"You're not a victim for sharing your story. You are a survivor setting the world on fire with your truth. And you never know who needs your light, your warmth, your raging courage. "

- Alex Elle

---

"Free?" Shu questioned, surprised as he turned to Norman for an explanation. The whole series of incidents were weird and horrifying and now standing in front of Free De La Hoya, everything was getting even more tangled.

"He will be your mentor for these few weeks." Norman placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting squeeze. "He knows everything, don't worry."

Shu nodded uncertainly, watching the Gold Eyed blader. He turned to Free. "Mr Glass told me this place would be safe for a while."

Free's hand, which was on the doorknob stiffened, "No one knows this place. It will be fine."

Norman nodded in agreement and turned to walk back to the taxi waiting for him. They had stopped the taxi a bit far away for security purposes and he had a bit of a walk before he could get there. He looked at Shu for a long second before dropping a hand to his white locks. "Take care"

Shu didn't say anything. The phrase had been almost constant, escaping from everyone's lips at any given moment where danger seemed to lurk around him. Shu felt as if it was a meaningless phrase, uttered by many just to give themselves an assurance they would be okay. The truth was, they wouldn't. They wouldn't be okay until this danger was settled down. This will loom over their heads until they are taken down. Norman waved at them and left without another word leaving Shu standing in front of the cabin door and Free watching his disappearing figure through the mass of trees. "Come in," Free said, snapping his mind to focus.

Shu obeyed quietly and Free locked the door behind them. The slight click of the lock snapping into place breaking the stillness inside. Red eyes wandered around. The cabin looked cosy. There was not much furniture except for the few chairs in the living area adjoining the kitchen. There were two rooms which consisted of a bed and a small drawer with a mirror each. Free gestured at the second bedroom, "You can keep your things here, I'll make something to drink." Shu nodded, sitting on the bed. The wooden floor was cold against his bare feet. His eyes aimlessly darted around the bare walls but it always ended up making illusions of splattered blood, painting distorted images on the clear wooden stripes.

Shu clenched his fists, turning his gaze to the floor. The charm attached to the four-leaf clover was heavy around his neck. How cruel should fate be to play tricks on him like this? One moment he was there and the next he wasn't. Shu was still trying to wrap his mind around Liam's death. Free soon arrived at his room with two steaming mugs. Shu took one of them with a grateful look. He hadn't eaten anything after that. "Did you leave Raging Bulls?"

Free sat beside him, "Guess you haven't kept up with the latest news." Shu raised his brow in confusion. "I left Raging Bulls, battled with Lui and lost and head back to BC Sol"

"Oh," Shu blinked, "And now you're here?"

"Mr Glass visited BC Sol soon after I went back there. I really had no idea what that man was up to. Besides, I was kind of having some problems with the other members. Not Valt though" He said, giving Shu a look. Shu nodded. "And he dropped this bomb. All about the danger and your involvement. Kristina was furious with him, almost slapped him telling him how young you were to have meddled in such a dangerous thing. I agreed to come here and handle the situation until everything cleared down back in the Snakepit"

Shu turned back to his mug silently. This was probably the first time Shu has heard Free talking so much. His dark eyes were focused on him, "Does Valt know?"

Free shook his head, taking a sip from his tea. "He doesn't. Just Kristina and Me."

Shu hummed thoughtfully. "Thank you, for helping I mean."

Free stood up, "Sure thing. Do you want to train today or rest?"

"I'd train" He needed to battle so badly. He wanted to get rid of the thoughts of Liam haunting his mind. He needed a distraction and Beyblade was the most effective distraction he had in his life. Free walked out of the room giving him the privacy to change into his training clothes and maybe take a shower. Shu was left alone with his thoughts as he took a shower and put on his training clothes. When he went outside with his launcher and bey, Free was already there launching his own to the bey disk in front of him. There was a strange intensity in his eyes, the defeat he faced with Lui might've made the change. Shu knew the feeling too well. But the thing was Lui was also a strong force that pushed him to come to this war. He'd love to defeat the White Tyrant one day.

Shu stood on the opposite side of the bey dish and shared a look with the Blonde male in front of him. "Ready?"

