Ken could barely sit still as they waited for the plane to arrive. Their mother had told them countless times to be patient, but if she knew her kid at all, she knew that word was hardly in Ken's vocabulary. Ever since getting diagnosed with autism, the symptoms only seemed to worsen with Ken finally knowing what was "wrong with them." Therefore, they had finally garnered up the courage to not repress the symptoms and to embrace who they were.

10:30 . . . 10:45 . . .

"The plane'll be here any minute, sweetie," Himeko Midori reassured her youngest child yet again.

Ken's knee was speeding up and down like a broken car motor. It was hard to resist biting their nails out of nervousness as they waited for their longtime close friend, Valt, to get off the plane. Valt's younger twin siblings, sixteen-year-olds Toko and Nika, were there as well, waiting as anxiously as Ken was.

Ken scratched their head. They had forgotten to brush their long mane of jet black hair that morning, and they hit a few snags as they ran a hand through their black locks. It wasn't as long as it used to be, though: at one point, Ken's hair was so long that they could sit on it.

11:03.

"Hey, guys!"

Ken rose from their seat as a flash of blue hair emerged from the tunnel, and Valt Aoi began to sprint towards them, backpack jumping up and down on his shoulders.

"Valt!" Toko and Nika cried out as they began to sprint towards their older brother, colored hair merging together as they knocked him over on impact. Laughter filled the air as they all scrambled to their feet.

"Hey, Valt!" Ken laughed as they approached their friend, and Valt greeted them with a big bear hug that they returned with no hesitation. After months of Valt being away with BC Sol, it was so good to finally be face to face again.

"Where're your puppets?" Valt asked as he pulled away from the hug. "You always have them with you."

Ken sheepishly palmed the back of their neck. They had been gripped by chronic shyness when they were younger, prompting them to speak through felt puppets instead most of the time, as they were a prodigy at ventriloquism. But in the past few years, Ken had finally been confident enough to talk without them less and less. At least, that was what they told themselves.

"I kinda only use Keru and Besu for puppet shows now," Ken admitted. Their family ran an entertainment business.

"C'mon!" Valt whined, earning a giggle from Ken. "They were so fun, though!"

"Just be glad they're finally not too shy to speak without them," Mrs. Midori butted in with a chuckle. Ken had inherited her sharp canine teeth and kind green eyes.

"Hi, Mrs. Midori!" Valt greeted her, bowing to her out of respect. "Thanks for picking me up."

"Sure thing, dear," Himeko replied. "Now, let's go get your suitcase. I know the others don't wanna be kept waiting at the park."

"Oh, right - you still can't drive, Ken?" Valt reminded himself as the group started walking towards baggage claim.

"Yeah, it scares the shit outta me," Ken confessed, though they were hesitant to swear in front of their mother.

"It's really not that hard, though," Valt promised them, "even with ADHD! Silas taught me a bit back in Spain."

Truthfully, Ken couldn't imagine someone like Silas Karlisle being patient enough to teach someone like Valt how to drive. The thought was almost laughable.

"Yeah, but try having ADHD and autism," they argued. "So yes, driving still terrifies me."

"Kinda scares me, too," Nika chimed in. "Don't feel bad, Ken."

The conversation continued while the group advanced to baggage claim, then to Himeko's van. As they piled in and the gas was turned on, Ken could feel Valt bouncing up and down in his seat behind them. As always, he was as hyper as a parakeet.

"I still can't believe Daigo's gonna be in the semifinals!" Valt said excitedly. "I mean, I always believed in him, but still!"

"If you think you're excited," Ken responded from the passenger seat, "wait till you see how excited Ryota is."

"Yeah, he's been hyper for days," Toko added, though he didn't sound like he was complaining about it. "Every time Nika and I see him at school, he never goes off to his next class without mentioning how sure he is that Daigo's gonna win the match against Zac."

"He keeps copying all of Daigo's techniques when we battle during club meetings, too." Nika said. "It's like he's forgotten all of his own."

