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"Decisions are the hardest to make, especially when it's a choice between what you want to do and what is right"

-Anonymous-

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The birds chirped as the sunlight filtered through the long French windows of the BC Sol dorms. Honcho was sitting on his bed going through pictures of his family. Just beside his bed was Valt's which was still quite messy. One pillow on the floor as the brunet slept on the bed with his mouth half open, one of his legs dangling out of the bed. The bedsheets loosely hang from the frame of the mattress. His snores broke the quiet stillness in the room. Kitt barged into the room a few seconds later, looking out of breath. Honcho put down his tablet PC and looked at him, "Whoa kid, you okay?"

Kitt nodded, raising one of his palms and panting hard."W-Wakiya is here!"

Honcho's jaw dropped open. What the hell was that freak doing here, anyway? Without commenting verbally he got down from the bed, nudging Valt awake as he fished out some fresh clothes out of his closet. "Oi Valt, Wakiya is here" He called out loud, putting on his sleeveless orange shirt and grabbing his black jacket.

Valt shot up on his bed, looking around frantically, "Wakiya!? Wakiya?" He asked dumbly, turning to Honcho. "Wakiya?"

Honcho sighed, not even bothering to hide the smile off his face as he nodded, "Get ready bud, can't make that rich brat wait so long"

Valt jumped out of his bed, almost slipping out of the bed. He energetically ran around the room fishing clothes from the closet.

When they reached - almost frantically ran, earning a surprised yell from Trad in the process for running in the hallway - the dining room they met with the sight of Wakiya, impatiently patting his fingers against the wooden table of the dining room. His dish of pasta on the table, still untouched. The rest of the BC Sol members were scattered around the room, eating their breakfast, sneaking glances at Wakiya and sharing uneasy glances. Clearly, the visit was unexpected and surprising. "Wakiya'' Valt yelled giddily, running toward him with his hands up in the air. Honcho followed closed behind, noticing the distressed expression of the blond.

Wakiya stood up, casually waving off Valt's hug, "No time for friendly reunions. I'm here to talk about an urgent matter." He said, his face slipping into a mask of seriousness.

Valt stopped thrashing around and listened, a dread settling in his stomach as Wakiya spoke. "Shu" He said, looking at his two friends, "Shu is missing"

---

Shu panted hard, pressing a cold white towel against his sweaty skin. The weapon room was empty and quiet except for the sound of his ragged and laboured breathing. It wasn't yet the time for his training and Shu was sure it must be the crack of dawn by now and he had been training for the past few hours, alone in the darkness filled room, only the dim yellowish light of the candle making shadows dance across the walls. He didn't risk turning the switch on and waking up Norman or Theodore, who wouldn't appreciate his training through the night. But he had done it the past few days, to smoothen his skills and be stronger. He had to escape from his childish fears if he wanted to teach a lesson to all those villains inside the snake pit. He opened the door quietly with the white towel hanging loosely against his neck. He tiptoed against the hallways which were familiar by now, it was like he had finally understood the labyrinth. He blew on the candle as soon as he entered the dorm, letting the darkness consume him for a moment. He didn't need to worry about the CCTV cameras at night because it was Theodore who took care of the footage at night and Shu was sure that the man had altered his footage to show a different room anyway. He put the candle away and took a quick warm shower. He stepped out from the steaming room feeling the soreness of his muscles under his skin, but by now he was used to the feeling that barely made any change for his increasing stamina.

Quite frankly, he was getting quick and vigilant in hand to hand combat, using a knife and a dagger felt natural in his arms. He learnt about the basics of firing a gun and to use smoke bombs. Few months ago he would never have guessed he would be learning about all these action stuff but right now Shu almost wondered whether he was stuck in some kind of a sci-fi novel or a fanfiction that his life was changing in mere minutes. He put on a baggy shirt and a pair of black shorts reached his thighs, and as soon as his head hit the pillow he was asleep.

Shu woke up a few hours later to the siren sound that welcomed all their ears early in the morning everyday. After that experiment Shu dreaded that sound which was more or less of a ear rape for him. He rubbed the sleep off his eyes and swung his legs off the bed. There were dark bags barely visible underneath his eyes. Shu wondered whether he would end up like Norman with clear eye bags under his eyes. He shook his overly hyperactive brain (certainly because of the lack of sleep) and walked out, fully clothed in his uniform, to the cafeteria.

Mel and Lav had been growing onto him the last few days, and they were close friends by now. Shu walked straight to the corner table where the two were teasing each other and talking about their daily training. Lav was the first one to catch his sight. He put one of his hands up to a slight wave, "Good morning, Red Riding Hood!"

