changed all," Shu replied, smiling, picking up a dango. "Still as clumsy and strong as ever. And yes, he does have a new apprentice, a prince I think by the name of Xavier, also known as Xhan, Bogard. He's pretty strong already."

"So, how's it going with Fubuki?" I chewed down on some dango. "The kid adores you, you know. Never stops talking about you when I've called him."

"Oh, that's right," Shu said. "You two are family friends. Forgot about that. Fubuki's training in New York with me now."

"Really?" I frowned. That was news to me. "He never told me that."

"No, he wouldn't have," Shu sighed and ran a hand threw his white hair. "The reason why he moved to New York to train...I guess he's a little ashamed. Fubuki lost to another blader named Suoh during a tournament. Those two used to be best friends, but after Suoh acquired a Turbo bey, his attitude and personality changed quite a bit, and in battle he became rude and arrogant. Fubuki trained a lot for that tournament, but he lost in the semi-finals."

Underneath the table, I clenched my hands. This Suoh guy seems like a real jerk. "Did Suoh win the Nationals then?"

Shu shook his head. "The tournament wasn't the Nationals, but Suoh got second place, losing another blader."

My forehead creased. "What other big tournament took place in Japan?"

"The Longinus Cup."

"Longinus Cup?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Is that a tournament for-"

"For Lui, yes," Shu nodded, putting down the dango stick. "Winner gets to battle Lui and his new bey, Bloody Longinus."

"Lui's still so arrogant," I rolled my eyes, leaning back into the chair. "He made an entire tournament just so he could crush some poor novice blader in front of the whole nation-"

"Lui lost."

I stared, wide-eyed at the albino in front of me. Shu was looking down at the desserts, and I could see his teeth clenching. Shock pulsed through me. No way. No way in the hell would Lui lose so easily. 

No. 

That's not true. My mind whirred, thinking of explanations. I let out a loose chuckle when I realized what had happened. "Did Valt seriously travel from Spain to Japan to beat Lu-"

"It wasn't Valt," Shu said. My jaw dropped. "Or me, Xander, or even Free. It wasn't any of the bladers in the God Blader's Cup or the Supreme Four. The person who beat Lui is Aiga Akabane."

"Aiga Akabane?" I repeated slowly. "Is he a rookie, or have I just been gone for a really long time?"

Shu's eyes meet mine. "He's a rookie. Nobody knew his name before this."

"I can't believe this," I slapped my forehead. "Lui lost. To a rookie. An amateur. And Lui's been training for the last few years like I have. Even with a new bey, he lost. How? Are you sure this Aiga didn't cheat?"

I wanted Shu to tell me that Aiga did cheat. That this was just a false win or a prank. "Aiga didn't cheat."

"How do you know, Shu?" I sighed exasperatedly. "How do you know that Aiga didn't rig the stadium or something? That's the only possible explanation-"

"(y/n)," Shu said clearly, his scarlet eyes piercing mine. "Aiga didn't cheat."

I buried my face in my hands, anger and disbelief seeping through my body. I don't know why I am so angry, so unready to believe that Lui was defeated by an amateur. 

Actually, I did know why. It took me six freaking years to beat Lui. It took Shu two years. Even Valt hasn't beaten Lui yet. But this novice, this amateur that nobody knows suddenly waltzes out from nowhere and defeats on the greatest bladers on this planet. 

I was called a genius. A prodigy for even making it to the finals on my first try at the National tournament at only eight years old. But there's somebody else. Another person who achieved something I devoted my life on for so long so effortlessly. Like it was child's play. 

I clenched my fist, and slammed it down on the table. I know I'm being beyond rude to Shu who travelled half the planet to get here only to be faced with a raging monster filled with jealousy. But honestly, in that moment I was too angry to think about it. "Tell me more about Aiga Akabane."

