Chapter 1

Lui's POV:

I walked down the path next to the WBBA building, away from all the commotion about the bloody battle, with Luinor in my hand. I scowled down at my bey. I can't believe I almost lost my title to a nobody. A goddamn nobody! I am so weak that it's actually pathetic. The thought of the level I have stooped down  to actually makes me nauseous. It's disgusting. How the hell can I go home and tell my father about this almost loss? He will literally kill me when he finds this out. I growled, angry at myself for succumbing to such weakness. If there was no crack in the stadium then I would have lost everything I worked so hard to get. I underestimated him and almost had to pay the price. What the hell is wrong with me? How did I fall to such a low level as his? I walked down a set of stairs and onto the beach next to me, then stopping at the seafront. I stared at the sea lapping against the sand, the waves rolling over the top of each other, and when I had had enough of it all, I went to throw Luinor into the sea, disappointed in both myself and my bey for showing such weakness in such an important match when a hand wrapped around my wrist. I looked behind me to see Kurenai, of all people. I glared at him, pissed off that he would dare stop me.

"What the hell are you doing?" He yelled, his eyes starting to glow. He was equally as pissed off as me, for several different reasons. Either way, the resentment in his eyes was clear as he returned my glare. He didn't want to be here as much as I didn't want him here. And yet he was still here for some goddamn reason. Did he think he owed me something? Or is this so I could owe him something? I growled at the weak piece of scum standing next to me. I have already succumbed to weakness once today, and I refuse to do it again. This shit stops now.

"What the hell does it look like?" I snapped back, wrenching my wrist from his grip. He shouldn't be here. He should have just ignored me and continued on with his pitiful day. But for some dumbass reason, Kurenai decided to come and stop me. God, I hate him with such a pure passion. He is so weak. I can't believe that him, of all people, is called my  rival. I can't believe no one in the whole of Japan is stronger than him. It's ridiculous. It's not that hard to beat him. But I would still protect him with my life, despite all of that, cause he's my little brother, and I have to put up with him and his stupid ass problems even though we're not actually related, but that don't matter because of some lame as reason that Murasaki thought of that I don't remember, and I don't care about. I scowled at him, wanting him to know how much I currently hated him and everything he stands for.

"Why would you destroy your bey like that? What could you possibly gain from having nothing? Huh?" He growled, the venom practically dripping off him. What is his problem, and why the hell does he even care? The only way this affects him is that it raises him from Japan's third-best blader to being its second, just behind Aoi. So what the hell is his problem? Shouldn't he want me to destroy my bey? His logic makes no fucking sense.

"I'm doing this because I almost lost to a wannabe blader who doesn't understand his bey and can't blade for crap, and this is the only way I can redeem myself and get rid of all the disappointment that I'm feeling," I told him, mad at the fact that he of all people would try and stop me. If he lets me do this then he has no more obstacles he has left to overcome, so why would he try? What's the point? I'm doing him a favour by destroying my bey. I'm doing everyone a favour by quitting, so what the hell? I don't understand him sometimes.

"That's the way you're going to solve your problem? How is that going to solve anything?" He had a murderous look in his eye as he continued to severely scold me about what I'm doing, seemingly unrelenting in his actions. Why won't he just leave me alone? This doesn't concern him. At least, not now. Not anymore. He can't stop me. If I can't do this while he's here then I'll do it at a later time - it's not that hard to get around him, because I highly doubt he'll come looking for me to make sure that I still have my bey. "Your bey deserves better than this, Shirosagi, and you know that."

"You don't understand!" I said, shaking my head in disbelief at his ignorance. There's no point in arguing with someone who has no idea how you feel and what you're going through. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He just… I looked at him, and the mixture of anger and disappointment in his eyes. He's just stuck being second best to me while trying to be perfect and not become a monster.

"You have no idea how much I understand." Kurenai showed me the broken pieces of his bey, and I could feel Spryzen resonating with his blader, "THIS is a constant reminder that I am second best to YOU, of all people to be stuck trailing behind. It shows me how much I was over my head thinking that I could defeat you. And do you know how disappointing it is losing to the same person two years in a row, despite how much you train for the upcoming match? Not only that, but I broke my promise to my best friend, and was unable to meet him in the finals because YOU were once again in my way. Do you know how frustrating that is?"

I scowled at him, my temper rising and my tolerance level plummeting. Why won't he just leave me be? This has nothing to do with him. It never has done, and it never will do. If he wants to comfort someone then he should go and see his wannabe friend. "I don't care how frustrating it is for you, and I don't care how you feel about the situation. This is about me, and all I care about is crushing the opponent, but my opponent almost crushed me. I don't deserve to be a blader anymore."

