Chapter Text
I had some childhood friends I was really close with.
Our personalities were worlds apart, but we always had a lot of fun together. The four of us got along really well.
That's why everyone readily agreed to my suggestion to all blade together.
The starlit sky we saw on the way back from our first battle was so beautiful.
“Phew! I’ve never properly bladed before, but that battle was really fun!” Saki exclaimed as she walked along with her friends. Clutching her bey, she held it up to the moonlight.
Shiho had a small smile on her face, already stoic despite her young age. “Yeah. I guess it was rewarding.”
Ichika could tell Shiho was more excited than she let on, but she didn’t tease her about it. Instead, Honami was the one to fill the silence. Despite, or maybe because she won the battle, Honami was the most tired out.
“I agree. It was exhausting, but also a lot of fun, wasn’t it?” With Honami’s words, the group fell into idle chatter, discussing what they could do in the next battle and who was going to win, as they strolled down the dark, empty streets.
“Hey.. everyone…” Ichika began, and then paused for a moment, as the mildly confused stares of the other three girls flickered onto her.
“I just wanted to say thank you.” She fidgeted with her hair as she spoke, embarrassed. “Thanks for going along with my sudden suggestion to all blade together.”
Ichika was a bit more nervous asking the next part, but she told herself that these were her friends, and she had nothing to worry about.
“Also.. If you don’t mind, can we do this again?”
Honami and Shiho simply gave quiet nods, while Saki responded almost immediately, delivering a “Of course we should do this again! We’ll practice again tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and beyond!”
“Yeah!” Ichika matched her upbeat tone as she replied. Ichika was going to say something else, but a flash in the sky caught her eye before the words had left her mouth.
A shooting star, shining against the midnight blue backdrop of the sky. It was a little hard to spot among the streetlights and tall buildings as it disappeared, but Ichika was sure she saw it.
“Woah.. was that a shooting star just now?” Ichika whispered, partially to herself, but Saki heard, squealed “What? Where?” and peered up into the sky to try and see it. After nothing appeared, Saki suggested heading to the jungle gym, and so the four girls rushed over to catch more shooting stars if they appeared.
Climbing to the top of the jungle gym structure, it was clear that Saki’s theories were correct. As the four got there, there were a few falling stars among the stagnant ones. A meteor shower, if Ichika remembered correctly from when Honami was telling the four about those terms.
“There’s another one!” Ichika pointed out as a particularly bright shooting star appeared, similar to the one she’d first seen.
Honami gasped in delight. “It’s so pretty!” Then hummed in thought for a moment, “Oh yeah, I think I saw something about it on TV this morning!”
Shiho looked at her, although it was too dark to tell her expression, Ichika thought Shiho was impressed, before turning her eyes back to the sky. “Really? Does that mean we can see more if we wait here for a bit?” To which Honami nodded at her in response.
“That would look amazing..” Ichika thought aloud, imagining the falling stars painting the night sky with sparkling colour.
The group was silently stargazing for some time, before Saki broke the silence with a sigh. Ichika looked over, worried. A sigh like that was almost uncharacteristic for the always cheerful Saki. “What’s the matter, Saki?” Ichika questioned.
To Ichika’s surprise and relief, Saki chuckled in response. “Just making a wish that we could stay like this forever!” Grinning at Ichika, and at Shiho and Honami who were looking up at her. Continuing, she said “Playing together, talking about stuff, watching shooting stars on our way home…”
“I wish we could keep doing all that together forever!”
Although Saki’s words were spoken with her typical happy voice, there was a hint of bittersweetness in that wish. However, nobody seemed to pick up on it.
Ichika smiled at Saki. “I wish we could, too.”
Honami agreed with a “Me three!” and Shiho with a “Same.”, before Honami perked up, struck with a realisation. “You know what... I have some binoculars and a star chart at home. Let me go get them so we can stargaze together!”
Shiho hummed slightly at the mention of a star chart. “That’s a thing? Interesting.” She seemed to agree with Honami’s suggestion, so Saki jumped in to agree as well. Well, almost literally jumped in, as she reached to embrace Shiho and Honami, earning an annoyed “Hey!” from Shiho, and a “Ah!” from Honami as she almost fell off the jungle gym, making Saki laugh and quickly apologise. Ichika smiled, watching from afar, and then climbing down to join the impromptu group hug.
“Okay,” Saki said, making Ichika remember Honami’s idea. “Let’s all go and drop our beys back at home, then we’ll meet back here after!”
Ichika quickly chimed in, saying “Yeah!” before the four all split up to head home. As she walked back, Ichika looked up to the sky, her eye catching another shooting star. At this, Ichika began to run down the street, eager to get back to her friends.
I thought we’d always be friends.
I thought we’d be together forever.
But..
10 years later
Ichika waved to her teammates as she exited B.C. Sol’s main building. Passing by various stores and cafes, her eyes saddened as she caught sight of an apple pie shop, one that Ichika brought Honami to as a celebration for making into B.C Sol, and the one that Ichika saw Honami in alone when Honami left. Ichika sighed, and she looked over to the other side of the road.
