Chapter Text
She's only allowed to visit her mother at the hospital when it was clear that there was no hope for recovery. The nurses give her a look of pity and one assistant keeps asking if she's sure she wants to see her mother in this state. Nekketsu replies 'yes, I'm sure' every time.
Her mother is asleep when she gets there, only awake for minutes at a time now. Tubes coming out of her nose help her eat and drink and breathe, and another tube snaking out from underneath the green blankets is full of excrement and urine. A monitor on the wall has her heartbeat, slow and steady. She's only breathing eight times a minute.
Nekketsu remembers the machines forcing her mother to live more than she remembers the wasting corpse in the bed. The plug was pulled later that night. Time of Death: 2138. Nekketsu doesn't know where her mother is buried, because by 2300 she's been picked up by her supposed father and is driven cities away from her hometown. The man in the car doesn't acknowledge her silent sobs.
Its been three days since her mother's passing. Nekketsu sits in a small apartment with a stocked fridge she hasn't dared to touch and a box full of toys she's ignored. Everything is too darkly colored and gray and red. Nekketsu grabbed a blanket, a pillow, and a loaf of bread left on a small counter and decided to hide in the bathtub that is thankfully a normal white color. The blanket she grabbed was the brightest navy blue she could find and she ripped the pillowcase off the pillow as soon as she could.
If her dad was upset with her behavior, he certainly hasn't shown it. Three days, and the only person Nekketsu has met is a guy who speaks through the tablet hanging on the wall by the front door. His name is Mersee, she thinks; his voice sounds funny and she couldn't really understand what he was saying. He calls in every morning and night, asking if she's okay. Nekketsu has decided to just ignore him after the first 2 calls.
So that's where she's found herself, wearing the same clothes she wore at the hospital, hair and teeth unbrushed, staring at the last thing she has of her mother in her palm. A bey. The plate in the middle has a picture of a swan and the name Cygnus. Nekketsu saw it in her mothers hand at the hospital, and quickly shoved it into her pocket. Stealing from her dead mom was probably a bad thing to do. Nekketsu doesn’t have any more tears to cry, and she already knows she's gonna be guilty for this crime until the day she dies.
A sound knocks her out of her thoughts, and she hastily shoves the bey underneath the pillow, eyes staring at the closed bathroom door. Someone is inside the apartment. The intruder walks around, taking their time. Nekketsu curses herself for leaving the bathroom light on, but she knows if she tried to turn it off now the intruder would notice it. Sure enough, the doorknob turns and the door is pushed open.
On the other side is a tall, skinny man. He's wearing a suit, and his glasses hide his eyes.
"What are you doing in the bathtub?" His voice is odd and horrible but doesn't sound weird like Mersee's voice does. Nekketsu shrugs. She knows this is her dad, her mom showed her enough photos while telling her to avoid him at all costs. But then her mom had to go and die, and now Nekketsu has no choice but to be in the same room as him. "Why don't you come on out, and we can talk?"
Nekketsu doesn't move. Her dad tilts his head, and his eyes are gray like the walls of the apartment, like the building the apartment is in. His hair is dark and sticks up, very unlike Nekketsu and her mom's hair. He's frowning, now. How long would it take to get him angry?
"I apologize for my absence. Merci assured me you were okay."
She doesn't want to answer, but her body is cold and aches, and its itchy and dirty. The bread she took to the bathroom with her wasn't that good at keeping her full, and she's been drinking the water from the sink. Nekketsu wants to leave the apartment, but she also wants her dad to leave too. She settles for a scowl.
"Go away." Her voice is raspy like that one time when she was sick and her mom said she had a frog in her throat. But judging by her dad's glare, he's heard her despite it.
"I had a few things I had to deal with, but I'm here now, so why are you acting like a brat?" He says harshly.
"Like what?" Nekketsu swallows some spit, and her voice sounds less like a frog.
"Excuse me?"
"What did you deal with?" Nekketsu can feel the crumbs of the bread tangled up in her blanket.
The man squints at her, thinking super loudly. "After you clean yourself up and meet me in the living room, then I can answer your questions. Deal?"
Ugh. "Whatever." She slowly pulls herself out of the tub, careful to not mess with her pillow. Her dad, seeming satisfied, walks away. The moment he's out of sight, Nekketsu takes Cygnus and pockets it.
SIX YEARS LATER
"Ladies and Gentlemen! May the official WBBA tournament, Battle Bladers, begin!" DJ's voice echoed around the stadium, magnetized by his headset. Beneath the ground stood sixteen bladers, all of whom were either Dark Nebula Lackeys, or had the 50,000 points to enter. The stadium floor opened up, and Nekketsu's stomach lurched as the platform she stood on began to rise. Countless spotlights from every direction focused on her and her fellow competitors, and the cheers and screams of the crowd were deafening.
Luckily, Nekketsu was unremarkable enough to be placed a few people away from Gingka and his posse, right in the middle of the Dark Nebula employees that were hired to take part in this farce of a tournament, between Reiki Sodo and the weird Crab Guy that followed Yuu home one day.
DJ finished introducing the bladers, and then spun around to introduce the president of the Battle Bladers: Daidouji. Gingka and his friends were surprised to see the old man, but Nekketsu merely rolled her eyes. Her father was as dramatic as ever, reveling in his scarcely hidden evil plans. Seriously, how does anyone in the crowd take him seriously? The old man revealed the upcoming matches, claiming they were made by an impartial party. A lie, of course. Every Dark Nebula member was against some one who wasn't one. Nekketsu glanced at her assignment, a boy with long blonde hair who looked too precious to be taking part in this battle field. Teru Saotome, Earth Virgo GB145BS. A stamina bey that had no reason to be here.