Daigo and Ryota Kurogami were Ken's closest friends. Aged nineteen and thirteen respectively, Ken had known them since they and Daigo were eleven years old. They had met Valt and the other members of their friend group at around the same time, but Ken had to admit that they cherished Daigo's friendship just a bit more.

Fifteen minutes of catching up later, after getting through Beigoma traffic, the Midori family van finally arrived at the park. Valt was the first to jump out, speeding towards the bey stadium, where his and Ken's friend group were all gathered. It was getting late now: the sky was splashed with streams of pink, orange, and purple. Ken bid their mother a quick farewell before following the Aoi siblings.

"Well, look who showed up!" the blonde Rantaro "Honcho" Kiyama said gallantly as Valt sped towards him. He was wearing a backwards baseball cap and those stupid sweatpants.

"What's up, my dude!?" Valt replied. "It's been ages!"

Ken watched as the two did their secret handshake and chest bumped as they approached Daigo, who was warming up at the bey stadium. Nearby him were Ryota, Shu Kurenai, and Wakiya Murasaki.

"You're late," Wakiya snapped as he lifted up his heart-shaped sunglasses. He had blonde hair like Honcho, but his had more of a golden tint that caught the sunlight. He had started university abroad a year before, but he had managed to make it back for a short time to witness the finals of the national beyblade tournament.

"Blame baggage claim," Ken shot back playfully. They turned to Daigo and Ryota, and Daigo smiled at them. As always, Ryota was looking at his older brother with admiration in his eyes.

"Hey, Daigo!" Valt cried joyfully as he hurried up to his friend excitedly. "I'm so glad you made it to the finals! I'm proud of you!" He fistbumped him, as Daigo normally wasn't comfortable with hugs.

"Thanks, man. Great to see you." Daigo replied in his gruff voice. He was clearly trying to hide his nerves, but his dark eyes, like cool water, betrayed him. They were eyes that Ken knew well, after all.

"I love what you did with your hair!" Valt exclaimed. "What're they called again?"

"Raccoon tails," Daigo reminded him. There were vibrant red stripes in his black hair that he had dyed himself. He had also gotten snakebites since Valt was last in town, and Ken thought they more than suited him. He had also stopped spiking up his hair - he had sure changed a lot since middle school.

"Oh yeah, raccoon tails!" Valt remembered. Daigo smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Isn't it cool!?" Ryota simpered. "I asked Daigo if he could dye my hair, too, but he said no."

"'Cause Mom would flip her shit." Daigo reminded him. "It's one thing if I do it, but you're still a minor."

Ryota coughed before he crossed his arms and pouted. The Aoi twins giggled.

"Glad you're back in town, Valt," Shu said with a grin. He was a young albino man with shoulder length white hair, an undercut, and wine red eyes. Despite being one of the most powerful bladers in the world, he had decided not to compete in that year's national tournament.

"Of course!" Valt countered. "I wouldn't miss the big match!" He playfully punched Daigo in the shoulder.

"I dunno, man," Daigo mumbled. "I'm not guaranteed to win."

"You're gonna win, though," Honcho vowed. "Zac's already past his prime."

"I thought being smug was my thing," Wakiya sneered, causing Ken to chuckle and Honcho to groan with annoyance.

"Honestly," Daigo admitted, "it's not Zac I'm worried about: I've studied his techniques and strategies pretty well. It's Litsuko."

Ken and Valt exchanged glances. While Zac Kaneguro, Daigo's semifinal opponent, had been in the beyblade game for over a decade, Litsuko Saeki had learned how to beyblade from watching Shu on TV years prior. It led to Litsuko and Daigo being on the same team in the team battles section in the nationals, and now they had both ascended to the individual battles. Litsuko had already won her semifinal match: if Daigo won his, he was meeting his friend and teammate in the finals.

"Are your parents gonna be there to cheer you on?" Nika asked Daigo.

Daigo didn't seem comfortable answering that question in front of so many people, so Ken quickly changed the subject.

"Uh - hey Wakiya, up for a battle?" they offered.

Wakiya shrugged and answered yes. Out of the corner of their eye, Ken saw Daigo flash them a grateful smile.