Shu nodded, "Yeah"

The two took their stances and launched. The familiar sound of beys clinking and clashing against each other soon filled the surrounding, beating back the call of a bird and the hoot of another wild animal. Fafnir was strong. Its absorbing power always drew out the stamina of Spryzen leeching off its power until it stopped in the middle. Shu bent down to pick up his bey. "You're not focused enough," Free commented.

Shu looked at him, "Sorry"

"It's okay if you need to rest. You can take a day off."

Shu shook his head, "I'm fine, really."

Free didn't look convinced but he didn't push it either. They practised with each other till sunset. Dinner was also quiet, both of them were settling off to each other's personalities. It was not awkward. Both of them had an awareness of each other's personas. Exhaustion settled in his muscles when Shu finally allowed himself to lay down and rest. His eyelids slipped close as soon as his head hit the pillow. Free checked the doors one last time before walking to his room. The nice was quiet and peaceful as the blonde blader fell into a deep sleep.

It had just passed midnight when Free was awoken by a scream. He immediately sat down, his mind working as his bare feet padded loudly through the wooden floor. He found his way towards Shu's room in the dark and touched blindly around the wall looking for the light switch. Soon, the light flooded the room, chasing away the darkness. A part of him was relieved to see the albino blader, sitting on his bed, unharmed. But another part of him watched him in confusion for a moment until the truth dawned on him. Shu looked like he was having a panic attack. Free knelt by the bed and placed a hand on Shu's back as the younger kept wheezing, clutching to his chest with a look of agony. "Concentrate on your breathing," Free said, counting from one to ten helping Shu to focus on his voice. The younger boy was trembling, his eyes were clenched shut with tears running down them freely. He had never seen him so emotional before.

Free grabbed the glass of water on top of the drawer and handed it to Shu. The albino took several gulps before handing it back to him. "How are you feeling?"

Shu nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Free frowned, keeping his eyes on the albino who was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. He turned to him for a second almost as if he was trying to speak and turned away. "Free" The blonde almost winced at his voice, small and wracked with tremors.

"Yes?"

"Have you- have you lost someone close to you?"

Free looked surprised by the sudden question and he nodded. "Yes, yes I have."

Shu hummed, "Did you have nightmares about it?"

"I did," The blonde replied. Shu didn't pry into the situation or asked details and Free was thankful for it. He didn't want to reopen past wounds. His parents may have left him but the memories they shared will always be animated in his heart.

"So, what I'm feeling is normal, right?" Shu turned to him, his red eyes were hopeful.

Free moved to sit in front of him, his hands moved to take Shu's hand. He had never been the best at comforting others but he had to try. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Shu hesitated, "I think I want to."

"Go on," He said, his eyes reflecting nothing but kindness and reassurance. "I'm here to listen."

"I had this friend back in the snakepit" Since Free knew everything, it was easier to talk to him. "He was so kind to me. Treated me like his own brother" Shu choked back a sob, almost trying to force his tears back. "B-but later he was killed." Shu said, "He was lying in this puddle of blood right in front of me. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even cry. I just stared and there was blood everywhere. People were looking terrified and there was this knife and questioning and-" Shu started stumbling on his words. "I can't hold it in" He choked out, clutching to his heart, doubling over. "I want to cry. I don't want to be strong. I'm sick of it" He screamed.

Free looked stunned by the sudden confession. But he knew what the albino needed because he had been there and Kristina was there for him all the time. Free opened his arms. Intimacy and closeness were foreign to him but he could try. "Come here"

Shu silently slid into his arms, hiding his face in his shirt, listening to Free's words. "I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm not exactly the one to deal with things with words, but know I care, okay? If you want to, you can cry. You don't need to hold it in" He stroked his hair, whispering to his hair, "Just let it all out. No one's going to judge you."

"I'm not weak for asking for help?" Shu asked, his voice muffled, looking for reassurance.

"Of course not. We all need help sometimes, it's okay to lean onto others."