Mel sighed, "You and your stupid nicknames"

Shu smiled, "Good morning" He muttered, sitting across from them as he placed his breakfast tray on the table. Nothing special, just the usual sandwiches with bacon and cheese.

"My Nicknames are fabulous Lemon!" Lav said as he fussed through his pockets and tossed something to Shu. The albino let out a surprised squeak as his body reacted instantly, catching it. He unfolded his palms, his eyes trained on the wrapper which in big black block letters read, "Protein Bar" Shu raised his brow and looked over to Lav. "You need strength. Don't ask me from where I got it. Just gobble it down"

"He got it from one of the big stuff" Mel offered, "He has connections with them, because apparently he's the Teacher's Pet"

Lav reached for him and smacked his hand against the back of his head. Mel yelped rubbing his head with a sour face, shooting a glare, "That hurt"

Shu tilted his head, "But why me?"

"Because you are still a growing kid, Snakepit doesn't have any idea about the nutritions you need."

"Thank you?" Shu blinked, realizing it sounded more like a question he reworded the phrase. "Thank you!"

Lav gave him a genuine smile and turned back to his food. Shu munched to his own food in silence when suddenly Mel raised the question, "We're having an off day today, did you guys hear about that?"

Lav hummed, licking his fingers. Around the Snakepit, news doesn't travel much like in other places. People here are different, reserved and quiet. The only types of news that spread like wildfire is the news about beyblade and the new recruits, juniors who are performing like legends. Unknowingly, Shu had attracted so much attention from the other bladers inside the Snakepit. And some of them even secretly came to watch him practice by the bay dish. Sports always comes with the burning passion of competition and competition was always burning with hatred and jealousy. A blader's mind around here is a clouded volcano just waiting to erupt.

For Shu, the day off was something surprising. "A day off?" He asked, turning to Mel who shrugged nonchalantly.

"What are you going to do?" Mel asked, meeting both of their eyes.

Lav just merely shrugged, directing the question back at Mel when he answered, "I'm gonna sleep all day. The rest I deserved"

"It's a pretty sweet deal" Shu blurted out without even thinking.

Mel grinned at his statement, "I like this kid"

Lav hummed thoughtfully, "Oi Shu, is it okay if I come for a visit to your place?"

Mel raised his brow, "You invited yourself over to places now?"

Lav scowled, "I'm just taking care of him like a brother, back off Watermelon!"

Shu blinked, looking in between them. The truth was he had nothing against Lav and besides he was always good company to be with and Shu didn't mind having some company and besides when you're lonely people tend to lean against the smaller burst of affection they receive. "Okay" Shu said, drawing out a smile from Lav who stood up.

"Good night to you sleepyhead! See you never!" Lav stuck out his tongue childishly at Mel who just rolled his eyes at him. He and Lav had been friends before they even came to the Snakepit. They used to practice in Mel's basement for hours without taking a break. Both of them were from a small countryside village where sports are just a mere hobby for all the others but since they were young, beyblade was something they saw as their freedom, a means of escape. Their families didn't give a shit about their advancement, their wins against the elite clubs in the big towns, but they had each other and they held onto each other for long years. There were thousands of reasons for them to leave the village, except there was something that Lav loved from all his heart that he was too weak to give up but one day, something snapped, the precious thing was stolen and that's when the two boys ran away, leaving their wretched hometown behind.

Mel waved them off as the two disappeared from the cafeteria door. He was glad that Lev found a reason to smile again, to smile genuinely like he used to do back in the days.

---

The two bladers walked into Shu's room. It was identical for every other room as far as Shu knew but Lev looked around as if he had been entered to a whole other reality. "You're exaggerating," Shu pointed out, walking to the bed.

"Let me admire your little home," Lev said, grinning as he walked to Shu and sat beside him.

Shu took off his mask watching Lev doing the same thing. "Sure, go ahead" The albino rolled his eyes falling back to the comfortable mattress, yawning. "I'm sleepy"

"You just woke up"

"Your point?"

Lev reached down and pinched his nose. "You sound like Mel, stop"

A small smile made its way to Shu's lips, "He's influencing me"

"That's dangerous," Lev admitted. "I've been meaning to ask, how old are you?"

Shu turned his head, "Eleven"

Lev pulled off his boots and tucked them underneath himself leaning against the bedpost. "You're young, it took me sixteen years to get fed up with the world, you have done it in eleven years"

"I deserve a trophy, don't I?" Shu said, sighing.

