Sharing the Skies - Beyblade Burst Fanfic

Chapter 3

"Scrumptious!" I beamed so hard I would've melted all of the ice cream then and there.

"Your hangout spot choices are always the best!" Akira complimented with his mouth full.

"Yeah, but one question, Zac... how come it's just the three of us this time?" Orochi asked with his headphones in.

"It's because you're my best friends! Don't worry about the others, we'll have a separate hangout with them," I exclaimed, stretching my arms out for the full effect.

Akira grinned at me with gratitude. "I haven't had sweets in a while due to my diet! I'm sure this one cup of goodness won't hurt!"

As Akira continued to cram down his mint n' chip, I turned around. "Orochi?" I muttered so only he could hear.

Despite his music volume being at its loudest, Orochi took his headphones off and turned to me. "Yeah?"

I glanced at Akira to make sure he wasn't paying attention. Then I whispered, "Do you know about phantom thieves?"

"Oh, phantom thieves?" Orochi blinked. "All I know is that they've been more active the last two years, and they steal without leavin' a trace. Why?"

I frowned. "I may have received a letter from a group of them... last night."

"Really?"

"They call themselves the Phantom Thieves of Beys, and they say they plan on stealing my Bey. Tonight."

"Tonight?"

Akira appeared between us. "Tonight?"

"Gah!" I exclaimed, pushing Akira's face down with a finger. "None of your business, kid."

He jumped up. "But it is! I... may have heard everything in your conversation." Akira admitted sheepishly.

"Guess I'm not the only one with keen hearin'." Orochi casually joked.

"Well, guess I should explain to the both of you, then." I closed my eyes. Honestly, I wasn't so sure of sharing the next lines to them, but I trusted them enough. "Before I received that card, I was at my brother Auguste's house. Before I left, I spotted this mysterious golden cane in his bedroom..."

"Maybe your brother likes canes?" Akira assumed.

"But listen to this! I remember from a witness interview that one of the phantom thieves also has a cane that looks exactly like his!"

"Maybe the witness didn't see things properly?" the kid suggested again.

"You may be right... Phantom thieves only come out in the dark," Orochi added on. "It was probably too dark for him to assume anythin' definitely."

"I guess... Yeah, why am I even worried? My brother would never try to steal my Bey, right?" I heartily reassured myself.

"Then again... you told me once that he has a very big Bey collection..." Orochi mentioned.

"It's because he works tirelessly for his money. He always wanted to keep a Beycollection. He buys himself rare Beys as a reward for his hard work!" I concluded.

"Rare Beys?" both of them repeated. Then Orochi asked, "Do you know which specific Beys they are?"

"Uhh, my brother never told me their names," I uttered. My confidence in my conclusion was going down a bit.

Akira rubbed his arm uneasily, while Orochi closed his eyes and had another spoonful of cookie dough ice cream. Clearly, all of us didn't like where this was going. I had to brighten things up. I pushed my chair back and stood up assuredly.

"Hey, if there's anyone that knows Auguste very well, it's me! He's smart, caring, and always looks out for me. If there was something wrong with him, I'd know. And as far as I know, there's nothing wrong with him!" I posed for a dramatic finish.

"Whatever you say, boss," Orochi shrugged as he put his headphones in once again.

"If you're sure... I'll believe you Zac," Akira smiled at me in admiration.

"That means a lot, kid," I complimented as I dabbed.

"Still, in case a phantom thief does visit you tonight... Should we stay with you?" Orochi asked.

"I have an idea! We'll have a sleepover!" I declared. If I couldn't have a sleepover with my brother, maybe I could have one with my friends instead!

"For reals?! Awesome!" I knew the kid would like the idea!

"Well, get your toothbrushes and PJs ready, because we'll be guarding my Zillion Zeutron together!!"

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Auguste's POV

I really wanted to come to that concert. I wanted to be there for my brother. But I just had too much work last night. And I couldn't tell him what I've been doing, can I?

I know what you're thinking. "If you love your brother, why are you not honest with him?" you may ask. "Why did you become a phantom thief in the first place?" It's complicated, okay?

I sat down by my computer, leaning back with my hands behind my head. I was met with the usual: pages upon pages of graphs, words, and numbers.... These are the culprits for my grey hair, seriously.

With a heavy sigh, I cracked my knuckles and got back to work.

Ever since Zac became a pop star, I've made it my duty to assist him in any way I can. However, it's been difficult on my end.

Zac doesn't know it, but occasionally hosting free concerts and giving out free albums doesn't cut it. Most of his wealth comes from my own efforts. And I'm not just financially supporting Zac, but myself as well.

But seeing how kind Zac is to his fans, I can't just give up on him, you know? He always acknowledges his fans. He's nice to children. My heart breaks every time he donates one fourth of his money to a charity!

I could tell his fame matters a lot to him. He keeps rambling to me about how he wants to be the best pop star in the world. I watched that Beybattle he had with Akira, and I could tell from his face that he will not make way for someone else to steal his spotlight.

If I make him fail as a pop star, it'll ruin him. So I have to support him, no matter what the cost. No matter what happens to me (and my hair).

No matter what the law says I can't do. As long as it doesn't involve him...