Shu hummed and finally broke down. Free held him close while he cried, choked sobs as he stumbled on his words trying to speak about his passed away friend. Free didn't know how long they stood in that position but when Shu finally calmed down and fell asleep, all the time he spent with him looked worth it. Free lowered him to the mattress and untangled his hands from his clothes tucking him in. He walked towards the door, looking over his shoulder at the sleeping male on the bed. His cheeks reddened, trails of tears are still visible. He switched off the light and walked out, closing the door lightly behind him.

Upon arriving at his own room, Free wondered how much he had gone through these few months. Someone had been killed there and it was only a matter of time until the danger reached Shu. He realized how dangerous this was, how painful it must be for a young heart like that to bear all the pain alone. First of all, how wrong Shu's ideologies were. How wrong is his interpretation about the weak and strong. Free didn't know who put those ideas into his head but he wished they hadn't done something like that. The damage words can cause were always worse than physical wounds. He knew this because his friend was broken by them. Through mere words.

The next day was awkward for Shu. He came into the room and averted his gaze whenever he felt the Fafnir blader looking at him. He was ashamed about his breakdown yesterday. He tried to take the memory off his mind as it replayed over and over again. That was pathetic. "Shu?"

"Yeah?" Shu answered, drumming his fingers along the wooden surface of the table.

"Are you alright?"

Shu hummed. "Yes. Thank you"

Free let out almost amused huff at his awkwardness and one-word answers. "Get ready then, we're going to go out"

Shu finally looked at him. His quizzical gaze rested upon the Fafnir blader. "Go out? But I thought it was too dangerous."

Free shrugged, "We're just going for a walk in the forest at the back"

"What about training?"

"It is training," He said seriously. Shu shot him a suspicious glare before walking out of the room to get ready. After breakfast, they were out of the house, walking down a mysterious looking path. Birds chirped all around them, breaking the eerie lingering silence inside. Twigs snapped under their feet and leaves crunched loudly. Shu kept his eyes on the ground, looking at wherever he was stepping. Then, quite suddenly without warning him, Free broke into a run. Shu stood there, frozen to the ground. "Keep up" Free called out, not slowing down for another second.

Shu huffed, trying to keep up with the blonde blader. It was impossible. Free was inhumane that way. Shu tried to catch up with him several times and crashed onto the blonde blader when he suddenly stopped to catch his breath. Free looked over his shoulder at the younger blader, "That was a good warmup"

Shu didn't answer. He was trying hard to catch his breath. Pressing his palms on his knees, Shu bent down wheezing. "You're so fast"

Free shrugged, tilting his head. "You're just slow"

Shu frowned, sinking to the ground with a sigh. "Where are we?"

Free looked around then. Massive trees encircling them around. It was hard to see the sky through all the branches woven together like a roof. "Uh..." He said, he hadn't come this far ever in this forest. "We came too far, I guess"

"We're not lost, are we?"

"Of course not," Free raised his brow, "I know my way around here." He let Shu rest for several more minutes until they finally started walking to the direction they came from. But the trees only grew thicker as they walked in. It was almost as if they were circling around the same spot because Shu was pretty sure they passed this flower bush at least ten times already.

"Free?" He tried again, jogging to the blonde. "Are we lost?"

Free looked at him almost trying to deny the fact they were lost but gave him a defeated sigh.
"We're doomed"

"I knew it"

"Why are you so cheerful?" The taller accused, scoffing.

Shu gave him an I told you so look. After last night's events, his heart was light, almost as if a great weight had been lifted off from his body. Shu sighed, "What now?" He asked when the first drop of water landed on top of his nose. They both turned to the clouded sky, barely visible through the leaves but it was clear that it was significantly dark.

"Crap," Free said, looking around. "We have to find somewhere to stay until-" That's when it crashed down. A whole storm crashed down upon them without any prior warning. Shu squeaked, jumping to the side when the water started attacking them mercilessly. Free let out a surprised laugh, his shirt sticking to his skin exposing the toned muscles underneath. He snapped his fingers, "There!" He said, making a dash towards a rocky area just a few feets away. The rock had bent forward from the original massive structure and was securing the land under it like an umbrella. Shu followed him, and took a breath of relief when they were under it, safe from the crashing storm.

