"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

- Maya Angelou

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THE COMETS ARC

Valt Aoi sat by the white sand beach, staring into the blue sky, lost in thought. The laughter of the kids still echoed in his ears, but his mind was elsewhere. He was startled out of his trance when Hyuga suddenly plopped down beside him.

The older male blinks in confusion when Hyuga hasn't said anything. Which is starting to get awkward.

"Are you okay, Valt-senpai?" Hyuga asked out of nowhere, breaking the deafening silence,  his voice uncharacteristically serious.

(No)

Valt forced a fake smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Hyuga frowned, his eyes pale red eyes sharply narrowing, with shadows hanging on his face.

"Liar."

(How did he—?!)

Valt was taken aback as his whole body freeze on his spot. He had never seen Hyuga like this before. And the fact he knows he's lying is really... unbelievable, he always knows how to fool people with his cheery smile. Before he could speak, Hyuga continued. "Big Brother has the same eyes as you. He always says he's okay, but I know every night he cries. I bet you're pressured as the number one blader in the world!"

Valt's heart broke upon hearing that. Hyuga might be innocent, but he wasn't a fool. "You know, huh," he muttered grimly.

Hyuga nodded, remembering all those bitter memories he wished shouldn't exist in the first place. "I know as the eldest, they have the responsibility to stay strong and mature all the time. But why can't they realize that they have a little sibling who is willing to love them just the way they are?"

(He's more perspective than people give him credit for)

Valt chuckled sadly. "Because of the pressure and burden, simple as that...heh.... But I'm glad you love and care for your brother."

Hyuga's eyes lit up. "Of course I do! I might annoy him all the time, but that's because that's how I show how much I love him! Big Brother is my hero after all."

Valt smiled upon hearing that. It reminded him of his own siblings. Oh, he already missed them already.  "Hikaru must be happy and lucky to know that you care and that you see him as a hero. I know how he likes to be one," he said but noticed Hyuga averting his eyes, which made Valt concerned.

"To be honest, he's way too heroic. Which sometimes I hate. Do you know why our family moved to this place?" Hyuga asked, with an unreadable expression.

Valt furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing where this was going. "Why?"

Hyuga took a deep breath, preparing himself to share whatever weighed his heart. "In the past school we enrolled, we were eight then. It was perfect and peaceful. I joined the music club, and Onii-chan joined the Judo Club. He was very popular and powerful, mastering the arts of Judo at such a young age. This caused the upperclassmen to be jealous of his skills. So one unfortunate day, the upperclassmen ganged up on m-me...T-they k-kidnapped me and locked me in the b-basement."

Valt choked in the air upon hearing that

(WHAT!?)

"T-this a-angered Onii-chan. In a blind rage, he beat up the upperclassmen. Unfortunately, everything was recorded, making it look like he was using martial arts for v-violence. The w-worst part is that he got k-kicked out of the club, and the principal had already been b-bribed, even though our parents and I explained the situation. That's why our f-family moved to a different place to start a new life," Hyuga explained, his voice trembling slightly.

Valt's eyes widened in horror. On instinct, he immediately hugged Hyuga tightly. "I'm so sorry you two had to go through that."

Hyuga didn't say anything and felt safe in Valt's embrace. Meanwhile, Valt couldn't believe those stupid brats existed and were actually a bunch of low-self-esteem kids since they knew how weak they were. On another note, Valt felt grateful that Hyuga shared his traumatic story with him, which meant he was trustworthy.

The weight of the story he had just repeated hung in the air, a heavy, suffocating presence wrapped around them. Valt's face is etched with empathy and concern. Sobs erupted, raw and uncontrollable, shaking the little boy's entire frame. Without hesitation, Valt tightened more the embrace and pulled him close. The embrace was strong, yet tender, like when you're hugging your favorite teddy bear at night.

Hyuga buried his face in Valt's shoulder, tears soaking into the red jacket but the older didn't mind that. He clung to Valt shaking, fingers gripping desperately as if to anchor themselves. Valt's hand moved gently, stroking his back in slow, soothing circles, a wordless reassurance of safety and understanding.

The place was filled with the sound of Hyuga's anguish, thankfully the Comets were busy inside and nobody could see them. Each sob Hyuga made was the pain and misery he had held inside for so long. The older male whispered softly, words of comfort barely audible but hearty felt. "It's okay. I'm here. You're safe now."

In that embrace, amidst the tears and heartache, a fragile sense of comfort began to form. Hyuga's sobs gradually decreased, replaced by deep, shuddering breaths. He felt the steady heartbeat of his Valt-senpai, a rhythmic melody like music, a reminder that he was not alone like when he felt in that dark basement.

Valt held him closer, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. He knew he couldn't erase the past, but in this moment, he could only offer his unwavering support.

After a few minutes, they let go, and Hyuga wiped the slight tears from his eyes he didn't notice he had. "So yeah...that's the story of why Hikaru is way too overprotective of me and always feels like he has a responsibility to shoulder all the time, especially during the recent league. Heh, he's such a hero."

Valt's hazel-brown eyes softened as he patted Hyuga's head. "Your brother loves you dearly, and you can't blame him for his actions. That said, every strong person needs a helping hand too when they can't stand up."

Hyuga nodded and smiled gratefully. "Yeah...I'll keep looking out for my brother because heroes are humans too at the end of the day."

Valt nodded and smiled proudly at his words. Hyuga was starting to mature as well.

Then, for a brief moment, Hyuga remembers a bittersweet memory.

Little Hyuga was hugging Hikaruz his little arms wrapped him in a solace embrace, his big brother looked so depressed which he couldn't blame. Their old classmates were calling Hikaru a monster without knowing the truth. Hyuga wasn't that dense; he knew that his big brother was bottling up his emotions and acting strong just for his sake. And it annoyed him since he just wanted to see his brother smile.

"Big brother! In my eyes, you are the greatest hero! Even if the whole world hates you, I'll always stand by your side!"

He loves his big brother more than anything in this world and that won't change.

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