Episode 51

Broken

Word count: (Not including this message, and 'Word count'): 1054

Lui stares in awe at the now broken parts of what used to be Longinus.

He feels his heart practically beating out of his chest and inside of his throat, choking him on his every painful breath.

He picks up the remains of his beyblade, feeling tears running down his cheeks. He was in too much pain to give a damn if he looked weak or not; to give a care if he was going to be a laughing stock after this.

The flame-haired male erupts into a fit of sorrow, crying out the name of his beloved dragon to not the audience, not Valt, but what he hoped remained of the spirit he had for so long trained with.

His hands ball into fists, as he slams them onto the stadium floor, calling out the name of the now broken Longinus once more as his tears pool onto the cold and dirty flooring laying beneath him.

He attempts to catch his breath, only leading to failure, as he tilts his head down, a shadow covering his face, as the 'miracle' boy, Valt Aoi, watches in awe.

"Y-you!" The former champion exclaims, pointing a finger at his final opponent.

"Y-you killed Longinus!" He yells, earning the sympathy of not only the audience but the opponent themselves.

"H-how could you?!" The flame-haired male roars in his anger, slamming his fists onto the ground again.

His violet eyes are now bloodshot and puffy, staring up at the destroyer of his beloved beyblade.

He can't believe this weak, pathetic excuse for a blader could bring him to such a low. He had never even come to the thought.

The former Longinus trainer gasps for air once more, as Hanami clears his throat, announcing the closing of the national tournament and declaring Valt as the new champion of the 'sunrise' region.

But, the new antagonist had never expected to earn his title in such a sadistic way, he never wished this onto anyone, not even Lui.

And yet, they stand here, the sobs of the once heartless boy filling the room, echoing throughout it, his breathing hitching every once in a while.

"Hey, buddy..." The chocolate eyed boy says, walking around the stadium and to the weeping blader.

"We'll get-" 

"N-no! Y-you could n-never replace Longinus! I c-couldn't do that..." Lui yells in response, silently reminiscing about the past victories he had claimed through his tears, yet another spiral of anxiety taking him over.

Secretly, Valt is enjoying seeing such a cruel 'champion' like this, but he can't show it. It'd make it seem like he was the villain here, and he doesn't want that.

Besides, it would be out of character for him to even say such a thing about the boy.

"There, there... It'll be-"

"No, i-it won't! Y-you wouldn't fucking understand..." The former Longinus owner snaps back, shoving the 'weakling' away from him, spilling the fragments of his bey onto the trainer as they slip from his shaking, sweaty palms, making him gasp as they two are both injured by the shards.

Lui buries his face in his boa, shaking, in shock of what had happened to Longinus just now.

But there's nothing he can do about it. He just has to accept the practical death of the thing he had so desperately cared for and cherished for years on end, which is hard for him to do right now.

His breathing finally calms down, yet still shaky, and his throat feels scratchy, but he doesn't mind at all. All he can focus on is the pain of loss.

He lets out a soft exhale, giving a weak grip of the shards he had managed to hold on to, blood dripping about as Valt tries to decide what to do next.

"Listen here, bud." He says, with a small sigh, as Lui looks up at him with... Fear...? It's something he can't exactly recognize at the moment, but all he knows is that it isn't good.

"I know you don't wanna listen to me, and I can understand that."

This was the first time that Valt was actually being serious about something as far as Lui can remember, which makes him smile to himself, which quickly turns into a blank expression once more.

"But you gotta understand, neither of us saw this coming, and you know that. There's nothing we can do about this, and you gotta understand that."

Lui was actually quite surprised about the act of empathy. He was never treated like this, he was always viewed as the strong sadist who wanted all the power to himself, who never lost a single match.

"You have all these wonderful people in your life, and they're willing to help you. I know that I can't, but if you'd please, open up to everyone, then maybe you'll be able to get through this bud... Got it?"

Lui sniffles, yet somehow managed to nod at him, as he looks down, tears rushing to him again for a reason he can't understand right now.

But, before he knows it, he's in the arms of his tormentor, wrapped by a coating of warmth, which for some reason calms him down, as he lets the remaining pieces of Longinus drop down onto the floor as he does the same to Valt.

One of the shards sparkle, as if the spirit of the bey of his was still watching over them, smiling down upon them, and Lui can feel the presence. It's quite haunting, actually, but in a good way.

After a bit, he finds himself on the streets of Osaka, being guarded by the modest crowd around him, showing their joy from his arrival, which makes him shiver.

He hands his ticket to the conductor, which gives him a small bow and a quiet "Yokoso." to greet him, as he steps onto the train, finding his seat.

He waits for what seems like forever, as the bullet train finally sets off, bringing him back to the lands of Kyoto, as he notices a few friends inside with him.

Smiling to himself, he stares out the window, reaching for one of Longinus's shards which he had stored in his back pocket, giving it a small glimpse as it sparkle's back at him, making him chuckle softly.

"I'm sorry, guys."