Shu scowled, "It's cold"

"I crave ice cream," Free said, sitting down on the dry land and leaning against the black rocky surface.

Shu sat down beside him and tried to squeeze off the water from his t-shirt. "Me too" Shu muttered, "I'd like ice cream too"

"I thought you were cold"

"And?" Shu raised his brow almost challengingly. Free smiled, reaching his hand to pat his wet hair, sticking to the side of his face. Shu gave him a small smile in return. He really appreciated that Free was trying to make it better. The pain, the torture he was going through facing everything that a guy at his age should not face. But it was at moments like this Shu remembers what it was to be a kid. Running around aimlessly in the rain, then feasting on ice cream knowing you'd get down with a cold. In moments like this Shu realizes that what he was doing to save Beyblade is worth it. This is their childhood. Having fun battling with others, challenging, winning, losing, trying. No one should rob this away from them. "We're not lost, are we?" Shu asked, "You just wanted me to take a time out from all the... stuff"

Free raised his hands in surrender, "Well, you caught me"

"Thanks"

"Don't mention it. You're not alone in this game Shu. I just wanted to tell you that, you know? And about your friend. I know you're sad, fucked up after his death. I know it must've been brutal. If you want to, you can stop now, Shu. No one can force you to do this. But if you want to go along with all this, these plans and the intervention of the Dark Web and all that, I need you to remember that we are always here. Me, Kris and of course Valt. Don't try to bear everything alone. We're all going to save Beyblade. Okay?"

Shu nodded, grinning. "Let's go get that ice cream"

Free stood up, stretching his arms with a grin matching his. "Let's go get that ice cream"

They walked out of the forest and went back to the cabin. Free took a quick shower and pulled on a black hoodie, stepping out with the promise to be back as soon as he could. Shu went to take his own shower and dried himself waiting for Free. He scrolled through his phone, looking through all the texts from his friends. He knew he would never answer these. It was too risky. The door cracked open as Free arrived. He dropped the bag on the dinner table and took off his hoodie, tossing it to the nearest chair. Shu pulled out the mint flavored ice cream as Free pulled his own tub. "We're so going to catch a cold" The blonde said, snapping the lid open.

"But who's gonna stop us?" Shu scooped a spoonful and plopped it into his mouth, wincing at the sudden coldness enveloping his mouth. He let out a contented sigh, "I love this" Liam would've loved this, Shu thought, unconsciously reaching for the four leaved clover pendant. How ironic, luck was something Liam needed that night. Not him. Shu scooped in another spoonful of the delicacy. "Free" He started, "I must be the youngest person to join the FBI" He was trying to distract himself with small talks. Liam would've hated to see him sad. He always wanted the best for Shu. And he's not going to let him down. He won't let his death go to waste.

Free hummed thoughtfully, "You might be. I've heard FBI actually has teenage members but not 12 year old's"

"Is that an insult or a compliment?"

"A little bit of both maybe. Are you an official member?"

Shu blinked, realizing he had no clue. His lost expression drew a laugh out of Free. "You don't know?"

The albino scowled, offended. He scooped another spoonful, actually chomping it down making his teeth go completely numb. Outside, the rain had started again. It was thumping loudly against the tin roof of the cabin. After their meal of ice cream the two decided there was no use cooking lunch because they were full. Free pulled out his laptop instead, going through a set of movies trying to figure out which was the best. Shu was sitting on one of the bean bags, drumming his fingers on his legs nervously, wishing all the gods Free wouldn't choose some bloody murder. He was quite sure he wouldn't be able to handle it. Not after seeing that sight in front of him. Free finally set up the laptop and slumped down on the other bean bag just beside his. He had actually chosen a cheesy romcom and, on the downside it was boring. The first few seconds, Shu just watched it intently, thinking something funny would happen but found himself staring at a girl and a guy clashing together and the documents drop from the girl's hand and the boy apologize and the girls heart goes pitter patter seeing the hot, cute or whatever the shit standing in front of her.

Just to ruin it all, the dramatic wind has to blow. Shu did his best to stay awake, but found himself dozing off just before the first half of the movie ends. In his defense, Free wasn't even watching the movie. He was scrolling through his phone and occasionally smiling. "Stop watching porn and watch the movie" Shu groaned, slumping himself back.