"As much as I hate to say it, you do deserve to be a blader. You may be a complete and utter jackass, but you've worked hard for what you've got - as hard as any of us have, and I can't ignore that. You're a hard worker. But, it doesn't matter that Valt almost crushed you. It doesn't mean people think any less of you, and you're not weak for having another person who can rival you. That's not necessarily a bad thing. And anyway, as long as you win, who the hell cares if Valt's gotten a little bit stronger? You are still the best blader in Japan. People still respect you, even though you're a monster who almost lost to the WONDER BOY." He said, his voice straining as he tried not to break down there and then, and I suddenly felt a pang of guilt. His last point struck home. We were both considered monsters, but I'm the only one treated like a person. He is treated as less than trash. That's an understatement. He is literally nothing in society. It's painful to watch when you see how hard he tries to live up to every single person's expectations, perfecting himself to meet everyone's needs. He tries so hard  to be someone else, and every single time he gets shot down. Society will never want him or accept him. I looked at his arms, which were covered in bruises, and the rim of his shirt revealed more bruises. He's being beat because he's a 'monster' when that's not true, and I'm complaining about such a stupid thing. It's pathetic.

"You don't get it," I growled, intent on not giving in to him. Kurenai will not get the better of me, despite how much I want to admit that he's half right. He will never know what I truly think. NEVER. "And anyway, why the hell do you care whether I destroy my bey or not?"

"I-I don't know." He stammered, his eyes darting away from me, as if he was afraid to admit the real reason he was doing it. What has he got to hide that he's willing to risk destroying his perfect mask to try and hide?

"What's going on, you guys? What did I miss?" We both looked towards the WBBA building to see Gabe standing there, bag in his hand, and a confused look on his face. It looked like he was questioning everything he knew about us.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, already fed up with everything that's happening right now. I was not in the mood to be talking to anybody else right now; I am already at my wit's end.

"You two aren't trying to kill each other like you usually are, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's concerning me seeing you two like this." His eyes darted between the two of us as we glared at each other. Gabe sighed. "There's no point in putting an act on now, I saw everything."

"This is not an act!" I shouted at him, pissed that he would even suggest such a thing. He thinks this a fucking act, what a fucking joke. Why would I put on an act for Kurenai's sake? That is ridiculous. Gabe shrugged.

"If you say so." He stared at the idiot that was standing next to me, a troubled look on his face. It was like he was trying to figure out how he was going to word what he wanted to say. He smiled slightly. "Thanks a bunch, Shu. I owe you one." He looked at me, disappointment clear in his eyes. "I don't know what any of us would have done without you stepping in."

Kurenai nodded "Don't mention it. No matter how much I hate his guts sometimes, I could never let him intentionally destroy his bey. He is the best Japan has, no matter how much we may hate it, and I can't let him go down like that. I still have a score I need to settle with him."

Kurenai's eyes started to glow again, and I let out a small grunt. I don't care why he stopped me from destroying my bey, and in all honesty, I don't give a crap about his opinion in general. He can go and shove it up his ass before I even start to give a damn about this kind of crap. I saw Gabe's annoyed look out the corner of my eye and shrugged in response.

"I think you should go now. Valt's probably losing his mind right now, and the Beyclub will probably need your help settling him down." Gabe said, which made Kurenai chuckle and then nod in agreement. He walked off, and I was suddenly grateful for his lack of presence. God, I hate him so much. I watched Kurenai leave, and as he walked past a man, the guy pushed him to the ground, and then beat the crap out of him, calling him a monster. When he finished, he walked off, walking in front of Gabe and down the stairs. I glared daggers at him. He touched my brother, and now I'm gonna murder his ass. Only I can take it that far with him. The man cowered away from me and then ran off in fear. I opened the wallet I had just got from him, and then looked at the things it contained.

There was a picture of two kids. This guy's a parent. Then he disgusts me even more. Beating up an innocent kid for no reason. He should know better. I don't tolerate bullies. Especially when they're bullying my little brother. He doesn't need this shit. Kurenai's as perfect as they get, and it ain't because he's naturally perfect. He's worked so hard for this. And then there are dumbass pricks like him who try to screw it up for the kid. Maybe I should start going a bit easier on him. I shook my head. He's strong. He can take it.

