Burst Finish My Heart: Free de la Hoya x OC | A Beyblade Fanfiction

Chapter 28: Agony

Ferox Aoi cried softly.

Was this how Lui Shirosagi had felt when she refused him? Thinking about what transpired between them made her feel even worse. The guilt that she had refused him poisoned her mind, and she wondered if it was karma that she was heartbroken now.

How was she supposed to face anybody now?

She was horrible, just as she was lost.

"I wish we were still friends, Lui. We used to be so close," she whispered to nobody in particular. She pulled out her half of their friendship bracelet--that old, stupid thing that she still kept. "Why did you hit me that day? Oh god, I trusted you, I trusted you."

She had finally said it out loud, and she wanted to admit more.

She needed to get it all off her chest.

Ferox clenched her jaw and said, "Sometimes, I wished that I loved you the way you loved me. Maybe things would have been easier. As much as you hurt me, Lui...right now, it's like my heart is ripped out." Her voice cracked, and she rambled, "I can't believe that I've grown so lonely that I'm conversing with myself now, and I've grown so foolish that I let Free play with my feelings. You were right to not introduce me to him. All this nonsense revolving him...It's too much for me to handle. Do I even like Free? He darts back and forth so much."

Tala Zmaj piped up, You would have dug your grave if you forced yourself to be with Lui. Because it doesn't work that way. You like Free, and you have to live with it.

With an edge to her voice, Ferox said, "It feels like everything is something that I have to live with."

The words were so simple, but Tala Zmaj went quiet, unsure how to reply. In some ways, even the contents of Ferox's mind remained foreign to the Bey spirit. Ferox had a strange mannerism of establishing distance with people and even with herself. It was as if Ferox did not know who she was or why she was doing anything, yet at the same time, she did know.

As Ferox continued wandering aimlessly through the forest, she attempted to collect her thoughts. Nature provided her some solace and comfort--with the trees whistling and the birds humming a melancholy song. The wind swooshed and blew through Ferox's brown hair.

The girl shivered, feeling colder and emptier than ever, yet the bushes rustled. A deer pranced in front of her, and it was the same deer that she had seen on the night everything changed.

"You..." Ferox said. She gazed at the deer through tear-stained eyes. "What do you want?"

The deer tilted its head to the side. It turned, almost as if beckoning her to follow it.

Ferox decided to follow the deer. Her heart was curious and spiteful as she did, and the trees slowly opened up into a clearing with a previously hidden Beyblade stadium.

"Wow..." she uttered breathlessly. She never knew something like this existed out in BC Sol's forest. For some time, her heart constricted with wonder as her eyes scanned the beautiful, secluded structure with polished columns and scattered stones.

But soon, she realized that she was not alone.

Free de la Hoya was crouched beside the Beyblade stadium.

He was crying.

She could hear the soft sniffles and the harsh intakes of air, and she could see his heaving form and the tears dripping onto his hands.

Oh great, Zmaj sighed.

Uncertain how to feel, Ferox clenched her jaw. It would be easier if she just hated Free and enjoyed his tears, but she felt a stab of guilt for making him cry again. The caring side of her refused to concede defeat, even though she feared that Free was playing more games.

Ferox was demoralized that Free had claimed to love her, yet he had suddenly pushed her away without explanation. It was unfair for him to treat her that way, and it left her feeling bitter and suspicious. However, her gut instinct told her that what she said genuinely upset him, and he did care about what she thought of him.

People were confusing and, with them, often carried an uncomfortable level of emotion.

That was why Ferox liked Valt so much. She appreciated how straightforward and open he was about his feelings toward situations and people. Ferox carried that bluntness, too, but she bore the troubled energy that came with being an individual who wanted to forget their past.

Ferox sighed as Tala Zmaj murmured, So what are you going to do?

Ferox's guilt was too great, and despite her deep-rooted fear, Ferox slowly walked toward Free. She crouched beside him and placed a prudent hand on his shoulder. Free did not say anything to her, but he did not tense up or indicate that he was uncomfortable with her touch.

Ferox took that as a sign that he was okay with her presence, but she remarked, "I am probably not that comforting, considering things. But if you want me to stay with you, nod your head."

He could have simply nodded his head, but instead Free took a different course of action.

"Please stay," Free croaked.

Ferox glimpsed Free's puffy eyes as the boy buried his face in her shoulder.

A mixture of emotions stirred within Ferox, but concerned about Free's fragile state of mind, she kept quiet. Still, a part of her resented how he acted like he did not care about her and then crawled back to her. Her insides twisted with irritation over his mixed messages, yet Ferox simultaneously felt comfortable beside him.

Why was he so bewildering? And why was she bewildered as well? Ferox should have ignored Free and walked in the opposite direction, yet here she was. She was tired of all the nonsense, and it was in her best interest to go straight in for the kill.

"Why are you doing all of this?" Ferox asked.

Free looked back at her blankly.

Ferox's face reddened at his lack of a reaction.

"Don't give me that look," Ferox said. "You told me that you loved me--of all things--some time ago. Then, you don't seem to care, and then-"

"I do."

Ferox fell silent, startled by his abrupt interruption. "You do?" Ferox said. She had suspected that was the case after seeing him cry, but she had not expected him to readily admit it. "Then why?"

"Because you're right about me," Free whispered. He threaded his hand through his hair and shifted uncomfortably. "I am insecure, and I am a disappointment. The only thing in life that people recognize me for is my achievement as the number one blader, but other than that, I have nothing that makes me worthy of being loved. That's why I tried to distance myself from you. Because I was scared that you wouldn't like me, and I guess that I was right."

His last words were spoken with extraordinary bitterness as his hollow eyes burrowed into her tired eyes, and he then averted his gaze.

Ferox narrowed her eyes.

If you are mad at the author for leaving a cliffhanger, please consider leaving a vote and a comment! 

Last Edited: 7/25/2022