Lev watched him quietly as Shu turned his head to the older blader. "Chill, I'm turning twelve in a few days"

His eyebrows shot up, "When's the birthday?"

"That's private," Shu said, stubbornly turning away from Lev. The other didn't give up, he sneaked up on him from behind and started to tickle his side. A wild guess, Shu might just be ticklish. Shu didn't seem to move for a second before he let out a strangled yell. "Ooh, look, we got a ticklish boy"

Shu turned back to Lev trying to push him away, "I can't breathe" He said through laughs, "Stop"

"Not until you spill your birthday, Red"

Shu wheezed, "F-Fine, deal"

Lev stopped and crossed his arms waiting for Shu to adjust his composure. He rubbed his eyes, "September 23" He said, still panting.

"Wow, that's just a week away!" Lev pointed out boldly. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Shu shrugged, "What's the point? We have better things to focus on"

Lev shook his head ruffling his hair, "No, a birthday is a birthday"

Shu was about to come up with a clever comeback when there was a knock on the door. Both of them shared a glance as Shu uttered, "Come in"

For He's great relief it was Leo who walked in. Of course, Lev didn't know anything about Leo and Shu kept it that way. Leo looked a bit surprised and saw the other blader in his room, he looked at Shu dutifully. "Anthem needs you Red Eye. Come with me"

Shu frowned, wondering silently what Asthem would need from him. He was pretty sure he didn't break any rules and today was a free day for all of them. He slipped out of the bed and took his mask passing a look at Lev who was looking surprised and concerned. "I'm leaving"

He nodded, "I'll leave to my room too. A nap doesn't sound that bad itself." He took his mask and walked past Shu slightly whispering a take care as he passed the albino and walked out of the door.

Shu slipped his mask over his face and turned to Leo. "A friend of yours?"

Shu nodded, "More like a big brother"

Leo dramatically clutched his heart with a smile, "Can I be one too?"

Shu huffed, "It comes with sacrifice"

"And that is?"

"You have to be my dog" Shu answered right off the bat with a laugh.

Leo rolled his eyes playfully, "I'll just be the protective best friend"

"Fair enough," Shu answered, cooly walking out of the door as he closed it behind him. "So, why does Asthem need me?"

Leo looked at him, "It's a bit of a sticky situation. It seems like your friends are here, Shu"

Shu stopped on his tracks, "Come again?"

Leo wrapped one of his arms around his shoulder and gave him a comfortable squeeze. "Yeah, as far as I know, they should be your friends. C'mon"

Shu started to walk toward the main office with Leo. His mind went haywire with thoughts. Valt is here? And surely the beyclub? How did they find out? How should he deal with this? Shu was certainly not ready to face something like this. What was he supposed to say? He knew somewhere the Boss must be watching him. Monitoring his every move. This can be a trap, to find out whether he's a spy or not. Maybe they are testing him. How the hell was he supposed to pass? He had to admit that he's attached to the few friends he has and just lashing out at them or telling them to walk away that he wasn't coming made his own self sound like a heartless monster, which he should be at the moment.

They reached the automatic doors in the main office and walked in. The inside was dimly lit and Shu could barely make out the outline of the bladers present there. He knew all of them were close to the boss and named them as high ranked bladers in the snake pit. He watched Theodore, now disguised as Theodore turned around. "Welcome Red Eye" He said slyly. For acting, Theodore deserves an Oscar. Shu thought dismissively walking to the room.

His eyes rested on the screens in front of the room showcasing different scenarios around the snake pit. He stopped when he saw the familiar mop of hair. They were all there. Valt, Honcho, Wakiya, Daigo and Cuza (someone he met when he went to the first day of the national games)"It seems like your friends have come to meet you" Silver, as Shu recognized from his first day, said.

Shu frowned, but kept quiet. "Go and welcome them, Red," Asthem said. His voice didn't sound malicious and Shu instantly Shu knew it was Boss's orders.

Shu stayed frozen for a few more seconds when Leo nudged him at the side, bringing him to his senses. "Yes, Sir" Shu muttered under his breath, turning around.

"Don't get lost in the way honey" Azure called out mockingly.

Shu clicked his tongue as the doors closed behind him. He was alone in the dark corridor and suddenly Shu felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. He wanted to run into his friends' arms and tell them to go but Shu knew that acting according to his emotions would only bring danger to his friends. He took several deep breaths and took the easiest way out of the snake pit and came out of a side door to take the right decision, not the one he wants.