I looked in the direction the man had run in and smirked. I know your name, where you live, and what your kids look like. I can make your life a living hell, jackass. I turned back to Kurenai, who had already disappeared. That princess sure as hell knows how to pick himself up. He shouldn't have to, though. He ain't no fucking monster, and he shouldn't be treated like one. I may hate him at times, but at least I respect him. More or less. I heard fingers clicking and then looked at Gabe, who had a small smile on his face, but a serious look in his eyes. I don't know whether that means I'm in trouble or what, but it kinda freaks me out. He can get scary when he's angry. It doesn't happen often, but it's still possible.

"What do you want, Brunai?" I cocked an eyebrow up at the brunette, who met my gaze with a smug smile. What the hell is his deal? 

"You two were getting along in public. What's happened to you? You've changed." He told me, tilting his head to the side with curiosity in his eyes. What is he going on about now?

"Nothing's happened. He approached me and started trying to help me and whatever other crap he was trying to do. What do you mean I've changed?" I asked, his statement slightly confusing me. I haven't changed. I'm just pissed off with life, like always.

Gabe shook his head as if he had second thoughts about what he said "Don't worry about it. But you can't deny that you were getting along in your own way."

"Of course," I rolled my eyes in annoyance, "that is all you care about."

"Well, yeah, of course. I want you two to be able to get along." I snorted in response and he sighed. "Please, Lui. Can you just try? It's really not that hard to act like a decent person towards him, is it?"

"You do realise that not only am I a Shirosagi, and one of the biggest jackasses alive, but we have one of the biggest, if not  the biggest, rivalry in the whole Beyblade history, right?" I cocked an eyebrow as I pointed out the biggest known fact among the Beyblade community. Shu Kurenai and Lui Shirosagi are bitter rivals, enemies if you will. I will not succumb to such weakness. I am weak enough as it is, and I don't need his friendship bullcrap getting in my way.

"I know that your bitter enemies, and all that bollocks, but it's because of that rivalry that you two need each other, whether you two like it or not." He told me

"You're absolutely fucking crazy, Gabe," I told him, giving him an irritated stare. I did not need his advice, and especially not on a subject like this. He. Knows. Nothing. And I plan to keep it that way.

"Says the psychopathic baby shark with anger issues." He countered

"Exactly." I replied, "If I think that it's crazy then there must be something wrong."

"Touche, mi compadre." He replied, smirking

"I am not your compadre, and don't ever say that again," I said as I started walking away, pushing past him after climbing back up the stairs and then walking off, mentally and physically preparing myself to report back to my father, who will not be happy with today's turn of events. If I can't destroy my disappointment by destroying Luinor then I'll use it to become stronger, because what else can I do at this point? I wouldn't be able to give up Beyblade without giving Luinor away, and no one is deserving of my bey's power. One day I'll crush Kurenai, Aoi, and all their pathetic friends along with any hopes and dreams that they have about becoming somebody. I'll aim for number one worldwide, and Free De La Hoya's reign will finally end.

"Hey, Lui." I turned to the sound of my name to see Gabe smiling at me. "It's nice to know that you're not completely heartless and that you're not a monster like everybody says you are. Or at least, not 24/7."

I grunted "Whatever, Brunai."

Murasaki's POV:

I stood outside the WBBA building and watched the events unfold. My eyes stayed glued to the dragon blader as he walked away from his friend, intent on becoming stronger, and I smiled to myself. He and Shu may not be the greatest of friends, but I don't think that they're the worst of enemies, either. They may never admit it, but they care about each other, and will probably take that to their grave before telling anyone. I know it doesn't seem like it - trust me, I REALLY know, I've had to deal with them for the past nine years - but even someone like Lui Shirosagi, who seems heartless, is capable of showing compassion towards another human being.

Without one another, they have nothing to strive for, other than beating Free, but that's every blader's dream. I watched Lui's hair flicker and smirked to myself. He's thinking about Shu, and it's only been five minutes. Well, you can't have Lui Shirosagi without Shu Kurenai. Not anymore, anyway. Who would they be without each other? What would Beyblade be without one of its biggest known rivalries in its history?

I took out my phone and looked at the home screen. It was a picture of Free, Lui and I. Lui was five while Free and I was eight. We were all holding our beys up at the camera, and we all seemed so happy. Then everything changed, including us. The world chewed us up and spat us out, and because of that, we are who we are today. Free is emotionless in any situation he's put in, despite how upsetting it may be to other people. Lui is angry at the world and gets annoyed at everyone and everything in it with such ease, never thinking about how he's affecting other people. And I'm just an emotional wreck, intent on helping the people I care about. But I want to be something more. We all do.