The first randomly selected battle was Benkei Hanawa versus Death Capri. The battle was short, with Benkei outsmarting Capricorn in a minute flat. Next was Kenta Yumiya against the Crab Guy, and the battle was over before Nekketsu could blink. Same with Reiki versus Tsubasa Ootori, the traitor.
Gingka 3, Dark Nebula 0.
The first battle that lasts longer than a second is Yuu versus Gingka. It's a classic battle, full of special moves and bright lights. Gingka does everything he can to avoid Libra's sonic blasts and its sandstorm. They're talking too, shouting above the cacophony of their clash.
Nekketsu wasn't too sure about her thoughts on Yuu. Daidouji leaves and picks a up a powerful child, then has that kid take part of the Survival Battle tournament in order to wish Battle Bladers into existence. It's something her father would do, especially after he just… shows up with Ryuuga's comatose body in tow. He's a collector, Nekketsu had noticed. She was no different to him, just another potential blader to add to his roster.
But Yuu wasn't as… under Daidouji's control as her father would like. Yuu wasn't as concerned about the future of beyblade like Daidouji was. He was just a kid who wanted fun, and Daidouji managed to get him access to strong and smart bladers, like Ryuuga and Nekketsu, though Nekketsu always managed to worm her way out of battling the kid, much to his disappointment. He even gave her a cutesy little nickname.
(Which she didn't completely hate.)
But after a large beam of green and blue light, Gingka stood the victor, and Nekketsu was already on the move. Only Daidouji and the few bladers in his inner circle knew the fate of those who lost today, and Yuu was not in that circle.
"Yuu!" Nekketsu ran down the confusing hallways that lay underneath the stands, on the red side of the stadium that was wordlessly and unanimously decided as Dark Nebula's side of the ring. "Yuu, where are you?"
"Hello?"
Nekketsu jumped, spinning to come face to face with Gingka Hagane, eyes bright with the satisfaction of a battle won, standing right next to the little brat Nekketsu was searching for.
"Yuu!" Nekketsu crouched down to look at the kid. He's glowing, happy and proud of himself, even though he lost. "You need to get out of here! Daidouji isn't gonna be happy with you now that you've lost."
Yuu's grin falters a little bit, but he's still happy and so, so hopeful. "Nikki? Isn't your battle next?"
She sends a sideways glance at Gingka, who's watching her with a frown. "Yuu, I need you to listen to me. You need to stay with Gingka, or Tsubasa, or anyone that isn't Dark Nebula. Stay away from Daidouji, and definitely stay away from Ryuuga."
"But Ryuuga's my friend!" Yuu protested. smile completely gone now, but instead of the fear Nekketsu needs from him, he's just pouting. "And I'm all pumped up from my battle with GinGin! I can't wait to battle everyone!"
He's a lost cause. Nekketsu pushes herself to her feet, looking at Gingka. "Please, keep an eye on him."
Gingka looks lost, no longer triumphant, just… so young. He's younger than Nekketsu is, younger than anyone fighting Daidouji should be. Nekketsu is sure that he's aware of the danger Ryuuga wields, but he might not be fully cognizant to how cruel Daidouji truly is. "I will." He promises anyway, even though Nekketsu is certain he's figured she's Dark Nebula, and that her ultimate mission is to serve Ryuuga and Daidouji. They're going to be on opposite sides of the Bey Stadium, and each one is going to try their hardest to win.
"Stay with Gingka." Nekketsu sends a final order to Yuu, and turns away, running down the hall on her way to her own battle.
It takes no time at all for her father to learn of Cygnus's existence, and to begin training Nekketsu. It's hellish, frankly. Program after program, progress charted mathematically, statistically. Months after months, years after years, raising the stakes, the danger, the expectations.
She's fourteen when Daidouji moves, and takes her with him. In the middle of nowhere, on a clifftop by the sea, is a dark, dreary castle. It's there she she first learns about the Dark Nebula Organization, and hears a little about her fathers past.
Its dinnertime, she remembers. Dark outside the tall windows, storming and thundering, clouds heavy with rain that hasn't dropped yet. Most meals Nekketsu spends alone, just her and Merci. Tonight looks to be no different, with Nekketsu locked up in her own suite, eating cereal on the couch. Her father is big on etiquette and being fancy, so she takes her chances at rebellion as frequently as the opportunity arises. Of course its tonight that Daidouji decided to visit.
The door slides open and Nekketsu freezes, spoon half-way to her mouth. Daidouji pauses, then sighs, stepping inside and entering the designated living room area. The lightning outside reflects off his glasses in an almost deliberate way. Again, Nekketsu's father is a drama queen.
"I'm going on a trip tonight, and when I come back it will be with the Forbidden Bey and it's prophesied wielder."
Nekketsu puts the bowl of cereal down on the coffee table (without a coaster!) and sighs. "The what?"
Daidouji smirks. "When I was a young man, I remember hearing about a Forbidden Bey, locked up in a volcano and guarded by a secret village who's protector was passed down from parent to child, father to son. I managed to find my way into this Hidden Village, and befriended this generations protector, Ryusei Hagane."
He moves to sit in a stiff armchair across the table, smug and smirking still. "Hagane, being a young man himself, told me all about the legend of the Forbidden Bey, a bey that fed off of the negative energies of it's users, piling up power generation after generation, until it's counterpart some decades ago sealed it in a mountain." Daidouji leans back in the chair, while Nekketsu can feel her shoulders tense.
"I've been training the next wielder in secret, and tonight is the night we take what's rightfully ours." Daidouji chuckles.
"Who is it?" Nekketsu asks, almost afraid that it was herself her father was training, even though she knew she was only being trained out of convenience, and not through any actual care or affection that Daidouji may or may not feel.
He stands, beckoning. "Let me show you."