Free almost throws the phone away "What the fuck?"

"Language." Shu mused, "Keep this household PG13, sir"

"Well, you're the one who's mentioning unholy things" Free countered, continuing to scroll through, without giving him a second glance. Shu gave up. The sound of the rain against the roof was comforting in an oddly sort of way. He turned to his side, curling up on the comfortable bean bag and actually closed his eyes. That cheesy romcom can go die in hell or something. Shu didn't feel any nightmares coming. The presence of Free who was sitting just a few feet away was a soothing thought. He didn't want to be alone. At least, not right now. He exhaled softly, not trying to fight back the drowsiness. Before the hell starts back up again, he could get some sleep.

---

Free sighed, looking at the texts. Both Theodore (That man almost forcefully gave him his number. He was worried about Shu and Free wondered why the hell didn't he keep Shu away from this at first place) and Christina were texting him back and forth asking for information. He answered with a cryptic fine and tossed his phone aside, actually looking at the movie. Shu had finally given up and fallen asleep. He looked comfortable, and awfully small in that big black bean bag. The thing almost swallowed him whole. Free looked at the movie, wondering why it is so bad and almost took a double take. A sex scene is not what he expected. He found himself awfully glad that Shu was actually sleeping. Did he choose an adult movie or something? He closed it off, going through the description he didn't bother to read before. And no, it was not rated 18+. I'm never choosing movies again, the blonde thought, shutting off the laptop. The room was dark even though it was only two in the afternoon. The sky was gloomy. If it wasn't raining he would've gone out and practised a little. A tiny sound caught his ear, and Free turned to see Shu shuffling, his lips moving in a silent chant. He waited a bit, wondering whether it was a nightmare but after a while the albino calmed down. The blonde walked into the room and brought a blanket, tucking him in. He turned on his phone again to see a string of messages from Kristina. He shouldn't have said anything about that ice cream.

Kris:

Free, feed that kid some real food

You literally can't thrive on ice cream

Eat proper food

Or else I'm coming there right now

You hear me?

You:

Okay. Fine.

He's sleeping, should I wake him then?

*you attached an image*

Kris:

Are you seriously trying to get your way

with sending a pic of sleeping Shu?

You:

Yes. Is it working?

Kris:

Ugh.

Fine.

Make sure you cook something proper

For dinner.

And

I NEED EVIDENCE

You:

Yes ma'am.

I'm gonna pass out too

Night.

Kris:

Take care, good bye.

Free placed his phone on the table and pushed his bean bag closer to Shu's. He grabbed a corner of the blanket and pushed it towards himself, wrapping them both in the warmth. He stared at the ceiling for a while, wondering about all the things that had happened in the past few hours and the graphic picture of Shu's passed away friend. He turned his head to see the young male, passed out beside him. His face, framed by those white locks looked impossibly young. Just how many lives would be caught in this wildfire of fate? He didn't know whether he wanted to find out. Free closed his tired eyes, falling asleep almost instantly. But somewhere in his deep slumber, he didn't miss the vague feeling when Shu sleepily reached out and touched his elbow, making sure he was there, not gone. It was a sad gesture. But the small smile on his face afterwards was worth all the trouble he had gone through and all the smiles on the bladers will be worth the trouble he's going through.

Free woke up around 6pm and saw that the rain had actually stopped but the distant thunder still lingered in the sky, flashing the dark room with momentary light. He switched on the light and walked to the adjoining kitchen. Shu was still fast asleep. Only the mess of his white hair was visible. Free was not great at cooking but he had heard Shu was. As the eldest of the two, Free decided he should act maturely and decided to make something decent. The easiest recipe? Free rummaged through the closets and got his hands on several packets of instant noodles. Placing them on the counter, he checked the time again. There was still time for dinner. He took a shower and woke Shu up. The male stood up groggily, rubbing at his eyes, blinking. His hair was art. Birds would've been delighted to have it as their home for a while. Shu actually tried to pat them down walking to his room barely avoiding the wall beside it. Free heard the shower running and he went to the kitchen to make dinner. A complex recipe, really. Who was he kidding? If he actually fucked up making instant noodles, he was a failure as a human.

