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Hyoma stopped for a moment to breathe in the warm air of August. The path they were on had been trampled by so many excited bladers earlier today, waiting to get into the tournament, reaching for any attainable points. Now they were the only ones walking it.
Everyone else was already running to the next city, the next tourney, their next battle. It was summer, and all of Japan’s youth was buzzing with excitement at the thought of the event that would crown the best of the best in the country growing closer. Though Hyoma and his friends knew better about that event’s true nature, it was hard not to get caught up in the general enthusiasm.
And to be fair, it helped. Amongst the stress and all the anguish of what they’ll be faced with, the amount of genuine and cheerful opponents they faced everyday made things feel lighter.
Sometimes Hyoma almost felt like he was back home, and the will to battle was still only a matter of small band-aids and laughter.
Hyoma turned his head to see his two companions had slowed down on the path behind him. Both seemed deep in their own thoughts. Kenta looked at the ground in front of him but was evidently replaying his fights from earlier today, probably the last one particularly. As for Shoyo, well, it was harder to decipher what was bothering them. For unlike Kenta, that worried look was frequently seen on her.
“… Kenta?”
The little boy stopped at the sound of his name, took two more seconds to himself to look disappointed before shaking his head and slightly raising his fist to his side.
“Next time… I’ll do better next time!” He then looked up and ran up to Hyoma, but not before dragging his shoe on the ground a couple times, much like a bull would. As he came up to Hyoma his eyes were full of renewed passion and shined in a way the taller boy knew so very well.
“Right?” Kenta exclaimed, ready to pass this magical feeling onto his friend.
Hyoma smiled. Did he even have to say anything to cheer his little friend up? He was just like Gingka, already excited for the next battle. Just like Ryo taught them to be.
“Mh! Next time, we’ll get them for sure!” Kenta smiled at him. It was like a promise. And Kenta was always eager to trust. They would try their hardest.
The thought of many more exciting battles such as today’s ones made Hyoma’s heart vibrate in excitement. The sun was setting and it would be colder soon, but he knew that warm feeling could last for days.
Hyoma wondered if his scrapped encouraging speech would sound anything like Koma’s former guardian’s. It’d probably be everything he was compared to that man, unfinished, unprepared.
Back home, he had not been used to losing very often. Of course some adults were stronger than him and some days Aries would not make it all the way across the river. Still, he’d grown accustomed to this familiarity. He had decided to learn everything he could to take on the Koma guardian’s role, because he was strong. Because this little world of his needed a protector. He’d take care of the village like it took care of him before, and that outlook seemed unshakable.
But then it wasn’t.
Then that invisible threat they had been preparing for all this time became palpable. And it won.
A lot had changed since then. The empty houses, the silent nights and scratches without band-aids had told him so. Many times. Still, he didn’t think he’d lose so much in beyblade too.
Even with his home in ruins, something in him made him stay, made him believe that thing had not changed that much. Or at least, that they could be mended. He was still strong and he could still protect what remained. Him and all his friends, all the villagers could come back and continue to live like they did the day before that day.
But then, he didn’t win against his friend, who he used to cheer for while always standing one step ahead. Gingka had surrounded himself with other friends who, too, had begun to surpass him.
Maybe a part of Hyoma had stayed in the forest, training in the tree trunk stadium. He had not left that place and time behind like Gingka had been forced to do. And maybe it was only once the pieces from the Green Hades had all fallen down at his feet that he was pulled back into the present again.
“You both did good today, ’must have been hard to go up against that Yu kid unprepared.” Hyoma blinked. He had not seen Shoyo standing next to him. And for how long?
“Oh, thanks! He sure is a tough opponent to face!” Hyoma laughed quietly. Right. He should focus on that fight from today. But here he was reminiscing about old times like always. Shoyo didn’t seem to have noticed, and he suspected her talking just now to be an attempt at making conversation. Which was rare.
“Hey, um…” Well, now that there was a chance to talk more to the deer blader his mind was blank, despite him usually being the one talking to them first. “Thank you for looking after Kenta. By the way!”
“Huh? Oh… um, no problem?”
“Even with his will to battle, I felt like he still needed someone to look over him, I thought about going with him but I’m glad you did instead!”
“Um… hey, you could stay with us if you want, with... Kenta I mean.”
There was a silence when Hyoma thought about it. Maybe it was his pride telling him no, he could manage by himself, he was used to it after all.
He had only ever been used to spending long lapses of time with Gingka. And he had just taken off as soon as the announcement about battle bladers had been made. A quick battle and that was it. Hyoma looked at Kenta trotting onward ahead of them once again. And once again he smiled, and thought that with enough practice, he would manage to make that same smile look less sad.
“No, that’s okay. Kenta’s just fine with you! And there’s a city I want to reach before a big tournament tomorrow.”
He saw that Shoyo was about to protest and added on.
“Plus, you’re on the run, it’d be more difficult to be discreet with three people right?”
“You’re pretty discreet.”
“I’ll see you both soon, Shoyo” As he said this, he stopped in his tracks, raising his hand toward her as she turned around with her usual perplexed look in her eyes. They looked at the hand in front of her for a second, then at Hyoma’s smile again and for a moment the edges of her lips raised a little.
She shook his hand hesitantly, both silently agreeing that they looked forward to the next time. Then she waved a little awkwardly and started walking toward Kenta waiting for her.
The Sagittario wielder gave Hyoma a big goodbye wave from where he was standing and then they were off. Just a little child with a bright T-shirt and tightly held backpack and a sleep deprived teen wearing a raggedy coat against the world.
Hyoma waved at Kenta and lowered his arm when the green haired kid turned around again. Today, he lost again, to a blader around Kenta’s age to boot.
Strangely, it didn’t pull the rug from under his feet. Maybe it should have.
Lately he had begun to think he was like a house badly built next to a river, and his foundation had fallen in a long time ago. It was only a matter of time until the rest went with it.
That, again, didn’t scare him all that much. Right now, he was out. His village gone but not lost. He’d been holding onto Aries’ thick wool and stable horns since he stepped into the guardian’s shoes, way earlier than he ever thought he would. He hadn’t let go ever since. Even against strong winds or raging rivers that could swallow a house up, the mountain beasts prevailed.
There were many fears in his heart still, much like many of his companions, but still, Hyoma believed he could withstand whatever would come next. And he had many hands to hold onto, to stop from falling into the river.
As he watched the strange pair move further and further away and waved goodbye one last time, he let out a small sight coupled with an uncontrollable smile.
Today once again his hands were empty of victory. But today again also, he felt the rocky outlines of Aries’ energy ring under his fingers. A means to protect and to move forward. Today again, he told himself it would have to be enough.