"I don't know much about him," was Shu's reply. "But I know that he comes from a farm near Beigoma. His father was the one who made Valt's bey. Aiga looks up to Valt and acts like Valt did when he was around Aiga's age. After Valt and Aiga got their Turbo beys, they battled each other. Valt won, of course, but it was slight. The reason why Aiga became so dedicated with beyblade and training is because he wants to beat Valt to become the champion of the world."

Sitting up straight again, I opened my mouth to say something but abruptly stopped when I registered the last sentence. "A-Aiga thinks Valt is the top blader in the world?"

This was even more crazier. Aiga really must be a lunatic, or I am. It's probably me. I pinched myself. This has to be a dream. This is just too crazy. I really have gone crazy. Shu bit his lip hesitantly, as if wondering how he was going to phrase his next sentence. In spite of myself and the situation, I may have blushed a bit. I mean, who wouldn't? When Shu does that, it's just so ho-

I shook my head, willing my thoughts to be quiet. I hate hormones. 

"Well, practically the whole world thinks that Valt is the champion," Shu said. I raised my eyebrows in disbelief, my jaw dropping yet again. "You see, straight after the God Blader's Cup, before anybody could interview you and know your next step except me, Valt, Xander and Fubuki. They didn't forget about you. They just thought you died."

"Died?" I blinked in disbelief. That was outrageous. "They think I suddenly dropped dead?"

"Theodore Glass fed a rumor to the reporters that you killed yourself," Shu ran his hand through his hair again, looking troubled. Anger boiled like never before. How dare Glass make up something false about me. That bitch. "Jumped off the cliff after you won."

"And they actually believed that?" I laughed. It was so stupid. How could they fall for that? "Glass was exposed for his crimes. Why would I jump off a cliff when I just accomplished my life goal?"

"Glass is a snake," Shu growled, and I knew anger was growing inside of him. His scar glowed bright red, reminding me of how Glass had brainwashed Shu. Nobody hated Glass more than Shu did. Nobody could understand. "A rich one, unfortunately. Paid millions for the media to buy that story and make up a false reason, like I had rejected you or something crazy like that. Everything was shushed up, including his crimes."

"He managed to damage my reputation as well," Shu continued. "Salty after losing the Raging Bulls. Glass said my rejection was the reason you were dead. (y/n), you had a lot of fans. All those fans hated me. For a couple of days, m-my mind went to a dark place I thought it would never come out of."

He took a shaky breath, and I realized that a single, lone tear was sliding down his pale face. I reached over to grab his hand and squeezed it. "I hate obsessive fans like that."

"I know, I know," he gave me a small smile. "I do too."

"And Valt?" I asked Shu. "What happened with Valt?"

Shu sighed again. "Valt didn't really do anything to upset Glass personally, so Glass left everyone believing that Valt was the world champion. Of course, everyone who witnessed the God Blader's Cup tried to change that, and say that I was the champion if you were. But like I said before, Glass is rich and paid off most of the witnesses and even some of the bladers that participated in the tournament."

"What a bitch," I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Which bladers? Probably Norman Tarver and Kurtz Baratier. Doesn't matter anyway."

We sat in silence, undoubtedly thinking of all the ways we could painfully kill Theodore Glass. At least, I was. Shu was probably being rational and not thinking about kicking Glass in the crotch. At last, I made a final decision. And no, didn't involve injuring Glass's private part or killing him.

I grabbed a big suitcase from a cabinet and started throwing things into it. I felt red eyes staring at me. "What are you doing?"

"Packing, of course," I chucked all of my trophies into a plastic bag. "I'll leave the bed and table and all that stuff here, but I'm bringing everything else with me."

"But, where are you going?" frowned Shu. The realization dawned on his face suddenly as he pieced together everything. I couldn't tell his reaction to this piece of news, but for some reason I desperately hoped he was happy. "Oh."

"I need to kick some asses," I growled as I finished packing. I looked Shu straight in the eye. "First, Theodore Glass. Then, Aiga Akabane to make sure his ego doesn't inflate. Then, the whole world. I'm going to show them that I am still the champion."

Shu smiled proudly, standing up. "It's time to reclaim your crown."

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