Coach Shu in the Snake Pit

Chapter 8

Shu came to in a white space. He put his head to his temple. It hurt. When he took his hand away and looked at it, he saw a little scar. A burn.

Surprised and shocked, Shu checked himself over; short hair, less scars, red glove and pink and blue clothing. He was himself again. He felt strangely relieved.

"Before I sent you home, little thing, there's someone I would like you to meet."

Requiem's voice was strangely reassuring in the unfamiliar place, but Shu still wondered. Who?

"Hi", a voice greeted him. A voice much more familiar than anything should be. Shu turned around and came face to face with himself. Or a version of himself anyway. Long hair, scars, and a tired and cold look on his face that could only come from time in the Snake Pit.

"Red Eye."

Red Eye smiled. He looked nervous, much more nervous than a Snake Pit Blader could afford to be.

"Yeah. It's nice to finally properly meet you, Shu."

Shu was at a loss for words. He had never expected to get to meet Red Eye. He had wanted to, of course he did, but he had never expected his wish to come true. And he had not expected Red Eye to be such a shy person.

"I honestly never thought I'd get to meet you", Shu admitted. He wasn't sure if he should step closer to the other teen, or if it was better to not startle him. They really were awkward.

"I saw you", Red Eye said. "Saw you leading, fighting for your Bladers. You were amazing."

"Amazing? What did you see?"

"We didn't switch souls, like you assumed. Or that's what Requiem told me", Red Eye smiled a little. "Your soul was in my body but my soul was floating freely through the different timelines. I saw our other selves. Some who did what I did, some who followed your path and some who were completely different all together. And, most of all, I watched you. Your leadership, your courage and your strength. You impressed me, Shu."

Shu wasn't sure what to make of this. He blushed under the praise, used to hearing the words, but unused to the sincerity and softness of the voice. Red Eye noticed this and seemed to shy away himself.

"Well, I was surprised about you, too", Shu admitted. "I didn't know there was a possibility to stay for prolonged time in the Snake Pit."

"When you have no place left to go home to, this sort of thing tends to happen."

Red Eye sounded bitter, sad and Shu cursed himself for mentioning this. Still, he stayed calm.

"I'm sorry. I'm just... well, a little nervous about the dark. I've been a little unsettled by the pitch-black darkness in the Snake Pit."

"Let me guess", Red Eye said, a voice laced with dark humor. "You're claustrophobic, too?"

"A little", Shu said.

Both of them sighed and then, as if they'd made out a signal, they both said.

"Requiem."

They looked at each other and then burst out laughing. Shu couldn't remember when he'd last laughed like that. Before the chaos with Lean, maybe?

Red Eye calmed down first. He looked at the sky, or the equivalent of it.

"I can't really remember the last time I laughed like that. Before all of this, maybe."

Shu's heart broke for the teen. Shu had been freed, freed from pain and darkness only shortly after falling into it. Seeing that it could have been different, that this teen had suffered, really hurt. Shu had always been too empathetic. He had learned early to ignore it.