A brief flash of pale brown hair tied in a side ponytail made Ichika pause. With strangers that Ichika assumed were her new friends, there was Honami, only a street away. Ichika almost opened her mouth, almost took a step towards her, but then the streetlight turned green and Honami turned away.
Retreating from the conversation, Honami briefly considered leaving the group to get an apple pie from the store she knew was across the road. Looking to her left, she expected, or maybe hoped, that it would be too busy so she had an excuse for being unable to tell her friends what she wanted, but all she saw was her.
Ichika. They hadn’t spoken since Honami had left B.C. Sol. Honami glanced at the black-haired girl, letting out a quiet muttering of her name, obviously too quiet for Ichika to hear. However, one of her friends had noticed.
“Something wrong, Honami?” It was clear that they either didn’t recognise or didn’t know Ichika. Honami supposed that made sense, this group wasn’t involved in blading at all, and Ichika hadn’t been in too many tournaments yet, if Honami remembered correctly.
Oh. Honami had gotten lost in her own thoughts again, and now her friend was looking concerned.
“Oh, no… it’s nothing.”
The lackluster response seemed to appease them well enough, and they turned back to the conversation everyone else was happening, as the crossing sign lit up above her and the group all left.
“Honami..” Ichika mumbled, unknowingly echoing Honami’s call from before. Ichika kept walking, past playgrounds, and schools, and a few smaller beyclubs. She wondered how many people spent their childhoods in these places. Ichika thought that was what she missed most about Japan, even if those sorts of memories were the most painful.
As Ichika reached the crowded city center, she realised what she was there for. Right, Ichika thought. My teammates wanted me to pick up some food while Sirius was getting repaired. She was still embarrassed about that. Two years in B.C. Sol, and she still managed to crack her bey. Honami and Shiho were the more talented of the four when it came to blading, even if it was never spoken aloud.
Ichika made her way through the crowd, attempting to avoid a group of loud American tourists, before noticing the emblem on one of their jackets. Oh. That was the symbol for the Raging Bulls, a famous beyclub, and the very one that Shiho was in. Did that mean, was there a chance, that she was here too?
While Ichika was staring at the beyclub, she accidentally walked right into someone. Turning around to apologise, she gasped in surprise. It was Shiho standing in front of her.
“..Ichika?” Shiho seemed part annoyed, part disbelieving. She was clutching a backpack, and keeping an eye on the rest of her beyclub, so it was clear Shiho would be staying for a while. Ichika couldn’t properly tell how she felt about that.
Seeing Shiho start to leave, Ichika tried to keep her interest. “Um, hello.. I.. uhm..”
Ichika was shocked at her own incompetence. She knew Shiho, they were friends, so why was it so hard to get any words out?
Fumbling to think of a conversation topic, Ichika began to say whatever came to her mind. “So.. you’re still with the Raging Bulls? Are you going to battle a beyclub here?”
Shiho sighed, and Ichika gripped onto her sleeve, knowing she’d just made things worse. She looked back at her beyclub yet again. “So what if I am?” Shiho said.
Her words sent Ichika into a nervous splutter, quickly managing to get out a “I mean.. well..” as she desperately tried to actually talk to Shiho.
“Look, I have to go now.”
Shiho didn’t allow Ichika to formulate a response afterwards, and simply walked off in the direction of the Raging Bulls.
Damn. Shiho didn’t even notice there was someone in front of her.
Dusting off her clothes, she looked up, ready to mutter a quick apology and run along, but the face she was met with was completely unexpected.
Why did Ichika have to be here?
Shiho watched absently as Ichika stuttered out a response. Since when did she become so nervous? Shiho thought, but deep down, she knew it was probably her fault. “... Are you going to battle a beyclub here?”
Wasn’t that a stupid question? Shiho could see herself snapping, “Why else would I be here? Don’t you pay attention to the league? You’re a blader too, aren’t you?”
It was almost laughable how cruel Shiho was. Why was the first thing she thought of so awful? Ichika didn’t deserve to hear that.
She turned to see where the rest of her teammates were. They were still here, but they looked like they wanted to leave. Uttering a lame “Look, I have to go now.” Shiho turned to join the Raging Bulls again. She imagined Ichika’s surprised and betrayed expression at Shiho just walking off, and she balled her hand into a fist to dispel the image from her mind.
Ichika was left standing alone, as the crowd shifted to account for the empty space.
I had always thought, that if I saw Shiho again, I could be able to talk to her.
But I couldn’t at all..
When did I start becoming so awkward around Honami and Shiho?
And on top of all that, Saki is..
Saki..
Ichika began to speak her thoughts again, even though she didn’t realise it, even if those thoughts couldn’t be heard amongst the crowd. “Is this how it's all going to end? We'll just graduate and split up without ever speaking to each other again?”