Shu walked in just when Free had finished. He was pretty decent at it. From the eager look on Shu's face, Free decided it smelled good too. Both of them were hungry. Apparently ice cream was not enough for a main meal of the day. Shu muttered something under his breath, clasping hands together. He had seen Valt and Honcho doing the same. "What?" Shu asked, realizing Free was staring.

"What was that thing you guys said?"

"Itadakimasu?"

"Está bien, entiendo" Free replied sarcastically.

Shu gave him a skeptical look. "Are you cursing at me in Spanish?"

"Sí lo soy"

"I don't get it" Shu groaned, "Speak English or don't speak at all"

Free snorted, "Okay, okay. I was just messing with you"

"I'm going to get Valt to teach me how to say Fuck you in Spanish. Watch me De La Hoya" Shu slurped on his noodles. "And this is actually good."

"If you ask nicely, I can teach you that"

"I don't-" Shu was cut off by Free's ringing tone blaring. He put down his fork and grabbed the phone, frowning. "It's Theodore" He said, answering the call. "Hello?" Shu watched as Free's expression changed. He looked at Shu uncertainly before turning on the speaker. "He can hear you now"

"Shu, it's me, Theodore"

"Oh, hi"

"How have you been doing?"

"Pretty great actually. Free is not hopeless at babysitting"

Free rolled his eyes and Shu heard Theodore giving out a little laugh. Then he slipped into his serious demeanor again. "Jokes aside. Something came up."

Shu stiffened and Free talked. "What happened?"

"The next challenge from the Requiem Project candidates has been announced. They will be officially announced tomorrow. I'm just giving both of you a heads up."

Shu broke off from his trance, "What do you mean both of us?"

"Melon has dropped out of the project. It's just you, Amber and Slate on the journey. Each of you will have to battle one of the big five." Shu hummed when Theodore continued. "Slate will be battling Free. He will challenge you officially tomorrow. You have to get ready, Free."

Free shifted his gaze to Shu. "I won't lose again, you don't have to worry"

"And Amber will be battling Xander"

Shu gave a relieved exhale. Good. He didn't want to confront his friend like this. Meeting Valt was hard enough. "And you are paired up with Lui" The relief vanished. Shu dropped his face into his palms, rubbing his face.

"Okay" Shu said. Even though at first he was surprised, he craved a battle with Lui. He wanted a chance to prove himself against the White Tyrant.

"The winners will be chosen for the next step." Theodore's voice was stressed, Shu realized.

"W-What happened to Liam? Did you guys find anything?"

"We found nothing. I'm sorry Shu. The CCTV has been deleted. Someone inside had done this, that part is clear. But the culprit is still out of bounds. How are you coping?"

Shu hummed thoughtfully, "Free's helping. I'll be fine. I'll have to practice the rest of the days and make myself better and win against Lui, right?"

Theodore was quiet for a beat, "Yes." He answered, "I'd have to leave now. And Shu, Lucas says he misses you"

A smile touched his lips. "Yeah, I miss him too"

"Right, I'd pass on the news. Free, take care of him."

"I will" Free said, giving Shu a smug look for which the latter scowled. Theodore said good bye and hung up the phone. They waited a few seconds in silence. "Well, I have to be careful not to lose, huh?"

Shu smiled, "And this time, I'm going to beat Lui."

"That's the spirit" Free laughed, picking back his utensils. "But first, my awesome dinner"

"Yeah, whatever" Shu said, picking up his own. They enjoyed the meal, talking back and forth and enjoying the relaxing air in the room. When Shu went to bed that night, he was still haunted by the bloody dreams but he caught himself before he could scream. He had given Free enough hard time. The albino sat up on his bed, trying to take off the red behind his eyelids. He was unconsciously stroking the pendant again. He wrapped his fingers around it with a silent promise. I won't let you down, Liam. I won't. 

Okay, BBB robbed us some quality time with Free and Shu alright. This had to be done. LMAO BYE, HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED THE STORY