Making her way to the fast food place that her teammates asked for, Ichika heard the familiar jingle of the World Beyblade Association, meaning a battle was being broadcasted. It must be a pretty big battle, if it was on the screens here. Hearing her order number being called, Ichika grabbed her food and trod out onto the street, ignoring the battle unfolding. She could just watch it back at B.C. Sol.
Flickering her gaze up to the screens as she began her journey back, Ichika was startled to see it was a Title Match. A Title Match so close to the world league qualifiers? The challenger must be really ambitious..
The World Champion, Sumire, wished the challenger, a girl with light pink and blonde hair called Saku, good luck before getting into position. Ichika always felt out of place when she remembered she shared a beyclub with her.
Bladers like that, both Sumire and Saku, who have the will to climb to the top.. people like that really can do anything.
Unlike me.
Ichika was back in her dorm room. Her teammates had happily accepted the food she’d brought back, but Ichika wasn’t interested in hanging out.
Ichika sighed deeply, clutching her bey Neon Sirius in her hand. Ichika was glad the bey was repaired, but since everyone was separated, Ichika hadn’t felt passion for blading in a long time, despite being in such a prestigious beyclub.
Ichika stared forlornly at a picture of the four of them. It was really dusty, and everyone’s faces were obscured. We promised we’d all blade together and be together forever, but now…
A flash of light struck Ichika’s eyes. For a second, that memory of watching those fallen stars resurfaced, but she pushed that memory away.
“What was that flash of light just now?” Ichika thought aloud. She looked around, before she settled on the bey still in her hand. It was probably just something reflecting off of its metal, but still… “Did it come from you, Sirius?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the light became almost blinding. “Wh-What?! I can't see!”
Ichika closed her eyes as everything faded to white.
Ichika opened her eyes to a void.
A white, slightly blue tinted void, with blue, pink and yellow triangle-like shapes floating around, although they were too far for Ichika to touch any of them to see if they were real.
“Ichika.”
She swiveled towards the voice, and an unbelievable sight awaited her. Something resembling a futuristic robot or gundam, with a familiar colour palette that made Ichika suspect what this was.
“Are you.. Sirius?” To this, Sirius nodded, confirming Ichika’s theory. However, this only left Ichika more confused. How was she seeing and talking to her bey? She had vaguely heard of strong bladers having bonds with their beys, but never something like this.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Ichika.” Her bey’s voice filled the silence once again. “You’re here because of the strength of your feelings. Your feelings towards blading, yourself and your friends.”
“My… feelings?” Ichika said breathily.
“Don't tell me you've forgotten what your feelings are?” Sirius responded lightheartedly. Ichika looked down. She still knew what her true feelings were, but…
“I wish we could keep doing all that together forever!”
“Oh, no… it’s nothing.”
“Look, I have to go now.”
“Also.. If you don’t mind, can we do this again?”
Seeing Ichika’s melancholy expression, Sirius continued reassuringly. “It will all be okay, Ichika. All of your friends, I’m sure they feel the same way you do. They’ll be able to achieve Resonance, and you will as well.”
Ichika did a double take at the mention of Resonance. Was that what a blader’s true bond with their bey was? Ichika tried to ask what that meant, but the white void was becoming brighter, almost blindingly so, just like when Ichika had first entered this place (which it was still unclear what this place actually was).
As everything faded to white once again, Ichika could hear Sirius calling out to her.
“Make sure to get even stronger, Ichika! I’ll be growing with you.”
Ichika woke up on her bed. Groggily, she got up. Sirius was still resting in her palm, and it gleamed as she looked at it, as if to say “all of that was real.”.
Staring outside, Ichika noticed how dark it was. So while I was talking to Sirius, time did pass? Ichika wondered if to an outside observer, she was just staring at her bey for hours. Taking another look out her window, the stars looked brighter than they had in a long while, almost the same as how they appeared that night long ago.
Honami was carrying various shopping bags as she crossed the street back to the Yoisaki residence.
Gazing past the streetlights to the starry sky above, she was reminded of a carefree night long ago.
“...Huh. The stars are so pretty..”
Shiho was sitting in the hotel’s rooftop gardens with some of her teammates, Akiyama and Yoshizaki. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Yoshizaki marvelling over the stars.
A certain memory that Shiho swore to move on from made its way into her mind as she examined the night sky.
Walking back to her hotel room, Shiho sighed to herself. “I... haven't looked up at the stars in a while.”
Saki skipped down the streets, talking and humming to nobody in particular as the stars glimmered above her.
“I'm all set for tomorrow with my new lip balm, featuring this season's latest color! Can't wait to go back to school again after so long! Icchan and the others will be sooo surprised!” Saki chirped, before going silent after seeing a shooting star cross the sky.
Smiling as she thought of that night, Saki bore her eyes into the night for a few more moments, before beginning to run along again. “I'll never forget how beautiful the sky looked back when we saw that meteor shower…”
Seeing another shooting star out of the corner of her eye, Saki decided to make a wish.
“I wish that the four of us will be able to see a beautiful meteor shower again…”